Health Sciences BS and Physician Assistant MHS Bridge Program
Degree Awarded: BS-MHS Degree (BSMHS)
Minimum Required Credits: 184
Co-op Option(s): One Co-op, No Co-op
About the Program
Drexel’s undergraduate Health Sciences program and graduate Physician Assistant (PA) program have partnered to offer a BS/MHS Bridge program option available to high-achieving students enrolled in the Health Sciences program. The BS/MHS PA Bridge program option is a linked academic track that enables students to complete their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Health Sciences, including sitting for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), in 5.25 years as opposed to the traditional 6.25 years.
Students pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences during their first three years of study and a Master of Health Science degree during the final 2.25 years of study. The bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences is awarded following completion of year four (first year of graduate study), and the master’s degree is awarded following completion of the Physician Assistant program.
Additional Information
For more information about this program, please contact the College of Nursing and Health Professions.
Admission Requirements
For Admission requirements, please visit: https://drexel.edu/cnhp/academics/undergraduate/BS-MHS-Physician-Assistant-Option/
Degree Requirements
Please note: coursework completed during the first year of graduate study is applied toward undergraduate elective requirements in the final year of the bachelor's degree, in accordance with the approved program curriculum.
| University Requirements | ||
| EXP 1001 | Introduction to Experiential Learning | 3.0 |
| WRIT 1100 | Composition and Rhetoric I | 3.0 |
| or WRIT 1110 | English Composition I | |
| WRIT 1200 | Composition and Rhetoric II | 3.0 |
| or WRIT 1210 | English Composition II | |
| Introductory Core Competencies 1 | ||
| Select one course from each of the three (3) categories of Introductory Core Competency Courses: | 9.0 | |
Introductory: Inquire and Analyze | ||
Introductory: Collaborate and Integrate | ||
Introductory: Apply and Engage | ||
| Undergraduate College Requirements | ||
| HSAD 2210 | Health Care Ethics | 3.0 |
| HSCI 1101 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 4.0 |
| HSCI 1102 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4.0 |
| HSCI 4010 | Statistics for Health Sciences | 3.0 |
| Undergraduate Program Requirements | ||
| BIO 1111 & BIO 1113 | General Biology I and General Biology Laboratory I | 4.0 |
| BIO 1112 & BIO 1114 | General Biology II and General Biology Laboratory II | 4.0 |
| CHEM 1040 | General Chemistry I | 4.0 |
| CHEM 1042 | General Chemistry II | 4.0 |
| HSCI 1001 | Introduction to Health Professions | 3.0 |
| HSCI 2001 | Health Assessment through the Lifespan | 4.0 |
| HSCI 3010 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3.0 |
| HSCI 4020 | Genetics and Health | 3.0 |
| HSCI 4040 | Pathophysiology | 3.0 |
| HSCI 4050 | Undergraduate Research Experience | 3.0 |
| or HSCI 4059 | Topics in Contemporary Health Sciences Research | |
| MATH 1001 | Mathematical Tools and Techniques | 4.0 |
| PBHL 1000 | Introduction to Public Health | 3.0 |
| PSY 1001 | Introduction to Psychology | 3.0 |
| SOC 1001 | Introduction to Sociology | 3.0 |
| Humanities or Language Elective | ||
| Select one course in the following subject(s) at the 1000-4999 level: | 3.0 | |
| Select any ANTH (Anthropology) | ||
| Select any HIST (History) | ||
| Select any PHIL (Philosophy) | ||
| Health Science Elective | ||
| Select a course in the following subjects at the 3000-4999 level: | 3.0 | |
| Select any ESCI (Exercise Science) | ||
| Select any HSCI (Health Sciences) | ||
| Select any NFS (Nutrition and Food Science) | ||
| Optional Co-op Experience | ||
| Co-Op -Co-op is an option for this degree for full-time on-campus students. Co-op cycles may vary. Students choosing this option will be required to complete COOP 1001 as preparation for their co-op experience. COOP 1001 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned. | 0.0 | |
| Graduate Program Requirements | ||
| Core Physician Assistant Courses | ||
| PA 5110 | Anatomy for PA Studies | 4.0 |
| PA 5112 | Physiology for PA Studies | 3.0 |
| PA 5114 | Clinical Assessment | 4.0 |
| PA 5116 | Medical Communication and Documentation | 3.0 |
| PA 5210 | Clinical Medicine I | 3.0 |
| PA 5212 | Pathophysiology for PA Studies | 3.0 |
| PA 5214 | PA Professional Practice and Health Systems | 3.0 |
| PA 5220 | Pharmacology I | 3.0 |
| PA 5230 | Foundations of Clinical Practice I | 4.0 |
| PA 5310 | Clinical Medicine II | 3.0 |
| PA 5314 | Principles of Ethics and Evidence-based Practice | 3.0 |
| PA 5316 | Biopsychosocial Foundations of Patient Care | 3.0 |
| PA 5320 | Pharmacology II | 3.0 |
| PA 5330 | Foundations of Clinical Practice II | 4.0 |
| PA 5410 | Clinical Medicine III | 3.0 |
| PA 5420 | Pharmacology III | 3.0 |
| PA 5430 | Preparation for Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences | 4.0 |
| Clinical Rotation Courses | ||
| Complete all courses listed below: 2 | ||
| PA 6010 | Behavioral Medicine Rotation | 4.0 |
| PA 6020 | Emergency Medicine Rotation | 4.0 |
| PA 6030 | Family Medicine Rotation | 4.0 |
| PA 6040 | Flex Core Rotation | 4.0 |
| PA 6050 | Internal Medicine Rotation | 4.0 |
| PA 6060 | Pediatric Medicine Rotation | 4.0 |
| PA 6070 | Surgery Rotation | 4.0 |
| PA 6080 | Women's Health Rotation | 4.0 |
| PA 6090 | Community-Focused Outpatient Care Rotation | 4.0 |
| Capstone Experience | ||
| PA 6210 | Transition to Professional Clinical Practice | 3.0 |
| PA 7100 | Clinical Literature Appraisal and Scholarly Analysis | 3.0 |
| Competency Assessment Courses | ||
| Optional Provisional Courses 3 | 0.0-3.0 | |
| Competency for Clinical Training I | ||
| Competency for Clinical Training II | ||
| Summative Remediation | ||
| Total Credits | 184.0-187.0 | |
- 1
A complete list of Introductory Core Competency eligible courses are found here.
- 2
The sequencing of clinical rotations will vary for individual students, but all students must complete all nine (9) clinical rotations.
- 3
Courses PA 5810 and PA 5910 are provisional courses designed to assess student skills upon return from leave of absence or other matriculation pause in a student's academic career. PA 6810 is a provisional course only for students who need remediation of the summative evaluation process.