What is a Doctor of Medical Science?

A Doctorate for Physician Assistants

The Doctor of Medical Science degree is a clinical doctorate degree designed specifically for the physician assistant. The DMSc degree is designed for practicing clinicians who strive to improve the healthcare system and positively impact patient care delivery.

This program focuses on developing leadership skills, evidence-based problem-solving strategies, and the knowledge base needed to pursue leadership positions and drive organizational change in healthcare. Students in the DMSc program can choose to focus on clinical practice or clinical leadership in their research and clinical practicum courses, providing each individual the power to direct their research and applied experiences in their area of interest.

The Pacific University Doctor of Medical Science degree program is a four-semester, or 36 credit hour, program for practicing physician assistants. Pacific also offers a one-semester track for physician assistants who graduated from an ARC-PA accredited program within the last 24 months.

The coursework for the 4-semester DMSc and DHSc degrees is the same, but different degrees are awarded because the DMSc degree is associated specifically with physician assistants. The DMSc is only available to licensed physician assistants — all other students will earn the DHSc.