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Physician Assistant

A program that prepares individuals to practice medicine, including diagnoses and treatment therapies, under the supervision of a physician. Includes instruction in the basic medical and clinical sciences and specialized preparation in fields such as family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, general surgery, psychiatry, and behavioral medicine; the delivery of health care services to homebound patients, rural populations, and underserved populations; and community health services.

Types of Degrees Physician Assistant Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Physician Assistant have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	30
Bachelor’s Degree	311
Master’s Degree	12,047
Doctor’s Degree	658

What Physician Assistant Majors Need to Know

Studies in Physician Assistant develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Physician Assistant graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Physician Assistant emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Physician Assistant program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Physician Assistant careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Physician Assistant graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Physician Assistant professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
eClinicalWorks EHR software	Medical software	—
Teleconferencing software	Video conferencing software	—
Patient management software	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Physician Assistant graduates include:

• Surgical Physician Assistant (Surgical PA)
• Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C)
• Physician’s Assistant
• Physician Assistant (PA)
• Neurosurgery PA (Neurosurgery Physician Assistant)
• Physician Associate (PA)
• Advanced Practice Provider (AAP)
• Urgent Care PA (Urgent Care Physician Assistant)
• Orthopedic Physician Assistant
• Family Practice Physician Assistant
• Anesthetic Assistant
• Medical Service Technician
• Urgent Care Specialist
• Gynecological Assistant
• Radiology Practitioner Assistant

What Can You Do With a Physician Assistant Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Physician Assistant commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Physician Assistant graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	65.4%
First professional degree	9.2%
Doctoral degree	8.0%
Bachelor’s degree	7.5%
Post-doctoral training	6.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.6%
Postsecondary certificate	1.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Physician Assistant?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 77.9% of Physician Assistant degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	10,159	77.9%
Men	2,887	22.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Physician Assistant graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	8,539	65.5%
Asian	1,501	11.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,255	9.6%
Black or African American	554	4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	33	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	17	0.1%
Two or More Races	418	3.2%
Race Unknown	667	5.1%
International Students	62	0.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Physician Assistant Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Physician Assistant graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Physician Assistant Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Physician Assistant. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	3	11
Doctoral (Research)	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Physician Assistant Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Physician Assistant graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	29,337
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer	11,777
Surgical Technology/Technologist	7,626
Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist	6,686
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist	4,111
Athletic Training/Trainer	3,132
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,540
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	677
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	596
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist	374

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.