About the program
The University of Maryland Baltimore PA program is described in PAEA's published program data; full curriculum details, faculty, and admissions cycle specifics are maintained on the program's own website.
From the program's mission statement: "The University of Maryland Baltimore Physician Assistant Program develops compassionate, professional primary care physician assistants through high-quality education rooted in clinical excellence, ethical practice, health equity, social responsibility, and lifelong learning."
on campus simulation lab, international rotations, human anatomy cadaver dissection lab
Matriculant data
Actual stats for students who enrolled in the most recently reported cohort, sourced from PAEA's published program data.
Admission policies
Out-of-state applicants are accepted. International applicants: yes, with exceptions. please visit the program's website. DACA status applicants are considered. Distance learning is available. Part-time enrollment is not available. Veteran support programs are available; consult the program directly for details.
Prerequisite coursework
Recency: 7 Years · up to 2 outstanding at application
Program overview
The University of Maryland Baltimore offers a 24-month Master of Health Science with a PA Concentration, accredited by ARC-PA with Continued status, with a May 2027 start date. The program explicitly orients itself toward primary care, and its mission centers on developing clinicians grounded in clinical excellence, ethical practice, health equity, and social responsibility - language that signals a program with a defined philosophical direction rather than a generalist-neutral stance. Applicants who align with community-focused, primary care medicine will find the mission a natural fit; those drawn to subspecialty or procedural tracks may want to weigh that emphasis carefully.
The academic bar is moderately competitive. Minimum GPA requirements sit at 3.00 across overall, science, and prerequisite coursework, but matriculants have arrived with a 3.75 overall and 3.69 science GPA, so competitive applicants should aim well above the floor. All prerequisites - general chemistry with lab, human anatomy with lab, human physiology with lab, microbiology with lab, and statistics - must have been completed within the past seven years, and applicants may carry no more than two outstanding at the time of application. Programs with a seven-year limit will screen out older coursework, so applicants with science credits from a decade ago should plan to repeat them.
The patient-care requirement is meaningful: 1,000 hours of direct patient care are required, and those hours must be paid. Unpaid volunteer work does not satisfy this criterion, which effectively filters for applicants who have held formal clinical roles. Healthcare experience beyond that threshold is recommended but not required.
Curriculum delivery is notably varied, blending asynchronous, case-based, problem-based, systems-based, and team-based learning within a hybrid framework, suggesting the program expects students to manage independent study alongside collaborative work. Practical training infrastructure includes an on-campus simulation lab and a human anatomy cadaver dissection lab. The program also offers international rotations, which is a distinguishing feature for students seeking clinical exposure outside the United States. Distance learning is listed as available, though no part-time option exists, and the program runs on a single intake with a September 1, 2026 deadline under a regular, deadline-pooled review process.
Tuition is listed with separate in-state and out-of-state rates, and the seat deposit is $1,500. Both out-of-state and international applicants are accepted, though international applicants should review the program's website for applicable exceptions. The estimated class size is 60. The application requires a minimum of three reference letters, and interviews may take traditional, panel, or group formats; no onsite interview is required. Non-native English speakers must submit TOEFL scores.
An applicant should assess fit here primarily by asking whether their paid clinical background meets the 1,000-hour threshold, whether their prerequisites fall within the seven-year window, and whether a primary care and health equity mission genuinely reflects how they intend to practice.