Offered by: College of Medical Sciences
Program Director: Deanna Oliver, DMSc, PA-C
The Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) is a 36-credit professional doctorate designed for working physician assistants (PAs), with instruction delivered completely online through structured asynchronous courses that can be integrated into the professional work schedule. SCU’s DMSc degree provides students with a core curriculum in healthcare systems leadership and management within a foundation of integrative whole person health. The DMSc program offers flexible concentrations and flexible scheduling.
Flexible concentrations: In addition to the core curriculum, students pursue a concentration in either Health Professions Education or Population and Whole Person Health.
Flexible schedules: The DMSc admits students three times per year; new students start about every 4 months. Courses are scheduled and delivered to provide a high degree of flexibility for students. Students may opt for one of three program schedules:
3-Term Schedule (fully online and asynchronous): Students in the 3-Term Accelerated Schedule are expected to enroll full-time for 3 consecutive terms, including summer.
6-Term Schedule (fully online and asynchronous): Students in the 6-Term Schedule are expected to enroll in a reduced schedule for 6 consecutive terms, including summer.
Flex Schedule (fully online and asynchronous): Students in the Flex Schedule may complete the program at their own pace. Students must meet with a program advisor to discuss an enrollment plan. Students are assigned to their schedule of courses each term and are responsible for ensuring accuracy of their schedules.
The DMSc degree has no on-ground courses or practicum component and may be completed completely online in as few as three terms (12 months). The curriculum sequence is designed to offer maximum flexibility in enrollment options to meet the needs of working PAs.
This program is a fully online program. All courses are online; no in-person residency is required. See State Authorization information in the University Catalog.
The mission of the Doctor of Medical Science program at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is to advance the PA (physician assistant) graduate’s knowledge and skills in leadership and integrative whole person health within an evidence-based learning environment that is focused on SCU’s values of health equity, and inclusivity.
- Interprofessional Collaboration and Integrative Whole Person Health: The graduate will serve as an effective member of the healthcare team and collaborate with other professionals to improve whole person health and patient outcomes of individuals and the community.
- Health Systems and Practice-based Learning and Quality Improvement: The graduate will successfully evaluate, develop, and implement a healthcare management plan using appropriate professional methodologies and quality care to achieve best patient/population outcomes.
- Evidence-based Knowledge: The graduate will utilize foundational evidence-based knowledge to critically appraise and apply relevant scientific literature and other resources in professional healthcare or educational settings.
- Interpersonal and Communication Skills: The graduate will effectively interact with patients/clients, colleagues, stakeholders, and the public using appropriate professional verbal, non-verbal, and written communication.
- Professionalism and Ethics: The graduate will demonstrate leadership, integrity, respect, cultural awareness, and self-reflection while employing ethical and legal standards in professional and community interactions.
- Integrative Whole Person Patient-centered Care: The graduate will employ the abilities of available health professionals and associated resources to complement the PA’s professional expertise and develop optimal strategies to enhance integrative whole person patient-centered care.
- Society and Population Health: The graduate will recognize and understand the influences of the ecosystem of person, family, population, environment, and policy on the health of patients and integrate knowledge of these determinants of health into patient and population care decisions.
Applicants for the DMSc degree must submit the following:
- Completed application.
- Official transcripts demonstrating successful completion of an ARC-PA accredited physician assistant (PA) program.
- Proof of current NCCPA certification, active state licensure, or eligibility for licensure (completion of an ARC-PA accredited PA program and eligible to register for the NCCPA certification exam).
- State licensure or NCCPA certification must be received prior to matriculation into the DMSc program. NCCPA PA-C Emeritus is accepted.
- Recent MSPA graduates must submit state licensure or NCCPA certification by the last day of the first term of the DMSc Program.
- Proof of Bachelor’s to Doctorate Pathway eligibility (if applicable)
- See below for *Bachelor’s to Doctorate Pathway requirements and contact an admissions advisor for additional information.
Applicants for the DMSc degree must meet the following admissions requirements. Exceptions may be made individually with program director approval.
- Master’s degree from an ARC-PA accredited physician assistant program within a regionally accredited institution.
- Physician assistants without a master’s degree may be eligible for the Bachelors to Doctorate Pathway.* See below for requirements and contact an admissions advisor for additional information.
- Proof of current NCCPA certification, active state licensure, or eligibility for licensure (completion of an ARC-PA accredited PA program and eligibility to register for the NCCPA certification exam).
- State licensure or NCCPA certification must be received prior to matriculation into the DMSc program. NCCPA PA-C Emeritus is accepted.
- Recent MSPA graduates must submit state licensure or NCCPA certification by the last day of the first term of the DMSc program.
- A minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the physician assistant program.
- Meet the technical requirements to successfully complete the program, with or without reasonable accommodations.
The GRE is not required.
*Bachelors to Doctorate Pathway:
To enter the Bachelors to Doctorate Pathway, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in physician assistant/associate AND provide documentation of at least one (1) of the criteria below:
- Completion of an approved military or civilian post-professional PA residency or fellowship
- Completion of an approved medical specialty graduate certificate program (e.g., public health certificate, healthcare administration certificate)
- A Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) by the NCCPA
- At least 15 credit hours of post-secondary education toward a master’s degree
- Currently certified by the NCCPA with a minimum of at least ten (10) years of continuous certification maintenance
Upon acceptance, students must submit official documentation of state licensure (or eligibility for state licensure, e.g., completion of an ARC-PA accredited PA program and currently registered for PANCE) or NCCPA certification and declare their intended concentration. Requests to change concentration after beginning the program will be considered individually.
The Doctor of Medical Science may be conferred upon those who have fulfilled the following requirements:
- Completed 36 credits within the required categories of coursework:
- 13 credits in Healthcare Systems Leadership and Management Skills
- 4 credits in Foundational Principles of Society and Population Health
- 1 credits in Integrative Whole Person Health Practice
- 12 credits within the declared concentration:
- Health Professions Education, or
- Population and Whole Person Health
- 6 credits in Research, Scholarship, and Doctoral Capstone Project
- Earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75
- Completed all degree requirements within 5 years of matriculation
- Submitted a Petition to Graduate
Concentrations
DMSc students must complete 12 credits from one of two concentrations. Students declare their concentration at the time of admission. Requests to change concentration after beginning the program will be considered individually by the program director.
Health Professions Education Concentration
This concentration broadens the student’s understanding of curriculum development and delivery, adult learning theory, and assessment and evaluation in PA education.
Population and Whole Person Health Concentration
This concentration broadens the student’s understanding of societal health issues, population health, environmental health, and public health emergency preparedness and disaster response.
In addition to meeting the University’s policies related to transfer credit, the following transfer credit requirements apply to students in the Doctor of Medical Science program:
- Up to 12 transfer credits may be transferred to the Doctor of Medical Science program from applicable doctoral or master level course work (with an approved exception)
- A grade of B or higher is required for a course to be considered for transfer credit
The Doctor of Medical Science program requires that students complete a minimum of 24 credits at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) to qualify for degree completion.
The Research, Scholarship, and Doctoral Capstone consists of three courses in sequential order, beginning with DMSC 610 Researching, Publishing, and Presenting in Healthcare in term one. The Doctoral Capstone Project courses (DMSC 701 , DMSC 702 ) are completed in terms two and three (Terms vary in the 6-term and Flex sequences).
The Doctoral Capstone provides students with an opportunity to engage in a mentored scholarly experience involving a medical, healthcare or community health-related issue that promotes critical thinking and clinical leadership. Students may elect to engage in clinical, basic, or translational research; case study with a comprehensive literature review; meta-analysis; educational, quality improvement, or community-based implementation project. The process allows students to practice and apply medical information literacy, lifelong learning, teamwork, effective communication, research methods, evidence-based medicine approaches, and ethics related to scholarly inquiry. Each student participates in the Doctoral Capstone by engaging in independent scholarly activity culminating in a final report (which may include a draft manuscript submitted for publication) and participation (with oral/poster presentation) in a student research symposium at the final term of the DMSc program.
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