Become a Vital Part of a health Care Team
What Makes the UNE M.S.P.A. Special
State-of-the-Art Facilities
Your M.S.P.A. training is enriched by our state-of-the-art facilities and educational resources. You’ll receive instruction not only in our medical college’s gross anatomy lab but also in our Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center, which is equipped with the latest media and medical instruction technology, including high fidelity patient simulators.
Exposure to Underserved Populations
Your education in UNE’s P.A. master’s program will emphasize work with underserved communities, where you can really make a difference. From participation in our nationally recognized InterProfessional Geriatric Education Program, to clinical rotations in rural areas, you'll gain expertise in bringing quality health care and building relationships with those who need it most.
Team-Based Education
As a comprehensive health sciences university, including programs in medicine, dental, nursing, pharmacy, and an array of other allied health professions, UNE is a national leader in interprofessional education. You'll graduate with the skills to thrive in today's collaborative care, prepared to work as a team with other health care professionals.
Collaborative Learning Environment
Not only are faculty and staff highly collaborative and encouraging, but it won’t take long before you notice how supportive your fellow PA students are as well. The friendly and cooperative, rather than competitive, spirit among classmates enhances everyone’s ability to learn and is a hallmark of UNE’s Physician Assistant master’s degree program.
What Our PA Students Say
Morgan Dube '22
Experiential Education
What really drew me in about UNE is all of the opportunities for interprofessional learning. We are able to meet new people in all of the health professions and ultimately learn a lot more than just PA. Once I graduate, I know that I will be able to apply those experiences to my work because teamwork is so important in a health professions setting. In order to give patients the best care, you are always going to need to include other people in the work. The interprofessional opportunities at UNE are definitely my favorite part of the PA program. There are constantly more of these types of opportunities available, and it’s great.
We are working on things with 49 other students, so we have a great sense of teamwork, and everyone offers something unique. We will be working on teams in the future, so this type of practice now is great.
All of the students in my class have different backgrounds, which is really cool to experience. In each module that we have, we are learning different things, and there are certain people that are able to contribute their insights from past experiences in such useful ways. It enhances our learning experience and makes it so much more interesting and valuable.
Exceptional Teaching and Learning
We're in our cardio module right now, and learning how to read EKG is hard, but it’s really interesting and fun too. [Our professor] is super helpful. We were able to put EKGs on each other and get our own readings then interpret them, which I thought was really cool. One of the students in our lab was able to do a mock stress test with the EKG leads on while they were running on the treadmill too. It was a lot of fun to experience and learn.
I honestly can't say anything bad about UNE. UNE does a great job to adapt a lot and put our education first. I really feel like I am getting the best education here. I’m learning so much so fast. It’s really rewarding. I can’t wait for clinicals in second year! We do at least six different rotations and then have two where we can choose what we want to do for the specialty. You can find your own preceptor that is willing to take you on, so it’s flexible. I think that will help me decide exactly what I want to do after I graduate.
The interprofessional opportunities at UNE are definitely my favorite part of the PA program.
Physician Assistant program by the numbers
Hours each student spends in clinical rotations
(second year)
Average cumulative GPA of most recent incoming class
Average first-time pass rate on national certification exam
(PANCE)
Pance Pass rates
M.S.P.A. graduates are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Learn more about the PANCE exam and see UNE pass rates (PDF).
The UNE Portland Campus for the Health Sciences
For decades, UNE’s Portland Campus has been home to many of the University’s health professions programs including PA, PT, OT, pharmacy, nursing, dental medicine, and more. In 2025, UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will move from the Biddeford Campus into the new Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences in Portland. By bringing our health professions programs together into one interprofessional learning community, we will establish UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences as the center of health care education in Northern New England.
Learn about exciting changes on UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences
Maine’s Leading University for the Health Professions and Sciences
Quality Academics, Respected Degrees
UNE is proud of the recognition we’ve received, which echoes the success of our M.S.P.A. students: 92% of our graduates typically pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam on the first try.
Live and Study in Portland, Maine
UNE offers the only Physician Assistant master’s degree program in Maine. Our M.S.P.A. degree students study on our Portland, Maine campus, a classic New England quad with brick buildings and tall trees that's about 100 miles from downtown Boston. Portland, named “America’s Most Livable City” by Forbes and “Foodiest Small Town in America” by Bon Appetit, is the city on every list. A rustic port hosts a cool cultural scene — with outdoor adventure all around. UNE’s campus is just 10 minutes from downtown.
Accreditation
UNE is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Physician Assistant degree Program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The PA Program received provisional accreditation in 1996 and continuing accreditation in 1998. The program last received continuing accreditation in September 2018. Its review for continuing accreditation is next scheduled for 2026. The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website. Click on the “document” to access the program’s Accreditation Actions.
