Curriculum

Practicing PAs will benefit from this post-professional program designed for students to remain in the clinic full-time while earning their degree, so that they can apply their classroom learning to their clinical practice in a meaningful and impactful way. Pitt’s Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) curriculum is designed to help learners be informed by, and to inform, their current practice as they learn. This design allows for a balanced curriculum that helps working professionals stay on track.

All courses are sequential and must be successfully completed in order to progress to the next term of the curriculum. Courses are offered consecutively in the summer, fall and spring terms. Learners will proceed sequentially, as a cohort, through the program.

Internship experiences in each term enhance classroom learning and provide an opportunity to apply skills in the clinical, academic or administrative setting.

Internship experiences may be completed in the learner’s current place of practice and may be job-embedded, aspirant or service-oriented in nature.
The integrated internship opportunity allows you to use what you're learning in the DMSc program to directly impact and align with your current workplace needs and goals. Students will not need to search for an internship opportunity on top of their current workplace, unless desired.
Although each internship consists of a set of fundamental learning objectives, students will have the opportunity to personalize the objectives of each internship experience to provide the most benefit to their scholarly work and future goals.
- Options for the internship component include a service internship, choosing to do a service or community engagement project or complete your internship where you work.

Doctor of Medical Science Curriculum Overview

Term 1

PAS 3001 - Core Concepts of Scholarly Practice, 4 credits
PAS 3002 - Examining Supporting Evidence, 4 credits
PAS 3003 - Internship Experience 1, 6 credits

Term 2

PAS 3004 - Personalized Elective (Academic, Administrative or Digital Health Fundamentals), 4 credits
- Learn more about the outcomes of these electives here.
PAS 3005 - Scholarly Practice Capstone Phase 1, 4 credits
PAS 3006 - Internship Experience 2, 6 credits

Term 3