The Cohort System
Opening a new chapter in life can be intimidating, especially if admitted to a physician assistant program. This is why a support system is crucial. Many students rely on family to get them through, but at UTPA, we give students even more. With our cohort system, students work and connect with people who are sharing an experience similar to theirs. Together, students learn the valuable skills needed to succeed in the physician assistant program and in the profession. A cohort is a group of students who work through the program together, taking the same courses and working on the same curriculum. Gone are the anonymous lecture halls where fellow students and professors do not know each other. Instead, students learn in a comfortable environment where student success is a priority to the program faculty. As students learn, they gain from the expertise of their student colleagues and build a network of people who share their committment to becoming and succeeding as physician assistants.
Because the curriculum is designed with the cohort system in mind, students cannot choose which courses they take from semester to semester. All students follow the same path to success. Successful completion of all didactic coursework is required for progression to the clinical year phase of training. Likewise, successful completion of all clinical coursework is required for progression to the Master's capstone phase of training.
Master's Degree curriculum