PAEA Program Directory

Physician Assistant Education Association Program Directory

Updated: 09/17/2018
What is the PAEA Program Directory? The national organization for PA educational programs launched a pretty inclusive directory of all PA programs. Individual programs update the information themselves and update the information according to a survey given out each year by PAEA. The directory can be accessed at http://directory.paeaonline.org. The cost is now FREE and more information about joining can be found at http://directory.paeaonline.org/about. The directory allows you to access information about all PA programs nationwide including:

• Costs
• Accreditation (provisional or probationary, even those in development)
• Type of degrees offered (associate's, certificate, bachelor's, master's)
• Admission exam requirements (GRE, TOEFL)
• Whether the program accepts international applicants
• Veteran benefits
• Preprofessional programs
• Programs that offer part time options
• Programs that participate in CASPA

Figure 1. This particular search shows the PAEA directory by Texas schools that offer Master's degrees requiring the GRE that participate with CASPA. The search results are displayed. As you can see the status of all 4 programs is accredited. If you click on one of the programs, you can learn more about each. 

When you click on an individual school, you can view accreditation status (including their original accreditation date or any recent loss of accreditation/probation), mission and notable features, preprofessional & online masters degrees, websites and social media, veterans information, class & degree information, information for international applicants, application deadline information, curriculum and coursework focus, contact information, TUITION COST, standardized exam requirements, healthcare experience, minimum GPA, recommendation letters, supplemental application information, and pre-requisite coursework. 

Here is a snapshot of UT Southwestern in Dallas' profile:

Figure 2. This example shows a sample of UT Southwestern's profile taken from PAEA's Program Directory. It clearly displays the GPA requirements, recommendation letters, and supplemental application information. 

So, why do I need this? 

As a pre-PA student, this directory is important. This is a vital resource to helping you select which program best fits your needs. I know it was extremely helpful for me. It lays out a lot of the basic information when choosing a school and in a way levels the playing field so that you can focus your time and energy getting to know the cities, the rotation sites, and the faces behind the program you are interested in rather than class size and PANCE scores. It allowed me to focus my attention on finding specific questions to ask schools at interviews and information sessions. So, don't sweat the small stuff. Use the resources that were created to help you.