What you'll learn in the program

Our new wisPACT@UW-Platteville program is a smart investment in your future career as a physician assistant. Through an innovative partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, you will gain rural-focused clinical experiences and rotations and earn a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from UW-Madison, while completing all of your coursework at UW-Platteville. As a graduate of these physician assistant programs, you will be prepared to provide high quality healthcare to individuals and families in rural communities.

We offer two physician assistant programs to help you reach your goals. Save time and money with our accelerated five-year bachelor’s to master’s degree physician assistant program track or choose our traditional program track. Both options allow you to ensure a seamless transition to graduate school, maintain your affordable education costs, and learn from dedicated UW-Platteville and UW-Madison faculty who will prepare you for a rewarding career.

Careers in rural healthcare

If you’re seeking a meaningful career where you can make a difference in people’s lives, we’re ready to support your goals with our physician assistant programs.

Wisconsin and the tri-state region (Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois) are experiencing a significant shortage of healthcare professionals, especially in rural communities. This collaborative physician assistant education program is designed to address geographic disparities in access by offering a learning option targeted at educating the students most likely to practice in rural areas.

Physician Assistant

Path #1: Accelerated PA program

Save time and money with the accelerated 3+2 program track.

  • Take Bachelor of Science in Biology coursework for three years.
  • Take Master or Physician Assistant Studies coursework for two years.
  • Earn BOTH the BS in Biology and the Master's in Physician Assistant in five years total.
  • All coursework will be taken at UW-Platteville.
  • No GRE required for admission.

Qualified UW-Platteville students can apply to the 3+2 program in the sophomore year of their undergraduate studies. Pre-health advisors will guide students in reaching required academic and experiential benchmarks preparing them for matriculation into the wisPACT@UW-Platteville program in their fourth year of college.

Application requirements for 3+2 PA program candidates

  • Must attain a solid math placement score to avoid delays in chemistry coursework and increase the likelihood of overall success.
  • Must declare Bachelor in Science in biology with health science emphasis.
  • Must be accepted into the 3+2 track after freshman year.
  • Must provide evidence that undergraduate coursework in the major and general education requirements will be completed prior to or as outlined in the approved degree completion plan.
  • Must complete at least 90 credit hours prior to starting the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program.
  • Must earn a “B” or better in PA education program prerequisites.
  • Must obtain a minimum of 500 hours of direct patient care experience.
  • Must complete Certified Nursing Assistant or Emergency Medical Technician certification summer before or after first year.
  • Must participate in healthcare enrichment activities, that can include Wisconsin Area Health Education Center Activities, such as Wisconsin Express, Community Health Internship Program Internships, and AHEC Scholars.
  • Must participate in Preparing Undergraduate Medical Professionals Seminar.

Additional requirements regarding academic advising may be required.

Path #2: Traditional PA program

You can also choose the traditional program track.

  • Apply to matriculate into wisPACT@UW-Platteville after earning a bachelor’s degree from an accredited program in any area of study, and completing the minimum requirements for admission.
  • Earn a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from UW-Madison.
  • All coursework will be taken at UW-Platteville.
  • No GRE required for admission.

Graduates of UW-Platteville will have priority acceptance into this Master of Physician Assistant Studies program, pending an admission interview.

Application requirements for MPAS program

Application is completed typically during the summer between junior and senior year. These requirements are specific to UW-Platteville students applying to the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program.

  • Submit Centralized Application Service for Physician Assistants summer after third year.
  • Submit one letter of recommendation from the UW-Platteville Pre-Health Advising Team.
  • Complete applicant interview at UW-Platteville.
  • Attend required PA program orientation during the fourth year after program acceptance.

 

About the collaboration

UW-Platteville is committed to training knowledgeable, skilled, professional, and compassionate physician assistants to meet the healthcare needs of Wisconsin and beyond through distinction in education, research, patient care, and service, while significantly contributing to and advancing the physician assistant profession.

The UW-Madison Physician Assistant program has a strong commitment and long history of success recruiting students from rural, urban, and underserved communities and training them for primary care or specialty practice in those communities. We are pleased to partner with one of the state’s top physician assistant schools in UW-Madison to provide enhanced opportunities for our students at UW-Platteville.

Program structure

We anticipate accepting 10 students into the program in Year 1 (May 2023); 12 students in Year 2 (May 2024); and 14 students in Year 3 (May 2025). The following outlines the structure of the MPAS program in Year 1 and Year 2.

Year 1

One year of didactic coursework done primarily through videoconferencing. Faculty leading the class may be at the UW-Madison or UW-Platteville campus. Gross Anatomy and Human Dissection, history and physical exams, clinical labs, and workshops will be led by faculty at UW-Platteville.

Year 2

One year of clinical rotations done primarily in southwestern Wisconsin and focused on rural and often underserved communities. Each rotation is four to eight weeks in length.

Rotations include:

  • Family medicine: prenatal, gynecological, pediatrics, and behavioral health
  • Internal medicine: general and subspecialties in both clinic and hospital settings
  • Surgery: general and subspecialties
  • Emergency medicine
  • Electives: various specialties

Program costs

For information about tuition costs and fees for the wisPACT@UW-Platteville program, learn more here.

Program accreditation

UW-Madison received approval to establish a distant campus in Platteville, from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. UW-Platteville matriculated its inaugural cohort in May 2023.

The development of this distant campus is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of an award totaling $259,363 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Discover By Doing

The Physician Assistant program at UW-Platteville offers a student-centered approach. Focused on experiential learning that connects your education to your future career, you will prepare to provide high quality healthcare to rural communities.

Learn more
Jordan (Johnson) Perry
Jordan (Johnson) Perry

UW-Platteville, 2012; UW-Madison PA program, 2015

I’m very excited to hear about the partnership between UW-Platteville and UW-Madison PA program. Platteville was a fantastic place to start my education. The smaller class sizes at UW-Platteville made my learning experience much more personal. I felt very prepared to take on PA school.

Joe Stader
Joe Stader

UW-Platteville, 2014; UW-Madison, 2018

I had a great educational and personal experience at UW-Platteville. The variety of classes really helped shape my 'big picture' perspective of the world. PA school seemed to be more of an extension of my UW-Platteville education, versus a next step. The rural nature of UW-Platteville allowed me to enjoy outdoor activities as I always have.

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Contact us

For questions regarding admissions and program requirements regarding UW-Platteville, contact Professor Rich Dhyanchand, MD, MS, at dhyanchandr@uwplatt.edu or 608.342.6155.

For questions regarding the UW-Madison Physician Assistant program, contact Erin McCarthy, Director of Admissions, at emmccarthy@wisc.edu.