Accreditation

University Accreditation

Frostburg State University is one of 12 universities and 2 Regional Education Centers within the University of Maryland System and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the US Secretary of Education and the council for Higher Education Accreditation.

PA Program Accreditation

Programs that educate PAs are accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA), which serves as the only accrediting body for PA programs in the country. Seven national medical organizations cooperate with the ARC-PA to establish, maintain and promote appropriate standards of quality for entry level education of PAs. A PA graduate is not eligible to take the national certifying exam unless the PA graduated from a program that is accredited by the ARC-PA. A Physician Assistant graduate must pass the national certifying exam in order to practice in all states, the District of Columbia and all American territories.

The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Frostburg State University Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies Program sponsored by Frostburg State University.

Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program's ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class.

*Attrition rate calculation: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size.
**Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.

Current Annual PANCE Report (NCCPA)

The program's accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website.

The ARC-PA web site has more information on ARC-PA accreditation.

ARC-PA Student Attrition (PDF)