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Majors & Minors

Biology/ Physician Assistant

Under the provisions of an interinstitutional agreement with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), Simmons College offers a double-degree program for Simmons students leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Simmons and the Master of Physician Assistant Studies from MCPHS. MCPHS, a member of the Colleges of the Fenway consortium, is located on Longwood Avenue, one block from Simmons, and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education.

Students interested in the program should contact the program advisor, Mary Owen, in the biology department.

Physician assistants play an important role in the health care community by providing health care services to diverse patient populations with a range of acute and chronic medical and surgical conditions. Physician assistants have excellent employment prospects in both urban academic health centers and remote rural communities. Simmons students who complete this program will have extensive background and training in biology and chemistry, basic medical science, clinical disciplines, and discipline specific problem-solving skills. The physician assistant program at MCPHS is fully accredited, and students who successfully complete the program are eligible to sit for the national certifying examination for physician assistants.



Year One

Course Name Number Credits Type
Total 7 Courses
General Biology BIOL-113 4.00 Lecture
Microbiology BIOL-221 4.00 Lecture
Intro. Chemistry: Inorganic CHEM-111 4.00 Lecture
Principles of Chemistry CHEM-113 4.00 Lecture
Organic Chem I CHEM-114 4.00 Lecture
Multidisciplinary Core Course MCC-101 4.00 Lecture
Multidisciplinary Core Course MCC-102 4.00 Lecture

Year Two

Course Name Number Credits Type
Total 7 Courses
Cell Biology BIOL-225 4.00 Lecture
Organic Chemistry II CHEM-225 4.00 Lecture
Quantitative Analysis CHEM-226 4.00 Lecture
Calculus I MATH-120 4.00 Lecture
Calculus II MATH-121 4.00 Lecture
Introduction to Psychology PSYC-101 4.00 Lecture
Principles of Sociology SOCI-101 4.00 Lecture

Year Three

Course Name Number Credits Type
Total 8 Courses
Anatomy & Physiology I BIOL-231 4.00 Lecture
Anatomy & Physiology II BIOL-232 4.00 Lecture
Genetics BIOL-336 4.00 Lecture
Advanced Topics in Biochem. CHEM-347 4.00 Lecture
Pathophysiology/Medical Nutr NUTR-334 4.00 Lecture
Nature of Abnormal Behavior PSYC-231 4.00 Lecture
Death & Dying SOCI-242 4.00 Lecture
Orientation to Health Profess SOCI-247 4.00 Lecture

Year Four

Course Name Number Credits Type
Total 5 Courses
Independent Lab Research BIOL-350 4.00 INS
Internship BIOL-370 4.00 INT
Applied Statistical Models MATH-238 4.00 Lecture
Biomedical Ethics PHIL-131 4.00 Lecture
Funds of Physics I PHYS-112 4.00 Lecture