Doctor of Medical Science Medical Science (DMSc)
The Doctor of Medical Science (D.M.Sc.) is designed for PAs seeking to advance their careers through leadership, scholarly inquiry, and evidence-based practice. This fully online, asynchronous program provides an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare, equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to drive change in clinical practice, education, and healthcare systems.
With a strong emphasis on leadership and quality improvement, the D.M.Sc. program prepares graduates to analyze complex healthcare challenges, implement innovative solutions, and contribute to scholarly research. The curriculum includes advanced topics in health policy, grant writing, and quality improvement initiatives, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared to enhance patient care and improve healthcare delivery.
The program is structured to accommodate working professionals, allowing students to balance their education with professional practice.
As one of the most cost-effective doctoral programs for PAs, we offer a high-quality education at a competitive price. Graduates of the program emerge as leaders, educators, and advocates, capable of influencing healthcare at institutional, community, and national levels. Whether aiming for academic roles, executive leadership positions, or clinical excellence, our graduates are equipped to make a meaningful impact in modern healthcare.
Not a Virginia resident? If you reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, or West Virginia, you may qualify for in-state tuition prices. For more information, visit our page on the Southern Regional Education Board's Academic Common Market.
Admission
- A master’s degree awarded by a regionally accredited institution from an ARC-PA certified PA Program.
- Certification from the NCCPA. Submit this form through the GradCAS.
- State Licensure as a Physician Assistant.
- Applicant must report all institutions attended and send all official transcripts to GradCAS. If you do not list or send official transcripts for all institutions attended, processing of your application may be delayed.
- 2 letters of reference submitted directly to GradCAS, through Evaluator Portal.
- A personal statement, submitted with GradCAS application.
- Following the online instructions, applicants must contact every college or university attended and request transcripts be sent directly to GradCAS.
- GradCAS accepts electronic transcripts from:
- Sending transcripts to GradCAS by mail:
- Download a transcript request form after you enter each institution in GradCAS.
- Send the transcript request form to the institution's registrar to send transcripts by mail to the address below:
GradCAS Transcript Processing Center
P.O. Box 9217
Watertown, MA 02471
Applicant Help Center
- Having trouble accessing the application? The preferred browsers are Google Chrome or Firefox.
- Applicant Help Center
- If you have questions about your application status, please contact your GradCAS Customer Service Representative at 857.304.2086 or GradCASinfo@liaisonedu.com.
Academic Common Market
What is the Academic Common Market?
The Doctor of Medical Science program is a member of the ACM. The ACM is a tuition-savings initiative administered by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) that allows students from participating states to pursue specialized programs at out-of-state public institutions while paying in-state tuition rates.
The participating states without DMSc programs at a public institution of higher education that may apply to the ACM & the DMSc program include (this may change, and we cannot guarantee the benefits of ACM): Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
How the ACM Works
- Students apply and are accepted to our program through normal admissions processes
- Students then apply for ACM certification through their home state coordinator
- Upon approval & certification, students pay ODU in-state tuition rates instead of out-of-state rates
Technical Standards
The essential abilities and skills that candidates and students must possess in order to complete the education and training associated with the Doctor of Medical Sciences program are referred to as technical standards.
Observational Skills
Demonstrate sufficient attention and accuracy in observation skills (visual, auditory, and tactile) in the lecture hall, in clinical and education settings and online. Indicators include but are not limited to: accurate visualization and discrimination of text, numbers, patterns, graphic illustrations and other imaging texts.
Communication Skills
Demonstrate effective communication skills with professionals and with people of varying cultures, ethnicities and personalities.
Indicators include, but are not limited to, these examples:
- Clear, efficient and intelligible articulation of spoken English language.
- Legible, efficient and intelligible written English language.
- Accurate and efficient English language reading skills.
- Accurate and efficient, expressive and receptive communication skills.
- Ability to accurately follow directions (oral and written).
Critical Reasoning Skills
Demonstrate critical reasoning skills including, but not limited to intellectual, conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities.
Indicators include, but are not limited to these examples:
- Demonstrate ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, integrate and synthesize information.
- Demonstrate ability to acquire, retain and apply new and learned information.
Motor and Sensory Function
Demonstrate sufficient motor and sensory function.
Indicators include, but are not limited to, these examples:
- Execute motor movements that demonstrate safety and efficiency in the various learning settings (i.e., classroom, online).
- Physical stamina sufficient to complete online didactic study, which will include prolonged periods of sitting.
Behavioral and Social Attributes Technical Standard
Demonstrate the behavioral and social attributes vital to participation in a graduate-level academic program.
Indicators include, but are not limited to, these examples:
- Possess the emotional health required for full utilization of mental faculties (judgment, orientation, affect and cognition).
- Ability to develop mature and effective professional relationships with faculty and other members of the educational and healthcare team.
- Possess personal qualities that facilitate effective therapeutic interactions (compassion, empathy, integrity, honesty, benevolence, confidentiality).
- Demonstrate impartial motives, attitudes, and values in roles, functions and relationships.
- Ability to monitor and react appropriately to one’s own emotional needs and responses.
- Display appropriate flexibility and adaptability in the face of stress or uncertainty in teaching and learning environments.
- Compliance with standards, policies and practices set forth in the program handbook.
Curriculum Requirements
Clinical Leadership and Administration Track
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Sequence - Please note, with three start dates per year, the Capstone series will start in the semester of matriculation. | ||
| Term 1 - Fall | 10 | |
| Quality Improvement in Healthcare | ||
| Essentials of Financial Management | ||
| Capstone I | ||
| Term 2 - Spring | 10 | |
| Transformative Practices in Healthcare Systems | ||
| Leadership & Professionalism | ||
| Capstone II | ||
| Term 3 - Summer | 10 | |
| Leadership and Advancement in Healthcare Practices | ||
| Healthcare Policy for PAs | ||
| Capstone III | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Educational Leadership and Administration Track
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Sequence - Please note, with three start dates per year, the Capstone series will start in the semester of matriculation. | ||
| Term 1 - Fall | 10 | |
| Educational Scholarship Method | ||
| Essentials of Financial Management | ||
| Capstone I | ||
| Term 2 - Spring | 10 | |
| Teaching & Learning in PA Education | ||
| Leadership & Professionalism | ||
| Capstone II | ||
| Term 3 - Summer | 10 | |
| Learning Assessment and Evaluation | ||
| Healthcare Policy for PAs | ||
| Capstone III | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |