Which program was the first to offer a master's degree for Physician Assistants?

• A. Child Health Associate Program in Colorado
• B. University of Alabama
• C. Johns Hopkins PA program
• D. Duke PA program

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is the early evolution of PA education and when graduate-level training first appeared. The Child Health Associate Program in Colorado was the first PA program to confer a master’s degree to its graduates, marking a pivotal shift from diploma- or certificate-level training to graduate education in the field. Founded in 1969 at the University of Colorado, it grew out of the pediatrics-focused model developed to address pediatric care shortages and established that Physician Assistant training could be advanced to the master’s level. Other programs on the list started with shorter credentials or were established after, and while they later moved to master’s degrees, they did not initiate that shift. So this Colorado program is recognized as the first to offer a master’s degree for Physician Assistants.