Doctor of Medical Science
Lindsay Gietzen, PhD, Program Director
Admission Requirements
Required Qualifications:
- Graduated from an ARC-PA accredited PA program
- Master’s or doctoral degree
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in all post-secondary coursework
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
- Meet Technical Standards (see below)
- Display graduate-level writing skills
- Explanation of degree alignment with career goals
- Current CV/Resume
Preferred Qualifications:
- Proof of active state licensure and/or NCCPA certification as a Physician Assistant State license or NCCPA certification must be received prior to matriculation; NCCPA PA-C Emeritus will also be accepted
- Clinical leadership or teaching experience
Advanced Placement:
- Advanced placement credits up to 9 units may be applied for students who have taken graduate level courses in the past to fulfill the Foundations of Behavioral Science, Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice, and Foundations of Professional Practice and Health Systems courses (determined by transcript review)
Online learning requires only basic technical skills:
- Competency with file management (for example, creating a folder on your desktop, moving files from one location to another, finding a saved file)
- Internet navigation skills
- Download plug-ins from the Internet
- Update your Internet browser
- Send and receive email
- Create and save documents (Word, PowerPoint, Excel or HTML)
- Copy text from a word processing program and paste them into another program
The University of the Pacific will provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities otherwise qualified to complete the essential functions of the curriculum. However, such essential functions must be completed by the student in a reasonably independent fashion.
Doctor of Medical Science
The Doctor of Medical Science program is a full-time program with a cohort based plan of study. Students are required to enroll full-time and must advance through a pre-determined curriculum in sequence with their cohort. Students are required to successfully pass each course in a given trimester in order to advance to the subsequent trimester with their cohort and progress in the program. Students who do not pass a course, or who withdraw from a course, will not be able to progress with their cohort in the program. Students may be able to rejoin the program at a later date if allowed by program policy and approved by the program director.
Program degree requirements: All students will complete all required curriculum in the education or clinical leadership track, and a doctoral project suitable for peer-reviewed publication or presentation. The Doctor of Medical Science program includes 36 credits for degree completion. The curriculum is designed for working health science clinicians and educators with 27 units spread equally over 3 trimesters in 12 months, and 9 units of advanced standing credit for students who have completed prior graduate coursework in Foundations of Behavioral Science, Foundations of Evidence Based Practice, and/or Foundations of Professional Practice and the Health System.
Education Track
| Trimester I (36-unit program start) | ||
| DMSC 331 | Foundations of Behavioral Science | 3 |
| DMSC 332 | Foundations of Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| DMSC 333 | Foundations of Professional Practice and the Health System | 3 |
| Trimester 2 (Advanced Standing: 27-unit program start) | ||
| DMSC 300 | Healthcare Leadership | 3 |
| DMSC 380 | Science of Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| DMSC 390 | Doctoral Project 1: Research Design | 3 |
| Trimester 3 | ||
| DMSC 310 | Business of Healthcare | 3 |
| DMSC 382 | Instructional Design and Assessment | 3 |
| DMSC 392 | Doctoral Project 2: Research Methods | 3 |
| Trimester 4 | ||
| Required Elective (Complete both: 6 units) | ||
| DMSC 384 | Program Design and Assessment | 3 |
| DMSC 394 | Doctoral Project 3: Scholarly Writing | 3 |
| Electives (Choose one: 3 units) | ||
| DMSC 320 | Behavioral Health in Practice | 3 |
| DMSC 291 | Independent Study | 3 |
| DMSC 293 | Special Topics: Global Health | 3 |
| DMSC 393 | Special Topics: Aesthetic Medicine | 3 |
| DMSC 393A | Special Topics: Emergency Management and Healthcare | 3 |
| DMSC 393B | Special Topics: Medical Law | 3 |
- *
All students will complete a doctoral project suitable for peer-reviewed publication or presentation (not a dissertation or thesis).
Clinical Leadership Track
| Trimester I (36-unit program start) | ||
| DMSC 331 | Foundations of Behavioral Science | 3 |
| DMSC 332 | Foundations of Evidence Based Practice | 3 |
| DMSC 333 | Foundations of Professional Practice and the Health System | 3 |
| Trimester 2 (Advanced Standing: 27-unit program start) | ||
| DMSC 300 | Healthcare Leadership | 3 |
| DMSC 370 | Health Promotion in Practice | 3 |
| DMSC 390 | Doctoral Project 1: Research Design | 3 |
| Trimester 3 | ||
| DMSC 310 | Business of Healthcare | 3 |
| DMSC 372 | Applied Interprofessional Practice | 3 |
| DMSC 392 | Doctoral Project 2: Research Methods | 3 |
| Trimester 4 | ||
| Required Elective (Complete both: 6 units) | ||
| DMSC 374 | Applied Clinical Reasoning | 3 |
| DMSC 394 | Doctoral Project 3: Scholarly Writing | 3 |
| Electives (Choose one: 3 units) | ||
| DMSC 320 | Behavioral Health in Practice | 3 |
| DMSC 291 | Independent Study | 3 |
| DMSC 293 | Special Topics: Global Health | 3 |
| DMSC 393 | Special Topics: Aesthetic Medicine | 3 |
| DMSC 393A | Special Topics: Emergency Management and Healthcare | 3 |
| DMSC 393B | Special Topics: Medical Law | 3 |
- *
All students will complete a doctoral project suitable for peer-reviewed publication or presentation (not a dissertation or thesis).
Doctorate of Medi Sci Courses
DMSC 291. Independent Study. 1-4 Units.
This course consists of a directed study where the student will work with a faculty member on a proposed topic. Prerequisite: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 293. Special Topics: Global Health. 3 Units.
This course introduces students to global health. It addresses health initiatives, disease prevalence, geosocial factors, global resources, and community health interventions. Prerequisite: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 300. Healthcare Leadership. 3 Units.
This course explores various leadership styles as they relate to organizational, educational, and clinical leadership. Leadership concepts related to healthcare administration, organizational behavior, and change management will also be discussed. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 310. Business of Healthcare. 3 Units.
This course provides an overview of the business of healthcare including health systems, health education institutions, health delivery, medical-legal issues, and health economics. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 320. Behavioral Health in Practice. 3 Units.
The course explores treatment modalities for psychological and behavioral conditions across health care disciplines. This course provides a fundamental understanding of behavioral therapy concepts and skills through practical application. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 331. Foundations of Behavioral Science. 3 Units.
This course introduces the biopsychosocial model of health care. It addresses basic psychology concepts, biological and psychosocial development across the life span, stress management, basic counseling and behavior modification principles, social determinants of health. Prerequisite: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 332. Foundations of Evidence Based Practice. 3 Units.
This course emphasizes general research principles and the impact of research, social determinants, and health literacy on public and population health. Principles addressed include research design and methods, basic research statistics, evaluation and application of clinical research, identification and critical review of the medical literature, clinical decision-making driven by evidence based medicine, and disease surveillance. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 333. Foundations of Professional Practice and the Health System. 3 Units.
This course explores the healthcare system from a professional, legal, economic, and patient care perspective. Professional practice issues will also be explored including scope of practice, legal regulations, and professional organizations. Team-based patient care will be taught through interprofessional education activities. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 370. Health Promotion in Practice. 3 Units.
This course explores the numerous societal and system influences on health promotion and population health. This course focuses on chronic disease prevention, social determinants of health, health care equity, and cultural humility in clinical practice. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 372. Applied Interprofessional Practice. 3 Units.
This course advances understanding of interprofessional health care team practice. Topics include practical application of team dynamics, communication skills, and scope of practice knowledge in clinical practice. Students will actively participate in interprofessional teams to improve patient care and practice settings. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 374. Applied Clinical Reasoning. 3 Units.
This course advances understanding and application of clinical reasoning skills in clinical practice. This course explores clinical decision making, diagnostic error, and metacognitive skills to advance clinicians along the novice to expert continuum. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 380. Science of Teaching and Learning. 3 Units.
This course explores theories of teaching and learning in graduate health sciences education. The course provides guidance for practical approaches to improve student knowledge retention, engagement, and curriculum delivery. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 382. Instructional Design and Assessment. 3 Units.
This course explores practical and systematic processes for effectively assessing needs, designing a process, developing materials, and evaluating effectiveness in graduate health sciences education. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 384. Program Design and Assessment. 3 Units.
This course examines graduate health sciences program design including program learning outcomes and curriculum mapping. The course also explores systematic processes of ongoing assessment required for accreditation. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 390. Doctoral Project 1: Research Design. 3 Units.
This course advances knowledge of research design including research topic selection, literature search techniques, critical review of the literature, and research ethics. This course series aligns the development through execution of a doctoral project suitable for peer-reviewed publication or presentation. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 391. Independent Study. 1-4 Units.
DMSC 392. Doctoral Project 2: Research Methods. 3 Units.
This course provides an overview of research methodology including concepts employed in quantitative and qualitative research. This course series aligns the development through execution of a doctoral project suitable for peer-reviewed publication or presentation. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 393. Special Topics: Aesthetic Medicine. 3 Units.
This course introduces the field of aesthetic medicine in health care. It addresses regulations and evidence-based practice in aesthetic medicine, as well as common behavioral and psychological conditions encountered in the field. Pre-req: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
DMSC 394. Doctoral Project 3: Scholarly Writing. 3 Units.
This course examines scholarly writing and distribution of scholarship in the health sciences. This course series aligns the development through execution of a doctoral project suitable for peer-reviewed publication or presentation. Prerequisites: Admission to DMSC program or permission of Instructor.
