Marquette University Reviews of Master's in Physician Assistant

"I attended this school to pursue a master's degree in Physician Assistant (PA) studies. This school & particularly the instructors involved in the program actively look to "test" the students by making them as miserable as possible. This is work hard, not smart. The lectures go straight through from ~8am to 4pm or later on most days. This wouldn't be so bad if there was variety, & you'd think it wouldn't be so hard to do since the goal ought to be to engage the students & help them learn. Instead, all of the lectures follow the exact same format of a PowerPoint slideshow & the instructor reading directly off of it. Any admissions marketing of "PBL" & modern learning methods is a ruse sprinkled into the semester to nominally fulfill the promise. Okay, well, this wouldn't be quite so bad if the student were allowed to skip the not-so-helpful lectures & instead spend that time studying, reading the text, & learning. The student is just as capable of reading off the PowerPoint slide. However, class is an absolute requirement; in fact, if you are even late to a class more than once in a semester, you start to get on the bad side & face consequences. I don't mean minutes late, I don't mean simply missing a class like at any other school in the country. I mean seconds late more than once at all, across all classes combined, in a semester. Picture yourself in a tiny, stuffy room with very poor climate control, crowded by 55 people & having to listen to 8 hours of instructors droning through a PowerPoint slide deck... For a year. 3 semesters. And that is supposed to be your "learning". Instead, your learning is actually all of the time you still have to spend at home or the library, actually learning the content. The 8 hours+ of PowerPoint slideshows is really just the debt you pay to the program administrators & instructors, perhaps to substantiate their own jobs. Apparently you must receive a prescribed amount of unusual punishment in order to enter this career. If you decide to attend this school, there will be many nights of 1-3 hours of sleep because your best hours of optimal learning are all taken away from you & you are left to do your actual learning late at night. You will be much better off if you live with your parents still, or if you are married & your spouse can take care of every need for you. The instructors have little interest in the students; several are quite arrogant & self-centric. IMHO, many of them are not equipped for the teaching profession. The students here become incredible physician assistants *in spite of* the dark years they spent at MU, not because of it. You'd hope that some of them would consider coming back to MU in the future & changing how things work here, but you find that most can't get away soon enough after graduation & immediately place those years in the memory hole. Primarily, my time at MU helped me learn to resent the profession & consider my other options. I'm blessed that I did. I instead continued my previous healthcare operations consulting career & through my own hard work & plenty of good fortune, I now make over $225,000 yearly. I still get to help others. I don't mind looking back on all this as much anymore, now that I've built a great life for myself. I implore you to go elsewhere, if you have a choice. Not all programs are like this, & it isn't simply that "you have to be willing to put in the work". I currently work 70+ hours per week & have always put in the time. All PA programs will work you hard, but they will provide more value to you & not feel as much like cruel punishment. Further, any perceived value in having a "name brand" PA degree is non-existent. Instead, spend more time than I did thinking on what will serve you & your learning style best. Best of luck."

"I am currently a student in the program and so far it has been a very encouraging process. The faculty truly is there to help you in all your needs whether it be mentally, academically, or emotionally. Since I am relatively new to the program, I have yet to experience the full force of all the academics, but so far it has been quite rigorous. Something I really appreciated was the fact that they always emphasize our wellness and not identifying in our grades. I think with my generation there is this need to always do well instead of allowing yourself bad days. Although this is something hard to combat, their constant reminders that we are simply not our grades has really opened my mind and loosened my grip on those letters. Of course I strive to do the best I can, but I dont really get hung up on the grades that I receive (it also helps if your classmates are not competitive, but that one is out of your control unfortunately). If you are able to loosen your grip on the grades that you have and just be a student that wants to learn the material in front of you, you gain a lot more out of the process. As with all schools there are pros and cons and Marquette has one of the longer PA programs (3 years), but I personally enjoy that we get 3 whole years when looking at a timeline of a lifetime career."

"I am currently a student in the program and so far it has been a very encouraging process. The faculty truly is there to help you in all your needs whether it be mentally, academically, or emotionally. Since I am relatively new to the program, I have yet to experience the full force of all the academics, but so far it has been quite rigorous. Something I really appreciated was the fact that they always emphasize our wellness and not identifying in our grades. I think with my generation there is this need to always do well instead of allowing yourself bad days. Although this is something hard to combat, their constant reminders that we are simply not our grades has really opened my mind and loosened my grip on those letters. Of course I strive to do the best I can, but I dont really get hung up on the grades that I receive (it also helps if your classmates are not competitive, but that one is out of your control unfortunately). If you are able to loosen your grip on the grades that you have and just be a student that wants to learn the material in front of you, you gain a lot more out of the process. As with all schools there are pros and cons and Marquette has one of the longer PA programs (3 years), but I personally enjoy that we get 3 whole years when looking at a timeline of a lifetime career."

"I was very fortunate to enter the School of Biomedical Science's Physician Assistants Program. While I found the program challenging, I also found instructors and preceptors who carried about us as a group and about each of us individually. Marquette is a welcoming educational institution with a lot to offer...sometimes it seems like too much to take in!! My university has a strong commitment to the community and city in which it is located; on-campus events are available for every and any interest; and we have a great alumni constituency that is very active."

"I cannot speak highly enough of this university. I came here for graduate school in search of becoming a physician assistant, which, in and of itself, is incredibly competitive. The staff teaching the course is unparalleled, and it is a nice mix of external applicants and internal undergraduates matriculating through the university. The campus is small, but well kept, and there are security measures in-place that help make students feel safe within its urban environment. It is located near downtown Milwaukee, and convenient to get to. It exemplifies service learning, helping bridge to the community and put practice into action. Go Golden Eagles!"

"The Marquette PA program uses vigorous coursework combined with clinical experiences to prepare students for the PANCE and a future career as a PA. Marquette PA students and alumni are respected and sought out in the surrounding Milwaukee health care community. Faculty are always accessable and committed to helping students and adjunct faculty round out clinical and specialty area knowledge. Overall I could not be happier with my Marquette education thus far."

"The Marquette University physician assistant program is very reputable due to the faculty and national PANCE exam scores. The program does a good job at creating high quality future physician assistants. The program also has a lot of connections around the nation for rotation sports for its students. Some cons include the cost of attendance and length of the program (33 months). Also, since the university is located in Milwaukee, crime does happen regularly. However, the university has many student safe programs and options for transportation."

"Pros: Marquette has a fantastic graduate program with a wonderful staff that is extremely supportive throughout the duration of the program. The course load is challenging but necessary to be successful. Living arrangements are very affordable and widely available for students. The students are very supportive and social finding time to have fun together to get through the difficult course load associated with PA school. Cons: The location is not the greatest as the neighborhoods tend to change quickly but the campus is safe. The population of students could be more diverse, the majority of students are white, middle class, but the class changes every year and the program as a whole truly embraces diversity. The school does not have a strong reliance on the use of technology. There is not a substantially large amount of financial assistance from the university itself, but staff knows where to direct you if you need financial assistance."

"I'm in the Physician Assistant program at Marquette, a very competitive program with over 500 applicants for 55 available spots. The program has very high expectations, making it one of the most reputable PA programs nationally. With the high work load, my days consist of school and studying. The school is located in an area of high crime rate, but being cautious about my surroundings, have kept me safe. Being a transfer from a different college, there are no scholarship offered through Marquette, with tuition being over $35,000 a year."

"I have had a phenomenal experience at Marquette University both as an undergraduate and a Physician Assistant graduate student. I have a multitude of opportunities not offered at other universities and I will be more than prepared for my career when I graduate."