North Central starts physician assistant program

North Central College in Naperville is launching a master's degree program in physician assistant studies, which plans to welcome its first cohort of students in fall 2021.

The college has applied for accreditation for the program and is set to host a site visit in October, with accreditation status scheduled for a vote in March 2021.

Contingent on accreditation, the program is set to last 24 months, starting with a year devoted to instruction followed by a year of clinical practice in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings.

Instruction for the program is set to take place in a new building under construction at 160 E. Chicago Ave., just east of downtown Naperville.

Applications for students hoping to join the program are being accepted on the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants portal. For details about admissions requirements and preferences for current North Central students and alumni, visit northcentralcollege.edu/program/master-physician-assistant-studies.