UW-Parkside Previews Masters of Science in Physician Assistant Renovated Space
UW-Parkside prepares to open the only public MSPA Program in Southeastern Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wis.- Dr. Bryan Lewis, Associate Dean, College of Natural and Health Sciences at UW-Parkside, tells his students to dream big. To Dr. Lewis, the addition of the Master of Science in Physician Assistant (MSPA) program and the exciting new space being developed in Tallent Hall, is the university believing in itself and dreaming big.
This 24 or 27-month program is on track to accept its first class of professional students in September of 2026 and is a natural evolution that grew out of the long-standing strength and success of UW-Parkside’s Pre-Health program. The program provides students with the first year of academic coursework, and a second year of clinical rotations. The MSPA program will offer students a natural pathway from the Pre-Physician Assistant concentration, which facilitates the development of students’ basic clinical skills through its required 300-hour internships.
In preparation for this exciting new program, UW-Parkside is well underway on the renovation of space in Tallent Hall, which will not only serve the needs of MSPA students, but those in nursing and pre-health as well and will be ready as soon as September of 2025. “In terms of opportunities this will provide, it is going to create for our undergraduate students a significantly more rich educational opportunity because they’ll have access to more high quality material on a more regular basis,” Lewis says.
The innovative new spaces will feature the only public cadaver lab in the region and also includes a new multi-use classroom, observation rooms for practical training, and amenities to support students and provide them with a positive learning environment. Lewis goes on to state, “This will be the only public Physician Assistant program in Southeastern Wisconsin, which means it’s going to be really affordable for students in our region.”
Lewis has long dreamed of building more programs at the university. The approval and development of MSPA program fulfills that dream and provides the path toward far-reaching partnerships, collaborations, and opportunities for our students, partners, and the region as a whole.
Lewis explains, “I want to build this for our students in our community and create a high-quality educational program at an affordable price point to really help these students figure out ‘this is something I can actually do.’ This is why I got into education --to create realistic opportunities for students where maybe they didn’t think those opportunities existed.”
Seventy-one percent of students who complete the Pre-Physician Assistant concentration have successfully entered PA programs across the country over the past 20 years. UW-Parkside undergraduate Pre-Health students have also successfully gained admission into other professional health schools including medicine (91%), pharmacy (90%), physical therapy (77%), veterinary (86%) and chiropractic (100%).
The MSPA program is a partnership with regional healthcare facilities including Advocate-Aurora Hospital, Ascension Hospital, and Froedtert South Hospital. The cohort-based MSPA program will follow the requirements, standards, and guidance of the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).
The MSPA Program was approved by the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents at the August 2022 meeting.
Since its founding in 1968, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has been a trusted partner for the region’s higher educational needs, empowering students to thrive, advancing applied knowledge, and developing talent for the future. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as certificates and pre-professional programs, designed to foster personal and professional growth through real-world and impactful learning experiences. Located in the dynamic Chicago-Milwaukee corridor, UW-Parkside offers unmatched access to world-class internships, professional networks, and endless career-building opportunities, placing students at the center of it all.
Media Contact:
Scott Rudie
Executive Director of Communication and Marketing
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
rudie@uwp.edu | (262) 300-9549