Diverse by design: Reframing the narrative around accreditation for PA doctorate programs

Postprofessional doctoral programs for physician associates (PAs) have expanded rapidly, offering diverse and specialized tracks that reflect the evolving roles of PAs in health care, education, and leadership. Institutional accreditation provides rigorous oversight of these programs and ensures academic quality across them without necessitating uniformity. In early 2025, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) proposed a centralized accreditation model for these programs that would impose prescriptive requirements pertaining to their curricula, faculty qualifications, and student outcomes. A centralized accreditation model, however, would serve to hamper these programs' innovation and diversity by enforcing uniform standards that conflict with the flexible, career-focused nature of postprofessional education. This article advocates for the current decentralized approach-continued use of which is being championed by the Consortium of DMS/DMSc Programs-as essential to supporting the continued growth and specialization of the PA profession.