UT Tyler Receives Approval for PA Program

August 20, 2026 | Elizabeth Wingfield

Launches First Physician Assistant Program in East Texas

The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish a Physician Assistant Studies program. The university is preparing to enroll the first class of the 27-month master’s degree program in September 2027, pending initial accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.

“The approval of our Physician Assistant Studies program marks a transformative leap forward for the UT Tyler School of Medicine,” said Dr. Sue Cox, School of Medicine dean. “By training highly skilled PAs alongside our future physicians, we are fostering a collaborative, team-based care model that mirrors the real-life medical landscape. This program strengthens our capability to meet the complex medical needs of East Texans.”

Establishing this program has been made possible through community support, including the Bernard Family Foundation and the Garland Family, alongside contributions from other key supporters committed to expanding healthcare education in East Texas.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, physician assistants increase health care access in rural communities where there can be a shortage of providers. One physician assistant position can create 18.5 local jobs and $940,892 of labor income with a hospital in the community. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the projected growth rate for physician assistants will be 20% from 2024 – 2034, compared to the average of job growth rate of 3%.

“As the very first Physician Assistant program in East Texas, this launch represents a monumental investment in the health and future of our region,” said Dr. Seth Holland, founding director. “Establishing this program right here — with dedicated educational opportunities extending to our campuses like Longview — ensures that we are training local talent to care for local communities.”

This program will prepare students to engage directly with the community through service-learning, outreach and clinical rotations that address non-medical drivers of health and promote preventive and chronic disease management. Rotations will feature settings such as psychiatry, family medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and community health.

To learn more about the program or apply, visit uttyler.edu/physician-assistant-studies.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.