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Take a glimpse of our newly renovated Hopkins Hall, home to the Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes '65 and James B. Hawkes Physician Assistant Program.
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Agnes Scott College is proud offer the Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes '65 and James B. Hawkes Physician Assistant (PA) Program, a 24-month Master of Medical Science program that builds on our decades of success in pre-medical education. If you are passionate about medicine and committed to serve local communities, the Cornwall Hawkes PA program is ideal for you.
In Agnes Scott College’s Master of Medical Science (MMSc) program, students seeking certification and licensure as a physician assistant (PA) will learn to practice in all areas of medicine and gain expertise in community-based healthcare.
Our Cornwall Hawkes PA program meets the urgent, growing need for healthcare professionals. In metro Atlanta, the demand for PAs is projected to grow 34.2% by 2033. The Kaiser Family Foundation identified Georgia as a Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area, noting that the state has met only 40% of its healthcare needs. Agnes Scott seeks to address this need for qualified healthcare professionals through our rigorous, 24-month Cornwall Hawkes PA program.
Agnes Scott’s Cornwall Hawkes PA program will be exclusively located in Hopkins Hall, which is being renovated to meet the needs of the program. The building will include innovative technology and instructional facilities for the practice of medicine, including anatomage tables, a clinical examination suite, an instructional laboratory, and state-of-the-art classrooms. Students will also benefit from a third-floor student lounge and study spaces.
“Agnes Scott’s mission and values empower students to think deeply, innovate, and promote inclusivity. These values are the core of the physician assistant profession. Today, PAs provide compassionate and culturally competent medical care to all patients.” -Dr. LeAnne Martinelli, Program Director
Accreditation Status
Agnes Scott College has applied for Accreditation - Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). Agnes Scott College's Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes '65 and James B. Hawkes Physician Assistant Program anticipates matriculating its first class in October 2026, pending achieving Accreditation - Provisional status at the July 2026 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation - Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding accreditation- provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.
Our program’s purpose-driven curriculum will prepare you to practice evidence-based medicine, serve local communities of patients, and assume leadership roles that help promote patient-centered healthcare.
Students will complete 102 graduate credits over 24 consecutive months, with the first year of on-campus learning followed by a year of supervised clinical practice experiences in all major areas of medicine: community health, emergency medicine, general surgery, women’s health, behavioral medicine, and pediatrics, among others.
Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) and, upon certification and licensure, can begin practicing as a PA in all disciplines of medicine.
Our Mission
The mission of Agnes Scott College’s Cornwall Hawkes PA program cultivates compassionate, critical-thinking physician assistants (PAs) to practice evidence-based medicine, serve local communities, and assume leadership roles that help promote patient-centered healthcare.
Our Vision
Our Cornwall Hawkes PA program is intentional about creating a collaborative environment that produces high-quality healthcare providers committed to community health.
Our Values
We know you’re passionate about helping people. Why wait? Start planning today!
Application opens summer 2025.
Acceptance into Agnes Scott’s Cornwall Hawkes PA program is highly competitive – we accept 30 highly-qualified students per cohort. Applicants will be considered for acceptance upon completion of all requirements, as verified by Agnes Scott Graduate Admission:
Start your career earlier: complete your physician assistant program coursework in just 24 months through the Cornwall Hawkes PA program at Agnes Scott. Most PA programs take 27 months or more.
At Agnes Scott, we’ve designed the Cornwall Hawkes PA program to provide the outstanding education and hands-on experience you’ll need to begin your healthcare career in just two years.
As a Cornwall Hawkes PA student, you will complete clinical rotations that will prepare you to practice emergency medicine, women’s health, general surgery, pediatrics, behavioral medicine, community health and more.
After you complete the program, you will take the national examination for certification as a physician assistant.
Take a glimpse of our newly renovated Hopkins Hall, home to the Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes '65 and James B. Hawkes Physician Assistant Program.
Physician assistants are in high demand across the U.S.
The BLS projects that employment of physician assistants in Atlanta is projected to grow 34.2% until 2033.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), healthcare careers are expected to grow much faster than average for all occupations through 2033. In Atlanta, the labor demand for physician assistants is expected to grow at a faster rate than the national average.
Our Cornwall Hawkes PA program will provide a successful pathway for a diverse population of students to achieve their goal of becoming healthcare practitioners, while also addressing this growing national health care shortage and health disparities across the state of Georgia.
