Pre-Physical Therapy
Essential Courses
| Course # | Title | Credit Hours | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| BI 105 | Biological Diversity and Ecology | 3 | None |
| BI 121 | Biology Lab I | 1 | BI 105 (corequisite) |
| BI 106 | Structure and Function of Cells and Organisms | 3 | BI 105 and CH 105 |
| BI 122 | Biology Lab II | 1 | BI 105 and BI 121; CH 122 (corequisite) |
| CH 105 | Organic Chemical Concepts I | 3 | None |
| CH 121 | Organic Chemistry Lab I | 1 | CH 105 (corequisite) |
| CH 106 | Organic Chemical Concepts II | 3 | CH 105 (with C or better) |
| CH 122 | Organic Chemistry Lab II | 1 | CH 121; CH 106 (corequisite) |
| BI 207 | Dynamics Of Biological Processes | 4 | BI 106, CH 106, and CH 230 |
| CH 230 | Bioinorganic Chemistry | 3 | CH 105 |
| BI 305 | Biostatistics | 4 | BI 106 or ES 100 |
| or | |||
| ND SS 214 | Statistics for Social Sciences | 4 | None |
| BI 310 | Physiology | 4 | BI 222 |
| BI 367 | Comparative Anatomy | 3 | BI 105; BI 368 (corequisite) |
| BI 368 | Comparative Anatomy Laboratory | 1 | BI 367 (corequisite) |
| SO 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 | None |
| PY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 | None |
| PC 200 | General Physics I | 3 | PC 206 (corequisite) |
| or | |||
| PC 202 | Introductory Physics I | 3 | MA 130 and PC 206 (corequisites) |
| PC 206 | Physics Lab I | 1 | PC 200 or PC 202 (corequisite) |
| PC 201 | General Physics II | 3 | PC 200; PC 207 (corequisite) |
| or | |||
| PC 203 | Introductory Physics II | 3 | PC 202 and MA 130; PC 207 (corequisite) |
| PC 207 | Physics Lab II | 1 | PC 201 or PC 203 (corequisite) |
| SW 221 | Life Cycle | 3 | SO 101 or AN 151 or PY 101 |
| or | |||
| PY 350 | Developmental Psychology | 3 | PY 101 |
| Varies | Psychology course (if Life Cycle was Taken) | 3 | Varies |
| Varies | Humanities courses | 6 | Varies |
| Varies | Social Science courses | 6 | Varies |
| EN ___ | English Course | 3 | Varies |
Important Notes:
- Recommend Communication courses, Ethics of Health Care, Minorities, Mental and Physical Handicaps, accounting and business courses, and foreign language (especially Spanish).
- These courses reflect requirements for our affiliations with Drexel University and Widener University only. Although this course list will be sufficient for most other programs, make sure to check requirements of schools in which you are interested no later than your sophomore year.
- This course list does NOT represent a POE, nor does it cover College requirements. Design a POE, preferably in an academic area, in consultation with your advisor.
- Make sure to have an advisor on the Health Professions Committee, preferably Professor Radis.
- In addition to your course work it is mandatory to gain experience in physical therapy either during the school year or over the summer.
2008-09 REQUIREMENTS
Drexel University
Regular Progression (4 years at Juniata) OR 4 + 3 B.S./D.P.T. Program*
Widener University
Regular Progression (4 years at Juniata) OR 3 + 3 B.S./D.P.T. Program*
| Courses | Drexel | Widener |
|---|---|---|
| Biology I and II | 8 | 3 |
| Anatomy | 4 (or other upper level Bio) | 3 |
| Physiology | 4 | 3 |
| Chemistry I and II | 8 | 8 |
| Physics I and II | 8 | 6 |
| Psychology** | 6 | 6 |
| Social Science and Humanities | 5 courses | 9 English/Humanities + 3 Social Sciences |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 |
* Students completing 3 +_ or 4+ _ programs receive degrees from Juniata and the affiliated institution
* * Life Cycle, which deals with developmental issues, is acceptable as a second psychology course; Developmental Psychology may also be substituted.
Notes: Drexel: Volunteer experience (no specific number of hours) and 3 letters of recommendation are required (must include one from a physical therapist and one from an academic source). Qualified applicants will be invited for an interview. Admissions are rolling, but applicants are encouraged to apply early to be evaluated for available scholarship money. Drexel also has the following admission requirements found by clicking on the website www.drexel.edu/em/apply/hs
Widener: Retake prerequisites in which a C- or less was earned; 3 letters required (1 PT, 1 from Committee), volunteer experience required-recommended in 2 different practice areas (inpatient/hospital and outpatient/clinic preferred): students will need to fill out a Computer Literacy Affidavit stating their experience with computers (i.e. databases, word, excel, powerpoint, access, etc.); applications are due January 30; no more than 3 prerequisites may be in progress at the time of application.
Competitive credentials: Science and overall GPA of 3.2-3.4 ; GRE of 500 or better in each section. For Drexel overall GPA of 3.00, science GPA of 3.0: Minimum GRE of 1000 combined verbal and quantitative and 4.0 Analytical Writing score: volunteer experience; Widener minimum science and overall GPA of 3.0 and GRE scores of at least 1000 for verbal and quantitative sections combined.; minimum of 40 volunteer hours
Helpful websites:
American Physical Therapy Association - http://www.apta.org
Drexel University - http://www.drexel.edu/cnhp/rehab_sciences/welcome.asp
Widener University - http://www.widener.edu/ipte
SUGGESTED CORE PROGRESSIONS FOR
Pre-PHYSICAL THERAPY
Regular Start; No Acceleration and No Study Abroad Junior Year
Bolded courses are offered only in the indicated semester and/or require a specific sequence due to Juniata prerequisites. Non-bolded courses are either offered in both semesters or represent open-ended choices, making them more flexible in when they can be taken.
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman Year | BI 105 | Biology Lab II |
| Biology Lab I | Organic Chemistry Concepts II (if C or better in OCC I) and Lab | |
| Organic Chemistry Concepts I and Lab | Sociology | |
| Psychology |
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Sophomore Year | BI 106 | BI 207 |
| Bioinorganic Chemistry | English course | |
| Social Science course | Humanities course | |
| Developmental Psychology |
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Year | Anatomy and Lab | Statistics |
| Social Science course | Humanities course | |
| Physics I and Lab | Physics II and Lab |
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Year | Physiology |
Finish the Junior Year courses for either the regular start or delayed chemistry progression no later than the summer before the year you intend to apply OR during senior year (this latter plan may delay your application until after you graduate from Juniata).
If you delay the start of Organic Chemistry I to the spring of freshman year be aware that Organic Chem Lab I is offered ONLY in the fall and Organic Chem II lab is offered ONLY in the spring. Also consider whether or not it is wise in your particular situation to take Organic Chem II with Bioinorganic Chemistry your sophomore year.
If you do an accelerated program plan to finish most or all of the prerequisite courses the year before your final year at Juniata. If you have one or two courses to complete your final year at Juniata, you could be conditionally accepted to professional school based on your academic record up to that point and on successful completion of the remaining prerequisite courses.
If you study abroad the SAFEST strategy is to take ALL prerequisite courses for professional school in the U.S., which may require you to take courses in the U.S. over the summer, preferably at a 4 year institution. However, if this is extremely difficult for your situation, check with the professional schools you wish to attend to see if they will accept courses taken abroad and if so, get their response in writing. Also if you have a Biology POE and will not have BI 207 by the time you go abroad, check with the Biology Department to see if there is a Cell and Molecular course you can take abroad that will enable you to take upper level biology offerings at Juniata your senior year that require BI 207 (ex. Physiology, Immunology, and Microbiology)
Be mindful of your POE courses, which are NOT indicated here. For example, if you have a Biology POE, you will need to take Freshman seminar the fall of your freshman year, Frontiers of Biology either semester your sophomore year, and Biology 207 at your earliest opportunity after completing Bioinorganic Chemistry.