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 Chemistry Concepts I | 3 | None |
| CH 121 | Organic Chemistry Lab I | 1 | CH 105 (corequisite) |
| CH 106 | Organic Chemistry 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 EES 100 |
| OR | |||
| ND SS 214 | Statistics for Social Sciences | 4 | None |
| BI 310 | Physiology | 4 | BI 207 |
| 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) |
| BI 290 | Nutrition | 3 | sophomore status |
| PY 203 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 | PY 101 |
| PY 350 | Developmental Psychology | 3 | PY 101 |
| MA 130 | Calculus I | 4 | None |
| OR | |||
| MA 103 | Quantitative Methods | 3 | None |
| OR | |||
| MA 100 | Precalculus Math | 3 | None |
| OR | |||
| MA 110 | Linear Algebra | 3 | None |
| Varies | Humanities courses | 9 | Varies |
| Varies | Social Science courses | 9 | 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, Jefferson School of Health Professions, 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.
REQUIREMENTS
Drexel University- 4 + 3 B.S./D.P.T. Program*
Jefferson School of Health Professions- Regular Progression (4 year at Juniata) OR 3 + 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 | Jefferson | Widener |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology I and II | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| Anatomy | 4 (or other upper level Bio) | 4 | 3 |
| Physiology | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Chemistry I and II | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Physics I and II | 8 | 8 | 6 |
Social Sciences (including 6 credits of psychology) with Abnormal and Developmental preferred |
9 --- |
9 --- |
9 --- |
| Humanities | 9 |
9 including 3 credits of composition/writing preferably; Ethics or Philosophy |
9 English/Humanities + 3 Social Sciences |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Math (College algebra/trigonometry/precalculus or calculus) | --- | 3 | --- |
| Nutrition | --- | 3 | --- |
* Students completing 3 +_ or 4+ _ programs receive degrees from Juniata and the affiliated institution
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. 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
Jefferson: Retake prerequisites in which a C- or lower is earned. Volunteeer experience in two settings required and two letters of recommendation (one from a physical therapist). Qualified applicants will be invited for an interview.
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.); 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 minimum overall GPA of 3.0, science GPA of 3.0: Minimum GRE of 1000 combined verbal and quantitative and 4.0 Analytical Writing score: volunteer experience. For Jefferson's accelerated program: High school GPA of 3.35 or higher and SAT total of 1100 or higher. Juniata GPA of 3.3 or higher with no less than a C in any prerequisite course. Volunteer experience is requied. Incoming high school students interested in the 3 + 2 affiliation should have at least 20 hours of volunteer experience. Juniata students need to obtain a minimum of 50 hours of experience in at least two different settings (ex. inpatient and outpatient facilities). 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
Jefferson School of Health Professions - http://www.jefferson.edu/jchp/jshp/ot/CombinedBSMSOTprogram.cfm
Widener University - http://www.widener.edu/ipte/default.asp?gclid=CNnd6sDggpoCFeRM5QodKk0iGQ
SUGGESTED CORE PROGRESSIONS FOR
Pre-PHYSICAL THERAPY
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 (could do in spring) | Humanities course |
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Sophomore Year | BI 106 | BI 207 |
| Bioinorganic Chemistry | English course | |
| Social Science course | Humanities course | |
| Developmental Psychology | Social Science course | |
| Nutrition (odd years only) | Math course |
| FALL | SPRING | |
|---|---|---|
| Junior Year | Anatomy and Lab | Statistics |
| Social Science course | Humanities course | |
| Physics I and Lab | Physics II and Lab | |
| Physiology and Lab | Social Science course | |
| Nutrition (odd years only) |
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.
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