College of St. Catherine: Undergraduate Academic Catalog 2005-2007: Pre-Physical Therapy

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2001-2003 Academic Catalog
2003-2005 Academic Catalog

Pre-Physical Therapy

The College of St. Catherine offers students the opportunity to apply the liberal arts experience to their chosen field of physical therapy through a unique dual degree program. The departments of biology, exercise science and psychology have developed sequences of courses that include all Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program prerequisites, liberal arts core requirements and major course work in their respective fields. These three areas of study provide the option of completing a bachelor's degree while pursuing the DPT degree. Each area of study includes prerequisite courses for the DPT program, including biology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics, psychology, statistics, medical terminology and mathematics, while providing a special emphasis in a particular area of study. The first-year courses in each area of study are identical, allowing students time to consider their options and make a decision about the major that is of most interest to them. There are three options for admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Option 1: Early Admission program
Students may apply to the College and to the Early Admission program during their senior year in high school. Students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for consideration for the DPT Early Admission program:

Required:

ACT score of 24 or better
Cumulative GPA or 3.3 or better on a 4.0 scale
Declare pre-physical therapy as intended area of study

Recommended:
Eight hours of observation and/or volunteering in a physical therapy setting.

Twenty-four students are admitted to the early admission program each year. Students who apply on or before February 15 of their senior year will be given priority consideration for admission to the program. Students will be notified of an admission decision by April 1 of their senior year. Students who apply on or after February 16 will be considered on a space-available basis.

Students who are admitted to the program will be guaranteed a position in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program provided the following conditions are met:

Cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better
Prerequisite GPA of 3.2 or better
Letter grades of C or better for all prerequisite courses
Completion of the DPT Admission Application (including an essay, GRE and healthcare experience) during the junior or senior year
Submit positive recommendations from clinical references
Meet with pre-physical therapy advisor each semester
Meet with a DPT academic advisor at least once in the freshman year

Option 2: 3+3 Open Admission
Students enter one of three pre-physical therapy areas of study in biology, exercise and sport science, or psychology that include all DPT prerequisites, liberal arts core requirements and major course work in the particular field of study. During the junior year, students may apply to the DPT program as they are completing one of these sequences. If admitted, students will typically be awarded the St. Catherine's baccalaureate degree after one full year in the DPT program. The major will be applied science in biology or exercise science or psychology. Following successful completion of all the DPT degree requirements, the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree is awarded. Students who are not accepted into the DPT program can complete a major in biology, exercise science or psychology by taking the remaining courses in the sequences outlined by each department. Upon completion of these requirements, the student will be awarded the St. Catherine's baccalaureate degree, with a major in biology, exercise science or psychology.

Option 3: Senior Open Admission
Students complete a baccalaureate degree, including the prerequisite courses for the DPT program, and apply for admission to the DPT program. If accepted, upon successful completion of all the DPT degree requirements, the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree is awarded.

Prerequisites for the Doctor in Physical Therapy program include:
BIOL 121, 122 General Biology

BIOL 251, 252 Human Anatomy and Human Physiology, or BIOL 312 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy and BIOL 314 Comparative Animal Physiology

CHEM 111, 112 General Chemistry

PHYS 108, 109 Physics for the Health Sciences (algebra-based), or PHYS 111, 112 Introductory Physics (calculus-based)

PSYC 100 General Psychology

PSYC 202 Lifespan Developmental Psychology

PSYC 205 Statistical Methods in Psychology or MATH 110 Statistical Analysis or ECON 220 Statistical Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences

MATH 112 Precalculus or MATH 113 Calculus I

INDI 222 Medical Terminology

INDI 499 Introduction to Physical Therapy

URL: http://minerva.stkate.edu/academiccatalog0507.nsf/pages/pt
This page was created on 06/03/2005 and last updated on 06/03/2005.
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