Pre-Physical Therapy

The College of St. Catherine offers you the opportunity to apply the liberal arts experience to your 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 you the option of completing your 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 you time to consider your options and make a decision about the major that is of most interest to you. 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 all of 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
In this option, you enter one of the College’s 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 your junior year, you may apply to the DPT program as you are completing one of these sequences. If admitted, you will typically be awarded the St. Catherine’s baccalaureate degree after one full year in the DPT program. Your 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. If you are not accepted into the DPT program you 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, you will be awarded the St. Catherine’s baccalaureate degree, with a major in biology, exercise science or psychology.

The curriculum for each area of study is listed below.

BIOLOGY
You must complete all liberal arts core requirements, 100 hours clinical experience and the following courses.

Applied Science in Biology Requirements:
BIOL 1210 General Biology I
BIOL 1220 General Biology II
BIOL 2800 Cell Biology
BIOL 2900 Genetics
BIOL 3120 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
BIOL 3140 Comparative Animal Physiology
BIOL 4850 Senior Seminar

Required Supporting Courses:
CHEM 1110 General Chemistry I
CHEM 1120 General Chemistry II
Statistics (PSYC 2050 Statistical Methods in Psychology, MATH 1080 Statistical Analysis, or ECON 2200 Statistical Analysis for Social Sciences)

DPT prerequisites:
MATH 1130 Calculus I or MATH 1110, 1120 Functions with Calculus 1A and 1B
2 semesters of physics (either PHYS 1110, 1120 or PHYS 1080, 1090)
PSYC 1001 General Psychology
PSYC elective (Lifespan Developmental or Abnormal Psychology)
INDI 2220 Medical Terminology
INDI 4900 Introduction to Physical Therapy

If you do not gain entry to the DPT program after your junior year, you complete the following courses for a major (B.S. degree*) in biology:
BIOL 3050 Ecology or BIOL 3300 Evolutionary Biology
BIOL 3100 Plant Biology or BIOL 3450 Plant Biochemistry and Physiology
BIOL 4602 Internship or BIOL 4912 Research
CHEM 2010 Organic Chemistry I

*If you wish to receive a B.A. degree in you also need to complete a foreign language through third semester and take one additional course in Philosophy or Theology.

EXERCISE AND SPORT SCIENCE
You must complete the liberal arts core requirements, 100 hours of clinical experience and the following courses.

Applied Science in Exercise Science Requirements:
EXSS 2750 Introduction to Exercise Science
EXSS 2800 Measurement and Evaluation in Exercise Science
EXSS 3350 Kinesiology/Biomechanics
EXSS 3510 Developmental Adapted Physical Education
EXSS 3610 Motor Learning
EXSS 3750 Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries

DPT prerequisites:
BIOL 1210, 1220 General Biology
BIOL 2510, 2520 Human Anatomy and Human Physiology
CHEM 1110, 1120 General Chemistry
MATH 1130 Calculus I or MATH 1110, 1120 Functions with Calculus 1A and 1B
2 semesters of physics (either PHYS 1110, 1120 or PHYS 1080, 1090)
PSYC 1001 General Psychology
PSYC elective (Lifespan Developmental or Abnormal Psychology)
INDI 2220 Medical Terminology
INDI 4900 Introduction to Physical Therapy
Statistics (PSYC 2050 Statistical Methods in Psychology, MATH 1080 Statistical Analysis, or ECON 2200 Statistical Analysis for Social Sciences)

If you do not gain entry to the DPT program after your junior year, you complete the following courses for a major (B.S. degree*) in exercise and sport science:
EXSS 3050 Elementary Methods or EXSS 3060 Individual Sports Techniques
EXSS 3450 Exercise Physiology
EXSS 3550 Fitness Assessment and Exercise Design
EXSS 3650 Methods for Fitness Professionals
EXSS 4300 Advanced Biomechanics
EXSS 4604 Internship
FCNS 2200 Food, Nutrition and You or FCNS 3000 Nutrition
Elective courses (6 credits)

*If you wish to receive a B.A. degree in you also need to complete a foreign language through third semester and take one additional course in Philosophy or Theology.

PSYCHOLOGY
You must complete the liberal arts core requirements, 100 hours of clinical experience and the following courses.
Applied Science in Psychology Requirements:
PSYC 1001 General Psychology
PSYC 2025 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
PSYC 2050 Statistical Methods in Psychology
PSYC 3010 Abnormal Psychology
One 300-level psychology laboratory course

DPT prerequisites:
BIOL 1210, 1220 General Biology
BIOL 2510, 2520 Human Anatomy and Human Physiology
CHEM 1110, 1120 General Chemistry
MATH 1130 Calculus I or MATH 1110, 1120 Functions with Calculus 1A and 1B
2 semesters of physics (either PHYS 1110, 1120 or PHYS 1080, 1090)
INDI 2220 Medical Terminology
INDI 4900 Introduction to Physical Therapy

If you do gain entry to the DPT program after your junior year, you complete the following courses for a major (B.S. degree*) in psychology:
One additional psychology elective (4 credits)
One additional 300-level psychology laboratory course
PSYC 4220 History and Systems of Psychology
PSYC 4850 Senior Seminar (2 credits)

*If you wish to receive a B.A. degree in you also need to complete a foreign language through third semester and take one additional course in Philosophy or Theology.

Option 3: Senior Open Admission
If you are interested in pursuing this option, you 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 1210, 1220 General Biology
BIOL 2510, 2520 Human Anatomy and Human Physiology, or BIOL 3120 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy and BIOL 3140 Comparative Animal Physiology
CHEM 1110, 1120 General Chemistry
PHYS 1080, 1090 Physics for the Health Sciences (algebra-based), or PHYS 1110, 1120 Introductory Physics (calculus-based)
PSYC 1001 General Psychology
PSYC 2025 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
PSYC 2050 Statistical Methods in Psychology or MATH 1080 Statistical Analysis or ECON 2200 Statistical Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences
MATH 1130 Calculus I
INDI 2220 Medical Terminology
INDI 4900 Introduction to Physical Therapy

URL: http://minerva.stkate.edu/academiccatalog0709.nsf/pages/pt
This page was created on 06/03/2005 and last updated on 11/12/2008.
Comments, questions and feedback about this site may be addressed to registrar@stkate.edu.