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Physical Therapy
Outlined are the entrance requirements for three accredited Physical Therapy programs in the state of Indiana. No two physical therapy programs have exactly the same entrance requirements; you will need to determine the specific requirements for each physical therapy school you plan to apply to, and make sure that you incorporate all required courses into your degree program.
A Bachelor's degree is required prior to admission to physical therapy school, which leads to a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Students may major in any subject, but the most common majors are Biology and Psychology due to the overlap between the degree requirements and entrance requirements for physical therapy school. You can not earn a degree in "pre-physical therapy". When choosing a major, you should choose a subject area that allows you the potential to pursue other career options as well as physical therapy.
Specific coursework that must be completed prior to admission to each physical therapy school is listed below. Once you have declared a major, you will need to be advised by an academic advisor in that department regarding the requirements for a Bachelor's degree in that subject. You must include the courses listed below as part of your curriculum no matter what degree you choose to pursue; each science course must be for science majors, not general education or survey courses, and must include both a lecture and laboratory component except as listed. All required pre-requisite courses must have letter grades; courses taken pass/fail and credit by exam, such as Advance Placement exams, are not accepted. Please check the current Bulletin for information about Math Assessment score requirements and other pre-requisites for these courses.
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
The IU physical therapy program minimum requirements are a 3.2 cumulative GPA and a 3.2 science and math GPA - any applicant who does not meet these requirements will be rejected without review. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test is also required. A minimum of 40 hours of physical therapy observation is required, with at least 20 hours each in an inpatient and outpatient setting. See the IUPUI Department of Physical Therapy website at https://shrs.iupui.edu/admissions/apply/doctorate-physical-therapy/requirements.html for additional information.
Requirements
All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted
- CHEM-C 105 Principles of Chemistry I; AND
CHEM-C 125 Experimental Chemistry I (2 cr) - CHEM-C 106 Principles of Chemistry II; AND
CHEM-C 126 Experimental Chemistry II (2 cr.) - PHYS-P 201 General Physic 1 (5 cr.); OR
PHYS-P 221 Physics 1 (5 cr.) - PHYS-P 202 General Physics 2 (5 cr.); OR
PHYS-P 222 Physics 2 (5 cr.) - PHSL-P 261 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4 cr.)
- PHSL-P 262 Human Anatomy and Phyicology II (4 cr.)
- PSY-P 103 General Psychology
- PSY-P 216 Life Span Developmental Psychology
Select one of the following:
- BIOL-L 220 Biostatistics
- MATH-K 310 Statistical Techniques
- MATH-M 261 Statistical Inferences
- PSY-P 354 Statistical Analysis in Psychology
- At least 6 credit hours in additional Humanities or Social Sciences coursework
University of Indianapolis
Most physical therapy programs require that you complete a specified number of hours of observation of licensed physical therapists prior to applying for admission; see the individual program websites for the number of hours required and any requirements regarding the setting(s) in which the observations take place. Verification of your observation hours by the physical therapist you observed can be done electronically through the American Physical Therapy Association website; see http://www.ptcas.org/PTHours/ for additional information and the verification form. Additional information about physical therapy, including links to every accredited physical therapy program in the U.S., can be found at the American Physical Therapy Association website, http://www.apta.org. Students interested in completing pre-physical therapy course work at IU South Bend should contact the Department of Biological Sciences soon after admission to discuss an appropriate degree program.
A minimum 3.0 GPA, both cumulative (overall) and specifically in math and science coursework, is required; however, the average admitted student has a 3.7 GPA. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is also required. See the Krannett School of Physical Therapy website at http://uindy.edu/health-sciences/pt for additional information.
Requirements
All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted
- BIOL-L 102 Introduction to Biological Sciences 2 (5 cr.)
- CHEM-C 105 Principles of Chemistry I; AND
CHEM-C 125 Experimental Chemistry I (2 cr) - CHEM-C 106 Principles of Chemistry II; AND
CHEM-C 126 Experimental Chemistry II (2 cr.) - ENG-W 131 Reading, Writing, and Inquiry I
- PHSL-P 261 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4 cr.)
- PHSL-P 262 Human Anatomy and Phyicology II (4 cr.)
- PHYS-P 201 General Physic 1 (5 cr.); OR
PHYS-P 221 Physics 1 (5 cr.) - PHYS-P 202 General Physics 2 (5 cr.); OR
PHYS-P 222 Physics 2 (5 cr.)
Select one of the following:
- BIOL-L 220 Biostatistics
- MATH-K 300 Statistical Techniques for Health Professions
- MATH-K 310 Statistical Techniques
- Two courses in the behavioral sciences (Anthropology, Psychology, or Sociology)
Indiana State University
A minimum 3.0 GPA, both cumulative (overall) and specifically in math and science coursework, is required for consideration, but a competitive applicant will generally have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. A minimum of 40 hours of physical therapy observation is required. See the ISU Department of Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation website at http://www.indstate.edu/health/dpt-admission-requirements-and-prerequisite-courses for additional information.
Requirements
All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted
- BIOL-L 102 Introduction to Biological Sciences 2 (5 cr.)>
- BIOL-L 312 Cell Biology; OR
BIOL-L 317 Developmental Biology - CHEM-C 105 Principles of Chemistry I; AND
CHEM-C 125 Experimental Chemistry I (2 cr) - CHEM-C 106 Principles of Chemistry II; AND
CHEM-C 126 Experimental Chemistry II (2 cr.) - NURS-B 105 Medical Terminology (1 cr.)
- PHYS-P 201 General Physic 1 (5 cr.); OR
PHYS-P 222 Physics 2 (5 cr.) - PHSL-P 261 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (4 cr.)
- PHSL-P 262 Human Anatomy and Phyicology II (4 cr.)
- PSY-P 103 General Psychology
- PSY-P 216 Life Span Developmental Psychology
Select one of the following:
- BIOL-L 220 Biostatistics
- MATH-K 310 Statistical Techniques
- MATH-M 261 Statistical Inferences
- PSY-P 354 Statistical Analysis in Psychology