The Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy (MPT) is an entry-level graduate degree designed for the student with an undergraduate degree in a field other than physical therapy. The program entails two and a half years of full-time study, including summers, and is limited to twenty-six (26) students per entering class.

 

Learning Outcomes

• Provide quality learning experiences that challenge students to become independent life-long learners
• Produce competent health care professionals to provide physical therapy services in a multi-faceted and technological society
• Encourage students to become critical consumers of and participants in clinically relevant research and scholarly activity
• Promote ethical and moral standards as the basis for providing physical therapy services
• Prepare the student for continuing study at the graduate level
   

Degree Requirements and Process for Entry into Physical Therapy Profession

The following procedures apply to students wishing to pursue a degree through the MPT program and to enter the physical therapy profession:

• Application and acceptance for admission to the Graduate School
• Application and acceptance for admission to the Physical Therapy Program
• Assignment of departmental advisor
• Successful completion of curriculum, including clinical internships
• Conferring of degree/graduation
• Application to sit for national licensure board examination
• Passage of national licensure board examination
• Entrance into practice

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for acceptance into the Physical Therapy program, the applicant must:

• Complete a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Attain acceptance as a full-time graduate student into the university
• Complete prerequisite courses equivalent to the following:

 

Course	Semester hours
General Psychology (6 additional hours from the following courses required)		6
Pre-approved: Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Sports Psychology, Ethics, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, Philosophy, Social Psychology.
Statistics		3
(Must include topics on common statistical measures, probability, sampling, correlation, t-test, and analysis of variance)
General Chemistry with Lab (2 courses)		6-8
General Physics with Lab (2 courses)		6-8
General Biology with Lab (3-4 hours)
Upper Level Biology (Must be 300 or 400 level course from a 4 year University)		4
Pre-approved: Exercise Physiology, Genetics, Immunology, Organic Chemistry, Kinesiology, Biochemistry, Cell Physiology, Histology, Embryology, Comparative Anatomy
Anatomy and Physiology (2 courses)		6-8

• Attain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
• Attain a minimum score of 800 on the -Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test
• Complete a minimum of (50) total observation hours in any physical therapy settings.
  100 hours is recommended with exposure to more than one physical therapy setting. 
• Demonstrate computer literacy, including the ability to use word processing, databases, and the internet

Application Deadline

Applicants to the Master of Physical Therapy program must submit a completed application packet by May 1st of each year for competitive admission to the Program in the late Summer/Fall each year with enrollment beginning each January.

The applicant is responsible for submitting all completed application materials to the Physical Therapy Centralized Application System (PTCAS) by the May 1st deadline. A personal interview may be required for all competitive applicants. (Deadlines are subject to change)

Transfer Credits

No transfer credits will be accepted.
 

Time Limits for Completion

The MPT degree may be conferred upon a student who has successfully completed all coursework and clinical internships. Completion of this work is scheduled to occur in December of the third year. The student is eligible to sit for the national licensure board examination immediately upon graduation from the program.

Course of Study
 

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Faculty

 

 

Teresa Conner-Kerr	Chair and Professor of Physical Therapy
B.S., Queens College; P.h.D., East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine B.S.P.T., East Carolina University, School of Allied Health Sciences
Robert Cowie	Professor, Graduate Program Liaison of Physical Therapy
B.S., M.S., P.h.D., East Tennessee State University
Glenna Batson	Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
M.S., Hahnemann Medical University; M.A., Columbia University Teachers College; D.Sc., Rocky Mountain Univeristy of Health Professions
Gina Bivins	Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
B.S., D.P.T., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Judy Foxworth	Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
B.S., Univeristy of Texas Medical Branch; M.S., Temple University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sharon Prybylo	Director of Clinical Education & Clinical Assistant Professor
B.S., Russell Sage College; D.P.T., Sage Graduate School
Hamdy Radwan	Professor of Physical Therapy
B.Sc., M.Sc., Faculty of Physiotherapy, Cairo University, Egypt; Ph.D., Texas Woman’s University

 Departmental Links

• Graduate School Website
• Physical Therapy Website