Program Description
The Department of Physical Therapy serves the people of North Carolina and the nation by providing a DPT degree in Physical Therapy. The Department is committed to providing an integrative education program that is well-grounded in the basic, social and clinical sciences in order to produce competent and compassionate clinicians who are skilled in the areas of critical thinking and inquiry, clinical problem-solving, treatment delivery, research, education and management.
The DPT degree will prepare graduates to deliver both primary and interdisciplinary health care to diverse populations within a variety of practice settings and health-care delivery systems. In keeping with the mission of WSSU, the Department of Physical Therapy will develop practitioners who engender the values of social and professional responsibility, leadership, integrity and scholarship, as well as life-long personal and professional development.
Mission
The Department of Physical Therapy serves the people of North Carolina and the nation by providing a DPT degree in Physical Therapy. The Department is committed to providing an integrative education program that is well-grounded in the basic, social and clinical sciences in order to produce competent and compassionate clinicians who are skilled in the areas of critical thinking and inquiry, clinical problem-solving, treatment delivery, research, education and management.
The DPT degree will prepare graduates to deliver both primary and interdisciplinary health care to diverse populations within a variety of practice settings and health-care delivery systems. In keeping with the mission of WSSU, the Department of Physical Therapy will develop practitioners who engender the values of social and professional responsibility, leadership, integrity and scholarship, as well as life-long personal and professional development.
Purpose
In keeping with the mission of WSSU, the Physical Therapy Department will develop diverse Doctor of Physical Therapy practitioners who engender the values of social and professional responsibility, integrity, scholarship, and leadership, as well as personal and professional development.
Student Learning Outcomes
- 1. Communicate effectively with a variety of healthcare professionals and others involved with the patient’s care to provide the best service to address the needs of the client.
- 2. Provide services to diverse patients and clients who are impaired or have experienced declines in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease, or other causes.
- 3. Advocate for prevention and promote health, wellness, and fitness to address causes of health disparities between the majority culture and ethnic minorities.
- 4. Engage in critical inquiry to address the needs of patients and clients.
- 5. Provide services utilizing the art and science of physical therapy (PT) in an autonomous manner.
Application Deadline
Physical Therapy application deadline is Tuesday, February 1, 2012. This is a firm deadline. There is no rolling admission process. Applications for admission must be completed through the Centralized Application Service for Physical Therapy (PTCAS). The PT Department will process application only when verified by PTCAS. Admission decisions will officially be communicated through Winston-Salem State University Office of Graduate Admissions. Visit the program’s website for information on how to access PTCAS. NOTE: A seat fee is required for students offered admission to the program.
Transfer Credits
Six credit hours will be accepted from curricula of CAPTE accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy programs from non-core basic or clinical science coursework.
Degree Requirements
A total of one hundred and twenty (122) credit hours and thirty six (36) weeks of clinical practicum hours are required for completion of the DPT degree.
Minimum Grade Requirements
A minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average must be maintained throughout the program.
Time Limits for Completion
The DPT 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. The program is step-locked and students must progress with their cohort to completion of the program in three years unless approved by the faculty and chair.
Progression Requirements
Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA throughout their matriculation in the DPT Program. Students must also pass an integrated comprehensive exam at the end of their first year and score a 70% or higher in order to progress through the curriculum. In order to be eligible for graduation, students must pass a final comprehensive exam with a score of 70% or higher.
Prerequisites
All courses are taught in an established sequence as part of the step-lock progression in the DPT program. In order to proceed through the curriculum, all previous prerequisite courses (previous semester’s courses) must be met successfully with a C or better including Clinical Education Courses.
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COURSE SUBJECT
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COURSE LEVEL
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4-YR *
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LAB**
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SEMESTER HOURS
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ACCEPTABLE COURSES
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Psychology
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General or College
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NO
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N/A
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3
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Psychology: GENERAL
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Social or Behavioral Science
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General or College
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NO
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N/A
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6
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Psychology: Abnormal
Psychology: Adolescent
Psychology: Child
Psychology: Death & Dying
Psychology: Developmental
Psychology: Human Behavior
Psychology: Growth & Dev.
Psychology: Life Span Dev.
Psychology: Social
Psychology: Sports
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Statistics
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General or College
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NO
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N/A
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3
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Biology: Biostatistics
Business: Statistics
Math: Statistics
Psychology: Statistics
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Chemistry I
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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|
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Chemistry II
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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|
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Physics I
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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|
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Physics II
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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Anatomy & Physiology I
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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A&P: SEPARATE courses
A&P: COMBINED courses
A&P: Human
A&P: Mammalian
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Anatomy & Physiology II
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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A&P: SEPARATE courses
A&P: COMBINED courses
A&P: Human
A&P: Mammalian
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Biology I
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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Biology: GENERAL
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OTHER: Upper Level Biology
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Upper Division
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YES
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NO
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3-4
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A&P: Exercise Physiology
A&P: Path physiology
Biology: Embryology
Biology: Genetics
Biology: Histology
Biology: Immunology
Biology: Microbiology
Biology: Molecular
Chemistry: Inorganic
Chemistry: Organic
Kinesiology
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* YES=course must be completed in a 4-year college/university and NOT in a community college.
** REQ=required lab; Rec=recommended lab; NO=lab not required; N/A=not applicable
Additional information about program’s course requirements: WSSU requires that all “hard sciences” are taken in the past 10 years; they are Biology I, Chemistry I and II, Physics I and II, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, and Upper Level Biology.
Required Courses
Electives
Licensure
Graduates of the program will be eligible to take the national licensure examination for physical therapists administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Successful completion of this exam will enable the individual to be licensed as a physical therapist. Licensure is required to practice in the United States. Please note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to take the national licensure examination and/or obtain state licensure. Persons with concerns should contact:
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Mail:
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North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners
18 West Colony Place, Suite 140
Durham, NC 27705
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Phone:
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(800)800-8982 or (919)490-6393
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Fax:
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(919)490-5106
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email:
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BenMassey@ncptboard.org
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Accreditation
The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at WSSU offers an entry-level, clinical doctorate in Physical Therapy. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). CAPTE is recognized by the US Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the sole accrediting agency for physical therapist education programs.
For additional information concerning the status of this program contact:
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
1111 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-1488
Telephone: 703-684-APTA (2782)
Toll-free: 800-999-2782
TDD: 703-683-6748
Fax: 703-684-7343
Admissions Requirements
Applications must be submitted before the February 1, 2012 deadline. Please make your check, certified check or money order payable to WSSU Admissions/Physical Therapy. Applicants must also include a brief cover page with their full name and ‘PT Applicant’, and submit all documents and the $50 application fee to:
Office of Admissions
Winston-Salem State University
206 Thompson Center
Winston-Salem, NC 27110
Faculty
Teresa Conner-Kerr
B.S., Queens College
Ph.D., B.S.P.T., East Carolina University
Robert Cowie
B.S., M.S., Ph.D., East Tennessee State University
Judy Foxworth
B.S., University of Texas Medical Branch
M.S., Temple University
Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sara Migliarese
B.S., M.S., Texas Woman’s University
Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Lynn Millar
B.S., University of Utah
M.S., Ph.D., Arizona University
M.S.P.T., Andrews University
Sharon Prybylo
B.S., Russell Sage College
D.P.T., Sage Graduate School
Hamdy Radwan
B.Sc., M.Sc., Cairo University
Ph.D., Texas Woman’s University
Nancy Smith
B.A., B.S., M.P.T., D.P.T., Saint Louis University
Dora Sole
B.S., California State University Sacramento
D.P.T., Duke University
Emma White
B.S.P.T., Medical College of Virginia
D.P.T., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Departmental Links
The next accreditation self study and onsite visit are scheduled for March, 2013.
