Program Info
Program Description
Provides students with the general academic background to be successful in their chosen health care field. For students pursuing admission to the Physical Therapist Assistant program, please follow these steps:
Apply to the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program at the Health Careers Admissions Process site.
Students are strongly urged to meet with a health careers student success navigator (advisor) within the first semester of course work.Complete the Physical Therapist Assistant program admission requirements.
a. College GPA of at least 2.80 or higher for a minimum of 12 academic credits excluding lower than 100 level courses.
b. ACCUPLACER Reading score of 80 or better.
c. Eligible for placement into ENG 131.
d. Eligible for placement into MATH 110.
e. *Successful completion of BIO-233: Anatomy and Physiology I, or equivalent, with a B- or better, within five years of admission.
f. Successful completion of AH-100: Medical Terminology, or equivalent, with a B- or better.
g. Twenty hours or more of observation in a physical therapy setting observing a PTA at work with a letter of confirmation from the supervisory PT or PTA (submit document to Health Careers Student Success Navigator in the Welcome Center).
*There may be other pre-admission coursework the student needs to complete based on results of placement tests and/or high school coursework.
Contact the Health Careers Student Success Navigator to confirm completion of steps 1 & 2 and placement on the qualified list.
While on the qualified list complete as many of the required program support courses as possible in the Physical Therapist Assistant program. This degree does NOT have to be completed to be eligible for admission / entry to the Physical Therapist Assistant program. Only program admission requirements must be completed to be placed on the qualified list and begin the program when the next open seat occurs and final approval has been given by the PTA Program Director.
Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- Civil Society and Culture: Compare and contrast the United States globally with other nations or regions, addressing one or both of the following: (1) social, economic, political and cultural issues or (2) patterns of diversity or inequality, including racial, ethnic, religious or gender differences.
- Communication: Effectively communicate ideas appropriate to their discipline using Standard English, through written and verbal communication.
- Computer Technology: Demonstrate skills for computer technology, including internet, network and advanced file operations. Skills will include organizing, managing, and presenting data using office productivity software. Students will also identify security and integrity threats and identify unethical actions within their social or professional environments.
- Critical Thinking/Information Literacy: Demonstrate the ability to analyze and evaluate information and identify the need for research to draw conclusions, formulate inferences, solve problems and make decisions. Students will also demonstrate information literacy skills by locating, evaluating, selecting, organizing, synthesizing, and ethically documenting information from multiple sources using both informal and formal formats, as appropriate for diverse writing situations.
- Quantitative Literacy: Apply quantitative skills to analyze situations and make decisions in a variety of contexts.
General Education
See General Education Requirements for details.
Program Requirements
| Course name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| AH-100: Medical Terminology | 4.00 |
| BIO-233: Anatomy and Physiology I | 4.00 |
| BIO-234: Anatomy and Physiology II | 4.00 |
| PHYS-133: Principles of Physics | 4.00 |
| ENG-131: Introduction to College Writing | 3.00 |
| HCS-131: Computers in Health Care | 3.00 |
| POLS-131: Introduction to American Government and Political Science | 3.00 |
| 4.00 |
| Course name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PSY-131: Introductory Psychology | 3.00 |
Mathematics: Complete one additional math course |
5.00 |