Physical therapists work with patients to regain mobility after accidents or injury. They work with people of all ages, in schools, nursing homes, hospitals. Like other health professions, the working entry-level degree is a master's degree. If a student wishes to pursue a graduate program in physical therapy, then attending Eastern for an undergraduate degree provides an excellent preparation.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences includes most of the physical therapy prerequisites, but other academic majors are also acceptable. The Graduate Record Exam is required for entry into graduate programs. It is important to understand that physical therapy is a competitive field: good grades, a strong GRE score, and volunteer experiences are a must!!
Advisement checklist and suggested course sequence (PDF) Revised Fall, 2012
General requirements for pre-physical therapy students (PDF) Revised Fall, 2010
Tentative course offerings
For additional information, please visit the following website:
Necessary Undergraduate Coursework
| Biological Sciences - 16 Semester Hours |
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| BIO 1100 - Biological Science |
| BIO 1300G - Animal Diversity |
| BIO 2200 - Human Anatomy |
| BIO 3520 - Animal Physiology |
| Chemistry - 8-16 Semester Hours |
| CHM 1310, 1315 - General Chemistry I |
| CHM 1410, 1415 - General Chemistry II |
| CHM 2440/2445 and 2840/2845 - Organic Chemistry I and II with labs |
| Physics - 8 Semester Hours |
| PHY 1151 and 1152 - Principles of Physics I |
| PHY 1161G and 1162G - Principles of Physics II |
| Mathematics |
| MAT 1330 - Trigonometry |
| MAT 1400 - Precalculus (MAT 1441 Calculus may be required by some schools) |
| Psychology - 9 Semester Hours |
| PSY 1879 - Principles of Psychology OR PSY 2000 - Introduction to Psychology |
| PSY 3515 - Child Growth and Development |
| PSY 3780 - Abnormal Psychology |
Other Requirements
CPR certification is required. Also, experience in the field of health care (preferably physical therapy, either actual or through observation) is generally required for admission to a physical therapy program.
