Physical Therapy Course Plan

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This is a general course plan for students interested in attending a Physical Therapy (DPT) graduate program after graduation from SLU and who are completing a biology major.  (DPT students could also complete other majors such as chemistry, neuroscience, or psychology). This plan must be personalized for you through discussions with your advisor, allowing for situations like study abroad or completing a minor. The most common DPT prerequisites are italicized; other listed courses are biology major and general graduation requirements. Some DPT programs have unique pre-requisites; identify 5-6 programs of interest to you and research their pre-requisite and observation hour requirements.  SLU has a DPT program articulation with Clarkson University; see website for specific requirements.

First-Year

Fall

  • General Biology with Lab (Environmental literacy distribution)
  • General Chemistry with Lab (Natural Science with Lab distribution)
  • FYP
  • Intro Psychology (without Lab)

Spring

  • General Biology with Lab
  • General Chemistry with Lab
  • FYS
  • Intro Sociology (Social Science distribution)

 

Sophomore

Fall

  • Physics with Lab
  • Upper Level Biology without Lab
  • English*-- writing (Arts distribution)
  • Statistics (Quantitative reasoning distribution)

Spring

  • Physics with Lab
  • Upper Level Biology without Lab
  • English*- literature: critical reading
  • Diversity course

 

Junior

Fall

  • Anatomy & Physiology I with Lab
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Humanities distribution
  • Health Coaches**

Spring

  • Anatomy & Physiology II with Lab 
  • Course of your choice ***
  • Diversity course
  • Health Coaches**

 

Senior

Fall

  • Upper Level Biology with Lab** **
  • 3 courses of your choice***

Spring

  • Upper Level Biology with Lab****
  • 3 courses of your choice***

 

* Two 200-level English courses, one literature and one writing focused, should be taken. Intro to Fiction, Intro to Creative Non-Fiction, and Intro to Poetry are recommended for the writing course, while any 200-level literature course is appropriate.

** Health Coaches is 0.5 unit per semester. If you complete the courses as listed above in the spring or fall semester, this is 3.5 units total, which is full-time student status.  You may choose to take another 0.5 unit or 1 unit course  in addition to the courses above for the fall or spring semester.  Discuss with your advisor to determine what the best plan is for you.

*** One unit course of your choice. Of particular relevance: Medical Sociology, What’s So Bad About Aging?, Women’s Health and Aging, Cultural Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Positive Psychology, Hormones and Behavior, Social Psychology, Community Psychology, The Human Skeleton, Dealing with the Dead, courses from the Sports & Exercise Science (SSES) department. 

**** Potential course options of interest: Immunology with Lab, Research Methods in Fluorescent and Confocal Microscopy (Lab), Research Methods in Molecular Biology (Lab), Research Methods in Cell Biology. (Lab)  One semester of SYE could also complete this  Upper Level Biology with Lab  slot.