Pre-Physical Therapy

The pre-requisites for admission to Physical Therapy (PT) Programs are different for every university. Hence, sutdent are highly encouraged to obtain specific admission information from the schools they are interested in attending. Information regarding careers, current trends, and comprehensive admissions requirements for all Accredited Physical Therapy Programs in the United States can be found at http://www.apta.org/ProspectiveStudents/. A baccalaureate degree must be completed prior to enrollment, which will likely require all of the following courses for admittance to PT school:  Biology, eight semester hours (BIO 111, BIO 113); Chemistry, eight semester hours (CHEM 111, CHEM 112); Physics, eight semester hours (PHY 201, PHY 202 or PHY 210, PHY 211); Human Anatomy & Physiology, eight semester hours (BIO 213, BIO 214); Mathematics, three semester hours (can be algebra MATH 111, trigonometry MATH 112, and/or calculus MATH 121); Psychology, three-six semester hours (must include general psychology PSY 201); and Statistics, three semester hours (PSY 205). GPA scores for students accepted into PT schools in Tennessee range from a 3.57-3.86 (apta.org, 2017). In addition, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required by most schools. GRE schores for students admitted to PT Programs in Tenessee is a minimum of 300 for the verbal and analytical components combined (apta.org, 2017). A minimum of 50 hours of observation/work experience in physical therapy is required.Extra-curricular activities and leadership roles are important. Satisfactory completion of all pre-physical therapy requirements does not guarantee admission to physical therapy school.