General Program Description

The Program in Physical Therapy is divided into a 3 or 4 year baccalaureate component and a 3-year graduate component. Following completion of 3 or 4 years of study, students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Health and Science studies. Students receive a Doctorate in physical therapy upon completion of the 3 year graduate program. The baccalaureate component provides a broad liberal arts education, as well as the basic science foundation for the professional component. Consistent with the university’s mission, this integration of liberal arts and professional studies prepares students to be responsible decision makers in a society that increasingly demands its professionals understand the humanities, the social and natural sciences, and technology. The graduate program goals are to provide a high quality entry-level education, provide continuing education for the clinical community, provide effective staff support, develop and provide PT clinical partnerships, develop and provide high quality clinical education opportunities, and provide opportunities for student service. Student goals are to demonstrate the skills necessary for entry level clinical practice, participate in research and/or service learning, demonstrate effective education of patients, families, peers, other health professionals and the community, and to participate in service. Faculty goals are to provide effective teaching, participate in scholarship, and participate in service.

Clinical Experiences
Second year graduate students complete a 10-12-week clinical experience. Third year graduate students complete three 10-12-week clinical internships following completion of the didactic portion of the curriculum. Over 900 contracted clinical facilities represent a variety of clinical settings and are located in 38 states throughout the US.

Faculty
There are 17 full-time core and eight part-time associated faculty members. Of the full-time faculty 82% hold post-professional doctoral degrees, two are certified as clinical specialists, and thirteen are engaged in clinical practice. The faculty to student ratio is 1:17.

Enrollment
Total full-time undergraduate enrollment includes 5859 students, representing 2,159 men and 3,700 women. The professional component of physical therapy program includes 281 students, representing 50 men and 231 women.

Admission
The Quinnipiac University academic year (fall to spring) begins in late August and ends in May, with a formal commencement held on the third Sunday in May. Students are accepted to Quinnipiac University at the freshman level. Students should have 4 years of the following high school course work: science (including physics), math (generally at least through pre-calculus), English, and appropriate history and language courses. Students who maintain a grade point average of 3.2 overall and within the science and math requirements during the pre-professional baccalaureate program are automatically accepted into the professional graduate program. The program received 1059 applications for the DPT and Combined AT/DPT programs for the fall of 2012, accepted 576 and enrolled 981 students. The application deadline is December 31. Seventy percent of freshman qualified applicants are admitted to the graduate program (3-year average), which includes voluntary transfer from the program and academic attrition.

Outcomes
85.4% of students admitted to the professional component of the program graduate (3-year average 2010-2012); 96.2% of the graduates passed the licensure exam on the first try (3-year average 2010-2012) and 100% of students subsequently passed the licensing exam. and 100% of those program graduates responding to surveys were employed full time within 6 months following graduation (3-year average 2010-2012).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
For September-May 2011-12, the tuition is $36,130. Room and board is $11,500. There is an additional student activity fee of $1400 per year. Financial aid is available through a combination of institutional, federal, and state funding. Ninety six percent of all physical therapy students receive some form of financial aid.

Student life
Quinnipiac University residential halls serve more than 70% of the student population. Intercollegiate athletics include: 19 varsity sports and 60-70 intramural teams; North East Conference, NCAA, and ECAC member; men’s Division I basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, cross country, track, ice hockey and lacrosse; and women’s Division I basketball, softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, cross country track, field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse. The 300-acre campus includes a total of 45 buildings located in Hamden, Connecticut. All undergraduate coursework is taken on the Hamden campus. A new Health Sciences facility located in North Haven opened min the fall of 2009. All graduate physical therapy coursewwork takes place on the North Haven campus. New Haven is located 8 miles away, and the nearest international airport, Bradley, is located 40 miles north.