General Program Description

This 5-semester program begins in August (fall semester) and ends in May of the following year. Students spend an average of 17-20 hours per week in class.

Clinical Experiences
Students are exposed to three different clinical experiences representing three different types of physical therapy settings. There is a 6-week clinical in semester III, a 4-week clinical in semester IV and a 5-week clinical in semester V. The majority of the clinical rotations are located in Florida within a reasonable distance from the college.

Faculty
There are two full-time and four part-time faculty members. One of the full-time faculty holds post-professional doctoral degrees. All of the part-time faculty maintain full-time clinical positions. The faculty to student ratio is 1:16.

Enrollment
Total enrollment exceeds 40,000 students in a commuter institution located in Seminole County. The physical therapist assistant program accepts up to 30 qualified applicants each year. More than 90% of the students are Florida residents.

Admission
Prerequisites include 8 semester hours of Anatomy and Physiology I and II; 6 semester hours of English I and II; and 3 semester hours each: college algebra, psychology/sociology, and humanities. Applicants are strongly urged to complete all prerequisites prior to application. However, A&P II, English II, Humanities and Psychology may be taken as co-requisites. Required GPA is 2.5 or above. A minimum of 20 hours of observation, volunteer service, or work experience in a physical therapy department is required. Competitive candidates average 40 – 60 hours. Numbers of qualified applicants to the program are increasing. For Class of 2012, 21% of qualified applicants were accepted.

Outcomes
70% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average). 95% of the graduates passed the licensure exam (3-year average); and 100% of those program graduates with PTA licenses are employed within six months after receiving licensure.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition and fees for the five-semester PTA program are estimated at $7400 for Florida residents. Approximately 60% of the physical therapist assistant students receive financial assistance.

Student life
Seminole State College is a commuter college with four campuses located in: Altamonte Springs, Sanford/Lake Mary, Heathrow, and Ovied. The PTA program is housed at the newest campus at Altamonte Springs located off I-4 and Maitland Blvd., 20 miles northeast of Orlando and 40 miles southwest of Daytona Beach. The college offers an exceptional array of student activities and services.