General Program Description

The physical therapy program has a 3-year undergraduate Health Science/Pre-Physical Therapy track component where the focus of the course work is general education, the basic sciences and an academic minor of the student’s choice. All undergraduate students who enter the college as pre-physical therapy students and meet all program requirements advance at the end of the third year to enter the 3-year Doctor of Physical Therapy Program; there is no re-application process. Undergraduates are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science/Pre-Physical Therapy at the end of the 4th year of study. Students from the Health Science/Pre-Physical Therapy track are joined by graduate students who enter post-baccalaureate to complete the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program only. The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program begins with a summer semester and continues through three subsequent academic years. A group research project, culminating with a poster presentation and a paper in manuscript format, is required to complete the critical inquiry portion of the curriculum. Students spend an average of 18-24 hours per week in class. There are ten full-time faculty and fifteen adjunct faculty members. Commencement occurs in May.

Clinical Experiences
Exposure to clinical settings begins in the first year of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program with the incorporation of integrated clinical experiences which are designed to bolster the classroom content. These integrated experiences occur in all semesters except the first and lead to the full-time experiences of the program’s final two semesters. The full-time clinical education portion of the curriculum incorporates 3 full-time 10-week clinical experiences. The clinical experiences occur during the 3rd year of graduate study. Students complete clinical experiences in orthopedics, rehabilitation and acute care. Sites for clinical experiences are primarily in the northeast and along the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Faculty
There are ten full-time faculty members. Four of the full-time faculty hold a post-professional doctoral degree, five a DPT and five are board-certified as a clinical specialist. Over the past 3 years, the faculty has averaged three publications in peer-reviewed journals. The faculty to student ratio is 1:12

Enrollment
The college has a total enrollment of 5,049 students of whom 1,526 are graduate students. The Doctor of Physical Therapy program has an enrollment of approximately 40 students in each class year (maximum 45 students) drawn from a pool of 400 applicants.

Admission
Students enter the program either as freshmen for 6.5 years or as graduate students for the final 3.5 years of the professional component. Incoming freshmen who apply to the Health Science/Pre-Physical Therapy track leading to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program rank in the top 15% of their high school graduating classes with B+ or better averages and have combined SAT scores of 1250. Graduate students admitted directly to the DPT program have a mean grade point average of 3.5. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required in all prerequisite courses. Prerequisite courses for the graduate program include 3 credits in each: exercise physiology, psychology, abnormal psychology, sociology, computer science, and statistics; 3 credits of advanced math (calculus preferred); 8 credits in each: chemistry and physics, biology, anatomy and physiology (w/labs); and 12 credits of aesthetic and spiritual studies (art, dance, drama, music, media, religion, philosophy, history, literature, foreign language). Volunteer hours in a physical therapy setting are also required. GRE required for all graduate applicants. Prerequisites for freshman admission include 4 years of high school math (through calculus), and science (through physics). The application deadline is December 1 for early, regular, and graduate admissions. Supporting credentials are due January 1 for early admissions, February 1 for regular admissions, and January 15 for graduate admissions. Candidates are notified of decisions the first week of March. 76% of qualified applicants are admitted to the program (3-year average).

Outcomes
92% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition and fees for the 2014-2015 academic year for in-state and out-of -state undergraduate students are $33,455.00 and for graduate students the per credit tuition is $933 ($16,981.50 tuition and fees for an 18 credit semester). Room and board with a basic meal plan is $11,210. Average book costs are approximately $800 per semester. No special funds are available to physical therapy students though all graduate students are eligible to apply for graduate teaching fellowships at the college. Approximately 70% of the students receive some financial aid. For funds available to students, contact the Financial Aid Office at 413-748-3108.

Student life
The college is located in the center of Springfield Massachusetts on the shore of Lake Massasoit. The main campus has 32 major buildings. The Department of Physical Therapy is located in the Health Sciences Center and is part of the School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Studies. The building includes human anatomy lab space, clinical lab space, lecture space, faculty offices and clinic space. Additional resources available on campus include a medical simulation laboratory. The newly constructed award-winning Physical Education Complex combines instructional and recreational areas in 143,000 square feet. On-campus housing includes residence halls as well as a apartment-style living. Off-campus students may choose from a variety of housing options. The college maintains an additional 81 acres of woods and fields known as East Campus. Springfield has a population of 153,000 and is located 90 miles from Boston and 150 miles from New York City. It is accessible by automobile via the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 91. Bradley International Airport is approximately 20 miles from the campus.