General Program Description

Students are admitted to the professional program in September and graduate after three and one half professional years (10 semesters). The professional program consists of a one-year undergraduate phase and a two and one-half-year graduate school phase. Clinical education and didactic courses are integrated during the first three years. Students should expect to spend 18-29 hours in class each week for didactic course work and 40 hours per week during full-time clinical education courses. Students complete a group research project. The state-of-the art Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Healthcare Sciences building is surrounded by the Detroit Medical Center offering multiple opportunities for collaboration within the community. Wayne State University is a Carnegie I Research Institution and the College, Department and Program mission includes a strong research focus. Students will complete a group research project with the expectation of completion of a publication or presentation level product. Students are also involved in a active learning experiences throughout the curriculum including a Health Promotion and Prevention project completed in clinical or community settings in the final year and participation in an interprofessional older adult home visit.

Clinical Experiences
Half-day clinical experiences are integrated with didactic course work, and clinical application courses are sequenced in the first and second years. At the conclusion of the second professional year, students participate in two 6-week clinical experiences. Following the completion of the didactic program, students participate in two 14-week clinical experiences. Students are encouraged to volunteer and are also asked to participate in service learning at a probono urban clinic for underinsured and uninsured in the urban Detroit area. The vast majority of clinical experiences are within the tri-county metropolitan Detroit area. Students are required to participate in a variety of clinical settings including acute care and rehabilitation settings. Additional opportunities are available across the state, and in other parts of the US and Canada.

Faculty
There are eleven full-time and one part-time faculty members, as well as numerous associated faculty. Eleven core faculty members hold post-professional doctoral degrees, two faculty are certified clinical specialists and three hold other clinical certifications. Faculty are actively engaged in scholarly activity and opportunities to participate and assist with research studies are available. The current faculty to student ratio is 1:12. Faculty are actively involved in professional and community service at the local, state, national and international level.

Enrollment
The university is primarily a commuter school with an enrollment of approximately 30,000 students of diverse culture, gender, and age. The physical therapy program accepts 32-34 students per year. Approximately 20% are transfer students and 10% are Canadian residents. The student group is extremely diverse, reflecting the multicultural characteristics of the Detroit urban and suburban area and enhancing the student experience.

Admission
Students must possess an overall and science grade point average of 3.00 to be eligible to apply for admission to the physical therapy program. Prerequisite courses include biology, chemistry, physics, math, psychology and liberal arts to ensure a depth and breadth of educational preparation. A minimum of 90 credit hours of pre-requisite work is required for enrollment in the physical therapy program. Current first aid and CPR certification is required. Pre-requisite information is available on the Program website. Beginning in the 2014/2015 application cycle applicants will need to have completed the GRE> Application deadline through PTCAS is January 15 of each year for admission for the Fall Term.

Outcomes
89% of admitted students graduate from the program, 100% are employed, 94% passed the NPTE Physical Therapy licensure exam (3-year 2009-2011 average)

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition and fees are estimated to be $26-28 000 per year for in-state students for the first 3 years. The University has a Good Neighbor Policy for residents of Ontario, Canada and of Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa and Williams counties in Ohio. Students residing in these areas pay in-state tuition fees. Financial aid is available for students who qualify through the university’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid as well as merit based scholarships.1

Student life
The Wayne State University Campus is located centrally in a dynamic multi-cultural metropolitan area. Although a large percentage of the undergraduate students commute to the campus, a variety of on and off-campus living arrangements are available. Students can participate in a multitude of cultural, entertainment, and athletic opportunities.