General Program Description

Students start PTA courses in the fall. The technical portion of the PTA program is four semesters in length including one semester of full-time clinical experiences. Students are encouraged to take general education courses prior to starting the technical PTA courses. Further program information and current admission requirements are available on the program’s website. Lake Superior College also has a PTA Military Bridge Program through which military-trained physical therapy technicians may earn an AAS degree as a PTA.

Clinical Experiences
All full-time clinical experiences take place during the spring semester of the second year in the program. Students are required to complete one experience which provides exposure to acute or sub-acute care. Also, one experience must have an orthopedic emphasis, and one must have a neurological and/or rehabilitation emphasis. Sites are offered primarily in Minnesota and Wisconsin but other locations may be arranged. All PTA students participate in part-time clinical experiences through a campus physical therapy clinic during the first three semesters of the program.

Faculty
There are two full-time and ten part-time faculty members. All are engaged in clinical practice. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:13.

Enrollment
Lake Superior College, formerly known as Duluth Technical College or Duluth Community College, has a total student enrollment of 5032 (45% male, 55% female). The physical therapist assistant program has an average enrollment of 18 students per class. Transfer students are accepted, and no preference is given to in-state residents.

Admission
Prerequisite course work includes medical terminology (1 credit), cell biology (1 credit) college composition (3 credits), and human anatomy and physiology I (4 credits), prior to taking technical PTA courses. Completion of other required general education courses allows for more available study time for PTA courses. Admission is granted based on the earliest date of file completion and completion of prerequisite courses. Application deadline is March 1 but additional applications are accepted if the class is not full by March 1. Requirements also include demonstration of minimally acceptable scores in math, English and reading, verification the student has completed 40 hours of clinical observation including an interview with a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant about the field, and receipt and evaluation of college or high school transcript.

Outcomes
90% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average). 96% of the graduates passed the licensure exam (3-year average); and 100% of those program graduates responding to surveys are employed (3-year average).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition per credit is set annually each August by the legislature. In-state tuition for PTA courses for the 2014-15 academic year is $194 per semester credit. Additional fees also apply. PTA students may apply for a program scholarship after completion of the first year of the technical program. Students are responsible for costs while completing clinical experiences. Some sites offer suggestions for housing.

Student life
Off-campus rentals are adequate, and the average monthly rent is from $400-$500. Fraternities and sororities are not available. The Lake Superior College campus is situated on the top of a hill that overlooks the western half of Duluth, Lake Superior, and Duluth’s famous harbor. The 95-acre facility includes the main building complex and a separate Art/Ceramics building. The main building was dedicated and began serving students in the fall of 1968. The 1996 expansion included new PTA program facilities, new library services, and many student computers with wireless/internet services. The 2007 expansion created a new Student Services building and additional classroom space. A new Health Science building was completed by January 2012. The campus parking lots accommodate 1,025 cars. The Duluth Transit Authority provides free regular bus service to the campus for students.