General Program Description

The program embraces the view that physical therapists are human movement system experts. The clinical science of physical therapy incorporates knowledge of the structure and function of the human organism derived from the basic biomedical and physical sciences with knowledge of human behavior derived from the social and behavioral sciences. The curriculum is designed to educate students to examine a patient for the presence of a movement-related condition, determine a diagnosis and prognosis and, as indicated, intervene directly and/or refer to another practitioner. Courses are organized by topic and combine lecture and lab formats. The first year begins in August and includes two academic semesters followed by eight weeks of full-time clinical experience beginning in May. The second year includes two academic semesters, with an interim eight-week, full-time clinical experience in January. The third year begins with a 10-week, full-time clinical experience, a 12-week, full-time clinical experience and concludes with a 15-week semester that ends in May. Students are required to learn and integrate material from all of the sciences relevant to clinical practice and understand the impact of structure, function, disease, and aging on the ability of the human body to move, function, and respond to treatment. Students use their understanding of scientific principles and knowledge to support their clinical decisions, and interact with patients in an effective, ethical, and compassionate manner. Strengths of the program include the use of a large, diverse community-based faculty, a strong emphasis on clinical practice and research as faculty responsibilities, and the extent and breadth of our clinical education component.

Clinical Experiences
Students participate in part-time clinical experiences for a total of 80 hours in the first semester and 40 hours in the second semester of the first year of study. Two 8-week, full-time clinical experiences are scheduled, the first one immediately following the second semester, and the second one between semesters three and four. One 10-week, full-time experience is completed after the fourth semester, followed by a 12-week, full-time clinical experience prior to the start of the fifth semester (which begins in January). Clinical sites are offered primarily throughout the United States. Students are required to have a variety of experiences to facilitate becoming general practitioners.

Faculty
There are 22 Core full-time and 3 Core part-time faculty members. Adjunct faculty include approximately 140 outside lecturers and lab assistants. Of the primary faculty 100% hold post-professional doctoral degrees, 12 are certified as clinical specialists and 19 are engaged in clinical practice. Over the past year the faculty published 60 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts and provided 115 outside presentations. Grant funding for 2013 year was was 3.7 million dollars. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:10.

Enrollment
Washington University has a total enrollment of 14,163 students. Over the last three years, the physical therapy program has selected an average of 83 students from an average pool of 481 national and international applicants. A total of 239 students are currently enrolled in the program.

Admission
Students must have a baccalaureate degree prior to enrollment and must submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination. CPR and first aid certification are also required prior to enrollment. The cumulative grade point average for the class entering in 2013 was 3.6 on a 4.0 scale. The following prerequisite courses are required: 1 year in each: physics (w/lab), chemistry (w/lab), and biology, English (including English composition), and psychology (including abnormal psychology). Courses in anatomy, physiology, trigonometry, statistics, social sciences, and the humanities are also required. Applications are available in mid-July and must be submitted no later than March 1, unless special circumstances prevail, or with extension considered on a year-to-year basis. The program uses a rolling admissions process where applications are reviewed in the order in which they are completed, and decisions are sent out immediately following each meeting of the Admissions Committee. The review process normally begins in late fall and ends in May. This year approximately 40% of qualified applicants were admitted to the program.

Outcomes
95% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average); of our students who graduated in 2012 all passed the national board exam. The majority of new graduates accepted positions of their choice (many having multiple offers) by graduation, while the remainder accepted positions within three months of graduation.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
For the entering class of 2016 , tuition is $17,052 per semester with a $697 per credit fee for each clinical experience. The average rent for a nearby one-bedroom apartment is $700. At this time approximately 85% of students in the physical therapy program are receiving some form of financial aid, which is awarded on the basis of financial need or academic merit.

Student life
A dormitory housing medical, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and health administration students is located on the Medical School campus. Apartments are plentiful in the area. The university offers multiple opportunities for students to participate in intramural sports. The Program in Physical Therapy is located on Washington University’s medical campus in the heart of St. Louis. Located near multiple attractions including the St. Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Museum of History, the St. Louis Science Center, and Forest Park, including recreational activities such as bicycling and jogging paths, golf courses and tennis courts. The city is served by Lambert International Airport, and public transportation is also available.