General Program Description
The PTA program is a five-semester curriculum. Students direct from high school spend the first semester completing the four required pre-admission courses to the four semester technical phase of the program. Students wiith college course history must complete the pre-admission courses prior to application to the Program, and then complete the four semesters of technical courses.
Clinical Experiences
A total of 640 hours are dedicated to clinical experiences. There is a 40 hour faculty supervised clinical during third semester, a full-time four week clinical experience at the end of fourth semester, and two full-time siix-week experiences fifth semester. Students are exposed to a wide variety of physical therapy practice settings.
Faculty
There are two full-time faculty, two part-time clinical faculty and two teaching assistants. Five of the faculty are engaged in outside clinical practice. The faculty to student ratio in the lecture classroom is 1:26 with a 1:13 ratio in all laboratories.
Enrollment
The physical therapist assistant program accepts a cohort of 26 students each fall.
Admission
Applicants must be graduated from an accredited secondary school or have a General Equivalency Diploma. Students entering directly from high school must have an 85 unweighted average; have completed high school mathematics sequence through Alg 2/Trig; 85 course and regents average in Biology, Chemistry and Math or equivalent; ACT score of 21 Reading and 22 Math or SAT score of 500 in Critical Reading and 510 in Math. Applicants with a college course history must complete four pre-admission courses with a minimum 2.5 GPA including Anatomy and Physiology I, Freshman Composition, Introduction to Psychology and a communication course. A 2.5 average minimum is required for Anatomy and Physiology I.
Outcomes
The Program’s graduation rates over the last three years are 60.71% (2012), 62.06% (2011) and 60.71% (2010)
Tuition, fees and financial aid
The 2012-2014 average yearly cost of tuition and fees for Suffolk residents is $3576 per semester. The cost for nonresidents averages $7152 per semester. PTA program fees over the course of the Program, including books, is approximately $3000. Applications for financial aid must be filed by April 15 preceding the fall starting semester.
Student life
Suffolk Community College is a community school with student activities providing a comprehensive program of extracurricular activities. The Suffolk Community College Association sponsors a diverse program of musical and dramatic productions, art exhibits, films, lectures, and symphonies. The close proximity to New York City enhances the cultural awareness of students. Intercollegiate programs are conducted during all seasons.