General Program Description

The physical therapy program is a 6-1/2 year professional program resulting in a bachelor’s degree and a doctor of physical therapy degree. Most students are admitted as freshmen. During the first 3-1/2 years, the student completes the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in an area of the student’s choice. The student enters the professional curriculum in the spring semester of the fourth year. Some students are admitted at the post-baccalaureate level and complete the graduate professional program. The professional curriculum includes eight semesters. Concepts threaded throughout the curriculum are the core values of the profession, clinical decision making, evidence based practice, and lifespan. The student faculty ratio is 11:1 in seminar and laboratory courses. The next admission date for transfer applicants will be January, 2015. The deadline for submitting an application is May 15, 2014. For further information, contact the Admissions Office at (866) 262-6363.

Clinical Experiences
The DPT curriculum includes 40 weeks of clinical education. There are four 10-week clinical education experiences, scheduled in semester 5 (summer), semester 6 (fall), semester 7 (summer), and semester 8 (fall).

Faculty
There are 10 full-time faculty in the Physical Therapy Department: all are Physical Therapists. All have doctoral degrees: 6 PhD or similar academic doctoral degrees and 4 DPT degrees. Three are Certified Clinical Specialists (Orthopedic, Sports, and Neurologic), and one is a fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists.

Enrollment
There are currently 1,599 full-time undergraduate, 637 part-time undergraduate, 501 part-time graduate students, and 176 full-time graduate students enrolled at Misericordia University. Overall, the student body is 71% women and 29% men. The current total enrollment in the physical therapy program is 139 graduate students. Continued matriculation into the graduate program is guaranteed for undergraduate students accepted as pre-DPT freshmen who meet the criteria for advancement. Enrollment in the professional curriculum is limited to 56 in each class.

Admission
The majority of students are admitted as freshmen. For the 2013-14 academic year, of the 354 applicants, 146 were accepted and 60 enrolled as freshmen for the fall 2013 semester. Further information is available at http://admissions.misericordia.edu/. Criteria for freshman admission include: minimum combined SAT score of 1050 for Critical Reading and Math (or the equivalent ACT score), with minimum SAT scores of 500 in the Critical Reading and Math sections; high school science grades of at least B; rank in the top 20% of high school class; and 3 years of math and 3 years of science. Freshman applicants are accepted for fall admission only. Applications for freshman admission are accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants may be accepted into the graduate program on a space available basis. Criteria for graduate admission include completion of a bachelor’s degree; Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Millers Analogy scores; undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0; prerequisite GPA of at least 3.0; and no grade below “C” in any prerequisite course. Prerequisite science courses include two semesters in each: chemistry with lab (inorganic and organic), physics with lab, and anatomy and physiology with lab. Other prerequisite courses are introductory psychology, introductory sociology, developmental psychology, statistics, and psychopathology. All students must have completed a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer or paid experience/career exploration in physical therapy prior to matriculation into the graduate program. The deadline for receipt of applications for spring 2015 graduate admission is May 15, 2014. All inquiries should be directed to the Admissions Office. Interviews are not required.

Outcomes
93% of students who enroll in the professional phase of the program graduate from the program (3-year average, 2009-2011). 98% of graduates passed the licensure exam (3-year average, 2009-2011), and 90% of those program graduates responding to surveys are employed (3-year average, 2009-2011).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Full-time tuition for graduate DPT students for 2013-14 is $29,600 per year. Information on institutional, federal, and state financial aid programs is available through the Financial Aid Office or our web site, http://www.misericordia.edu.

Student life
Misericordia University is a co-educational Catholic university that welcomes individuals of all faiths. The University was founded and is supported by the Religious Sisters of Mercy whose attitudes and values of justice, mercy, service and hospitality are reflected in the commitment of the university to the complementary relationship between liberal arts and professional studies, cultivation of academic excellence and critical thinking, preparation of graduates for productive lifelong careers and fostering a cooperative environment in which students, faculty, and staff demonstrate personal concern for each individual as a valued member of the university community.