General Program Description

The physical therapy program is a 28 month, seven consecutive semester (119 credit hour) program. Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) is a private institution providing an “education enlightened by faith and values.” HSU was the first school in Texas to offer the DPT program and the first private school in Texas to offer a physical therapy degree. Small class size, personalized attention, and a dedicated full-time faculty, all of whom are licensed and practicing physical therapists leads to the successful education of outstanding physical therapists. The well-rounded program produces caring and thoughtful professionals with excellent evaluative, diagnostic and treatment skills who are fully prepared for independent practice in manual therapy, orthopedics, neurology, cardiovascular and pulmonary, integumentary, pediatric and geriatric physical therapy. Faculty, students, and graduates are widely known for their dedication to serving those in need on a local and international basis. A new class begins each fall semester and enrollment is competitive. A professional project is required of all students. Commencement occurs in December.

Clinical Experiences
Students complete 39 weeks of clinical experience, including a 3-week experience at the end of the first year, three 7-week experiences in an acute, outpatient and rehabilitation facility during the final year, with a comprehensive 14-week experience in the final fall semester. Students also participate in a campus clinic beginning their first week on campus. While the program has developed sites for clinical placement in many parts of the country, the majority are in Texas or surrounding states. Students work directly with the Director of Clincal Education to select clinical experiences that will best suit their professional and personal needs.

Faculty
Hardin-Simmons Physical Therapy faculty consist of eight full-time faculty members and one adjunct faculty member. Of the eight, six professors hold post-professional doctoral degrees and four hold DPT degrees. Four faculty have specializations in either pediatrics,orthopedics or neurorehab. Additional specializations include manual therapy, athletic training and strength and conditioning. Full time faculty average 30 years of clinical experience and 23 years of academic experience. All full-time faculty are physical therapists engaged in clinical practice. Over the last 3 years, the faculty has averaged 2 publications in a peer-reviewed journal and approximately 20 presentations/year at state or national conventions. The on-campus faculty student ratio is 1:7 for half of the academic year and 1:3 forthe other half of the year. Personal attention is available to all students.

Enrollment
The university has a total enrollment of 2,400 students. The physical therapy program admits 28 students per year. Acceptance is competitive and interviews are offered in the fall as requirements are met and applications are completed.

Admission
The majority of students admitted to the program have completed a baccalaureate degree prior to admission. There are two application options for admission consideration to the DPT program: the Early Admission Option and the Post Baccalaureate Option. Students selecting the Post Baccalaureate Option apply during the summer of their Junior-Senior year. Most prerequisites should be completed prior to application. Letter grades are required in all prerequisite courses. Correspondence or online courses must be preapproved to satisfy prerequisite requirements. It is highly recommended that all science prerequisites be completed in a classroom/lab setting at a 4 year institution. Prerequisite courses completed 10 or more years prior to the time of application may have to be repeated. Prerequisites include: 2 courses in each: general biology (including zoology) or A&P I & II, general chemistry, and general physics (all w/labs and for science majors); and 1 course in each: statistics, introductory or general psychology and developmental psychology (or abnormal psychology), speech communications, upper division anatomy (comparative), and upper division human physiology preferred; students with lower division Anatomy and Physiology must complete an additional upper level human biology course. HSU has developed a cooperative agreement with selected universities for early admission. These agreements usually require an undergraduate major in biology and specific prerequisite courses. Students complete all but their final semester of their undergraduate work before beginning the physical therapy degree. Following the early admission option does not guarantee admission to the physical therapy program. Students must demonstrate exposure to the profession with two recommendation letters from two different physical therapists practicing in two different settings.A minimum of 40 hours per setting is required. Exposure to a variety of physical therapy sites is highly recommended. A personal interview and a writing sample are required. Applications are accepted from June 1st to October 15th of each year. Accepted students complete a medical terminology course prior to enrollment. HSU is considering utilizing the PTCAS application process for 2016.

Outcomes
93% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average); 100% of graduates pass the licensure exam (3-year average); 100% of graduates are employed (3-year average).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition for both in-state and out-of-state students is $8,000 /semester or $56,000 for the program. University sponsored off-campus houses rent for $245-$345 per month. Books for the entire program are approximately $2500. Physical therapy students are eligible to apply for financial aid. Texas equalization grants, Perkins and Stafford Loans are commonly utilized by PT graduate students. Information regarding these sources are available from through the Financial Aid Office by calling 325/670-1331. Additionally, the Department maintains a file of other scholarships, loans and work payback programs available specifically for physical therapy or health professions students. Two competative partial tuition scholarships are available to incoming students.

Student life
The University is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention and located in Abilene, Texas, a city of 106,000. The campus has 23 major buildings, including recreational, worship and art facilities. All laboratories, classrooms and computing facilities located in the Mabee Physical Therapy Building are available to PT students 24 hours/day, 365 days/yr. Students participate in intramural sports, attend movies, Broadway shows, the Abilene Philharmonic and enjoy great barbeque and steaks. PT students are actively involved in community service and service learning opportunities within the community and internationally. On campus housing is available in residence halls, while off-campus university housing includes rental homes and apartments. Abilene, TX boasts housing costs 41% less than Dallas and 50% less than Austin, with rental costs 25% less than Texas Metro averages. The median age of Abilineans is 32.6 yrs. The Texas “Big Country” is a great place for outdoor activities.