General Program Description

The three-year professional physical therapy program is designed to sequentially teach students the art and science of Physical Therapy. The curriculum has a strong emphasis on foundational sciences leading into the clinical sciences courses including musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, pediatric, and cardiopulmonary practice patterns. We also incorporate business management, marketing and reimbursement skills needed by today’s physical therapists. Additionally, over 1,400 hours of clinical experience designed into the curriculum. Student clinical education settings include foundational skills, burn and wound care, musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, pediatric, and cardiopulmonary. There is one Physical Therapy Program offered by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, however, the program is located on three campuses within the TTUHSC system: Lubbock, Odessa, and Amarillo. The single program exists at all three campuses and is inter-connected via high-tech, synchronous, interactive technology. There are faculty at all three campuses. Students easily adapt to this learning environment. Successful completion of the professional curriculum leads to a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Class sizes are limited to provide optimal student/instructor ratios. Faculty and students on all campuses communicate with each other in person, via live-interactive video, through the internet, as well as by phone and fax. Students must have a laptop. There are computers for use at each of the three campuses, but access to them may be limited. There are 14 faculty members employed by the program. Matriculation occurs in late May each year. Graduation occurs in late May each year.

Clinical Experiences
Clinical education consists of five experiences designed to expose the student to a variety of settings. There is one 4-week full-time clinical experience in the second year of the program, and four 8-week full-time clinical internships in the third year, for a total of 36 weeks of full-time clinical internship. Students are required to take part in foundational skills, musculoskeleta,l and neuromuscular rehabilitation experiences. The student is allowed an elective internship with opportunities in pediatrics, geriatrics, industrial medicine, cardiac rehab or burn/wound care. Full-time clinical sites are located primarily throughout Texas and the Southwestern United States.

Faculty
There are 14 full-time faculty members. Over 85% of the full-time faculty hold post-professional doctoral degrees, others are certified as a clinical specialists and manual therapists. Most are actively engaged in clinical practice. Over the past 3 years, the faculty has averaged two publications in peer-reviewed journals. The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:16.

Enrollment
Current enrollment at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) is approximately 5000 students. Approximately seventy students are accepted each year into the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program for a maximum program enrollment of 210 students.

Admission
The professional phase of physical therapy education begins in late May each year. A bachelor’s degree is required along with specific prerequisites. Prerequisite Credits may be completed in any regionally accredited college or University. Prerequisite courses include: 3 semester hours of general psychology; 3 semester hours of statistics; 8 semester hours of anatomy and physiology; and 8 semester hours each of biology, chemistry and physics. (note: the science prerequisites must be designated as “for majors” courses and include a lab component. Competitive cumulative and prerequisite science GPA’s are required. (Average GPA’s of accepted students in 2013 was 3.6) Applicants must have completed at least 100 hours of experience (volunteer, paid employee, and/or observations) in a physical therapy setting. On-campus interviews are required of all selected applicants by the Admissions Committee. The application deadline is October 1st. Out-of-state applicants are considered for acceptance into the program.

Outcomes
85% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average). 99% of graduates pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) (5 year average) 100% of graduates are employed as physical therapists within 6 months of passing the NPTE.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
The 2013-14 tuition and fees for in-state residents are approximately $3,950 per semester. Out-of-state tuition and fees are approximately $9,212 per semester. Estimated room and board is $4,800 and the average book costs are $800 per year. Institutional, federal, and state financial resources are available. Approximately 60% of the students receive financial aid. For information, contact the TTUHSC Student Financial Aid Office, 806/743-2300.

Student life
TTUHSC and University Medical Center (a teaching hospital) are located within the same building. Texas Tech University is located adjacent to the campus of TTUHSC. Dormitories are available for TTUHSC students on the TTU campus. Other TTU campus facilities are available to TTUHSC students including the library, computer center and recreational center. The cities and surrounding areas enjoy a stable, diversified economy, resulting primarily from agriculture and related industries. The cost of living in these three West-Texas cities (Lubbock, Amarillo, and Odessa) is well below that of the national average, as is the area’s unemployment rate. City bus and taxi services are available on campus.