General Program Description

YSU students and transfer students are typically admitted to the YSU DPT program at the beginning of their 4th undergraduate year. All students need to have completed bachelor’s degrees by the end if fall semester of their first year in the DPT program. All students enter the physical therapy program in the summer term and complete three years of professional courses and clinical affiliations as a cohort group. The program consists of nine terms (including three summer sessions), with 32 weeks of full-time clinical experiences.

Clinical Experiences
Students attend their clinical experiences for 6 weeks each in the summers after they complete their first and second years of course work. During the final year in the program, students complete an additional 20 weeks of clinical affiliations. Both Ohio and out-of-state sites are available.

Faculty
Nancy Landgraff, Ph.D., P.T., Chairperson Cathy Bieber Parrott, M.S., P.T. Kenneth Learman, Ph.D., P.T. Suzanne Giuffre, Ed.D., P.T. Marleen Iannucci, Ph.D., P.T. Weiqing Ge, Ph.D. James Benedict, M.S., P.T. Jane Wetzel, Ph.D., P.T.

Enrollment
There are approximately 14,500 undergraduate students at YSU and 1,222 graduate students.

Admission
Up to 22 students are selected for each admitted class. The average GPA of the last two classes (MPT) has been 3.5. The minimum requirements to apply for the physical therapy program include: cumulative GPA of 3.0; completion of a majority of the 11 prerequisite courses with a GPA of 3.0; satisfactory GRE score; three evaluations from physical therapists and/or faculty; 40 clock hours of experience in two physical therapy settings; and an interview. Applicants must also submit a plan to complete prerequisite courses with a C- or better by admission and an undergraduate degree no later than the end of the fall term after admission. Prerequisite courses are: one year (each) of biology, chemistry, physics (with lab); psychology (general and abnormal); anatomy; physiology; and statistics.

Outcomes
No outcome information provided by the program.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
The 2009-2010 tuition for full-time in-state is $4,000 plus $680 general fee/ semester. Graduate tuition is $330/credit hour. There is a surcharge for non-residents which is based upon location in the service area of YSU. Students in the professional program are responsible for expenses associated with clinical education experiences. Youngstown State University has a comprehensive program of financial assistance which includes scholarships, loans, grants-in-aid and federal work-study employment. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships administers most of these programs. More than 70% of the student body receives some type of financial aid.

Student life
There is housing available on campus with a new housing project, Campus Village. Students also reside in the suburban areas around the University. Within the community are a variety of cultural activities including the Youngstown Symphony, Youngstown Playhouse Theatre, art museums, and Mill Creek Park, one of the county’s largest public parks. Youngstown State University has championship football and basketball teams. Additionally, there is a strong intramural sports program and organized fitness programs housed in the new Andrews Wellness and Recreation Center and the Stambaugh Sports Complex. Students can also participate in many musical or theatrical groups and art organizations.