Mission Statment
Central Penn College opens opportunities to students from a variety of academic backgrounds by providing the education needed for employment and advancement in their fields.

General Program Description
Central Penn College is a career-oriented, baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate, residential college in Summerdale, a suburb of Harrisburg, with an offsite location in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Central Penn College offers associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for both traditional and continuing education students by providing hands-on and online distance education taught by experienced, caring faculty.

Students matriculate in the winter and summer of each year and average 22 hours per week in class. Transfer students matriculate into the program at the same time as the traditional students, in the winter and the summer term. The graduation ceremony is in May. For more information, feel free to contact the program at 1-800-759-2727. The PTA curriculum has been developed around the understanding that students need the elements of a general education in conjunction with specific training in physical therapy principles and practices. This combination provides students with a solid base of knowledge that will enable each student to take on the responsibility of providing a health service to individuals with various disabilities. The organization of the program curriculum includes general education and core physical therapy courses, which include basic sciences. Upon completion of the 80 credits listed below, students will be awarded the Associate in Applied Science degree and the student will be eligible to sit for the state licensure exam. PTA Core Courses: Course # Course Name Credits ALH105 Medical Terminology 2 ALH120 Anatomy and Physiology I lecture and lab 4 ALH130 Anatomy and Physiology II lecture and lab 4 ALH230 Disease and Diagnostic Methods 3 ALH255 Medical Law and Ethics 3 PTA100 Fundamentals of Physical Therapy 2 PTA155 Physical Therapist Assistant Procedures 4 PTA235 Modalities 4 PTA245 Applied Kinesiology 4 PTA255 Therapeutic Exercise 4 PTA265 Neurological Rehabilitation 4 PTA298 Physical Therapist Assistant Clinical Practice 1 PTA299 Internship for Physical Therapist Assistants 3 STS300 Job Pursuit Seminar 1 Total 43 General Education Courses: Course # Course Name Credits STS005 Central Penn Experience 1 Required Humanities Credits: 12 credits; ENG100, ENG110 and ENG200 are required and 3 additional credits must be taken at the 200 level or higher. Remaining 3 credits may be from: ART, ENG, HUM, PHI, ENG220, IDS300, 305, 330, 410, LGS310 12 Required Social Science Credits: 9 credits; PSY210 is required and IDS100 is required for students transferring in less than 12 credits; one additional SBS. Remaining 3 credits may be from: HIS, POL, PSY, SOC, BUS365, CRI380, GEO100, IDS200, 310, 320, 325, 400, LGS180, 220, 370, 415 9 Math, Science, and Technology: 9 credits; BIO105 is required; 3 credits must be taken in math and 3 credits must be taken in science (one of which must be at the 200 level or higher). Remaining credits may be from: BIO260, MTH310, SCI100, MTH105, SCI200, MTH200, SCI205, MTH220, ACC100 9 Two open electives: Students may choose from: BIO100, BIO260, MTH310, SCI100, MTH105, SCI120, SCI200, MTH200, SCI205, SCI215, MTH220, PSY100, ALH235, ALH135, ALH245, ALH160 6 Total Program Credits 80 * General Elective options have been limited in order to support the PTA curriculum at Central Penn. The PTA faculty at Central Penn are available to the students prior to scheduling classes to assist with selections.

Clinical Experiences
Students will complete three clinical internships. One two week internship, PTA298, and two seven-week internships, PTA299. The student will experience both and inpatient and outpatient experience. Students will register for PTA298 Clinical Practice (the two week internship) following completion of PTA245 Applied Kinesiology and PTA235 Modalities. Placements will occur following the winter term (March-April) and the summer term (September-October). Students will register for PTA299 Internship for PTA (final clinical internships) following completion of their coursework. Placements are as follows: Rotation I (A: January-February, B: February-April) and Rotation II (A: July-August, B: August-October.). The majority of clinical sites are in Pennsylvania, but students with good academic performance can be placed in sites that are out-of-state. Currently the program utilizes over 130 different clinical locations throughout the United States.

Faculty
There are three full-time, one part-time, and two adjunct faculty members. The entire full-time faculty is engaged in clinical practice. Currently there are two DPT’s, two PT’s, and two PTA’s within the faculty. The faculty to student ratio is 1:13 for lecture and 1:15 for lab experiences. There are two faculty members for each lab section decreasing the hands on interaction to 1:15.

Enrollment
Total enrollment for the school is 1,224 (1,196 undergraduate). The physical therapist assistant program has a total enrollment of approximately 80 students. There is a maximum of thirty students accepted for each cohort. Diverse students from cities, towns and rural areas:

• • 510 traditional students – 39% of population
  • 804 continuing education/online students – 61% of population
  • 33% minority
  • Male: 35% / Female: 65%
  • 72% bachelor’s degree students / 27% associate degree students / 1% other
  • 26% full-time students / 74% part-time students
  • 452 fully-online degree students – 34% of population
  • 499 in classroom students – 38% of population

Admission
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS The Physical Therapist Assistant program must limit enrollment due to classroom space and available clinical facilities. Minimum academic standards may be set. Students will be ranked according to the following admissions criteria: 1. Applicants will be assigned a category based on the following criteria: a. Traditional High School Student: An applicant who has graduated high school within the last 5 years and has less than 9 accepted college transfer credits (excluding college in high school credits). b. Non-Transfer Student: An applicant who has less than 9 accepted college transfer credits and has been out of high school for more than 5 years. c. Transfer Student: An applicant who has 9 or more accepted college transfer credit and 2. To enter the PTA program, an applicant must have completed math and science courses as outlined below. a. Traditional High School Student: one unit of high school biology, one unit of high school chemistry or physics, and two units of high school math (one must be algebra) with a grade point average of 2.5 or better in the above mentioned courses. b. Non-Transfer Student: will be required to take two prerequisite courses on the college level earning a 2.5 grade point average or better within 12 months prior to submitting their application—one unit of math (college algebra or higher) and one unit of science (biology, chemistry, physics, or anatomy and physiology) at an accredited college or university. c. Transfer Student: The following courses must be taken within five years of the application : one unit of math (college algebra or higher) and one unit of science (biology, chemistry, physics, or anatomy and physiology) at an accredited college or university and earn a 2.5 grade point average or better in both courses. 3. Observation Hours: all applicants are required to complete a minimum of 20 non-paid observation hours in at least two different physical therapy facilities at which they have not been an employee. A minimum of 10 hours must be completed at each facility. A physical therapist or physical therapist assistant working in each facility must validate all observation hours via the form provided by Central Penn College’s Admissions Department. Observation hours are to be completed within 12 months of the application and submitted prior to the application deadline . 4. Interview and Essay: Qualified applicants will be asked to participate in an interview with PTA faculty prior to admission. The students will also be given a topic to hand-write a brief essay on the day that they interview. 5. References: all applicants are required to obtain two professional references. The applicant shall provide envelopes addressed to Central Penn College’s Admissions Department for the references to mail upon completion of the letter. 6. Due to the academic rigor and specificity of the PTA program, a GPA of 3.0 and SAT or ACT scores are preferred. CLEP exams will not be accepted as prerequisites. 7. PTA core courses must be taken at Central Penn College. There will be no transfer credits accepted for PTA core courses. 8. When choosing a major, all applicants should take into consideration that certain professions require background checks. This is also true for many internship sites. The program accepts the top students based on the scores given for the above-mentioned criteria. Students who do not meet the minimum requirements of 80% of the total evaluative requirement points may be admitted to the PTA program on a contingency basis. If a student is admitted on a contingency basis, the student MUST complete ALH120 with a minimum GPA of a 2.88 (B-) and maintain an overall GPA of 2.88 (B-) for their first term. If a student does not meet the above GPA requirements, the student will automatically be dismissed from the PTA program and encouraged to change their major. APPLICATION DEADLINES There are two separate application deadlines during the calendar year for enrollment into the program. The application deadline to begin during the summer term is April 1. The application deadline to begin during the winter term is October 15. Up to 30 students will be accepted each summer and winter term.

Outcomes
Central Penn College is a fully accredited college by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is recognized by the Secretary of Education, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The PTA program has further accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. Our accreditation status ensures our commitment of quality to our students, our community, and the physical therapy profession. 80% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average); 94% of the graduates passed the licensure exam (3-year average); and 99% of the program graduates who pass the licensure are employed in the field within 6 months of passing the licensure examination (3-year average).

Tuition, fees and financial aid

Estimated expenses for academic year	2018-2019
Tuition and fees	$18,714
Books and supplies	$1,500
Living arrangement
On Campus
Room and board	$7,416
Other	$1,200
Off Campus
Room and board	$6,750
Other	$1,200
Off Campus with Family
Other	$1,300
Total Expenses	2018-2019
On Campus	$28,830
Off Campus	$28,164
Off Campus with Family	$21,514

Student life
Central Penn’s 35-acre campus is set against the lovely Blue Mountains in Summerdale, Pennsylvania, a quiet town of just 1,000 residents. Located across the river from the state capital, Central Penn is close enough to enjoy the action of the Harrisburg area. This includes sport teams, shopping malls, City Island, museums, theaters, and one of the country’s top theme parks– Hershey Park. Three hundred of the 1,150 students live in apartment style or townhouses on campus. This is apartment-style living. Public transportation stops in front of the school. The campus is composed of 15 buildings, including four academic buildings, one food service building, and 10 resident halls. Intercollegiate athletics include men and women’s basketball as well as a variety of intramural and community league sports.

For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website at, http://centralpenn.edu/disclosures/#AB

Disclaimer:

Based on our most recent One-Year Graduate Survey, 89.2% of our graduates were employed in their chosen field or continuing their education.*

*Based on graduates for whom we have information. Central Penn College 2017-2018 One-Year Graduate Follow-up Report, July 2, 2019. centralpenn.edu/success

 

The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Central Penn College is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: [email protected]; website: http://www.capteonline.org.