Pre-Physical Therapy
The educational requirements for admission to a physical therapy program vary from
school to school. Many programs require a BS degree; some will accept applicants after
three years of undergraduate education. The following courses are those required by the
University of Nebraska Medical Center's Division of Physical Therapy Education for
admission to their program. These courses also meet the requirements for entry into the
Creighton University Program in Physical Therapy. Students pursuing a pre-physical therapy program are
also expected to pursue a college
major***.
Competition for places in professional schools of physical therapy is very fierce
and admission cannot be assured.
- A. Required Courses at UNMC and Creighton:
- Take all of the following:
- BIOL 225, Anatomy and Physiology - 4 hours
(Prereq: CHEM 145 or CHEM 150 or CHEM 160; three years of high school science including
biology and a minimum score of 20 on the ACT or equivalent or a college science course)
- BIOL 226, Anatomy and Physiology - 4 hours
- CHEM 160GS, General Chemistry - 3 hours (see
prerequisites)
- CHEM 160LGS, General Chemistry Laboratory - 1
hour
- CHEM 161GS, General Chemistry - 3 hours
- CHEM 161LGS, General Chemistry Laboratory - 1
hour
- PHYS 205GS, General Physics - 5 hours
- PHYS 206GS, General Physics - 5 hours
B. Additional Requirements at Creighton- ENG 101GS, Expository Writing I - 3 hours
(Prereq:
ENG 100A or English ACT score of 15 or above)
- ENG 102GS, Expository Writing II - 3 hours
(Prereq: ENG 101GS* or
ACT English score of 30 or above)
- Take 2 of the following:
- BIOL 103GS, General Biology - 4 hours
BIOL 107GS, Biology II - 4 hours (Prereq:
three years of high school science including biology and chemistry and a minimum score of
20 on the ACT or equivalent or a college science course)
- BIOL 211, Human Microbiology - 4 hours
Students applying to Creighton who do not hold a bachelor's degree, must identify their
major emphasis of study and satisfactorily complete 9 upper level (300/400) credit
hours towards that emphasis prior to matriculation.
C. Electives - take enough hours to reach a
total of at least 90 credit hours- Courses in sociology, anthropology, psychology, history, political science, literature, fine arts,
speech, philosophy, math, and statistics are appropriate.
Additional upper level science courses would also be beneficial. Students are
strongly encouraged to consult with their advisor to ensure that electives are
applicable towards a specific major in the discipline of their choice.
D. Shadowing/Observation Requirements:- Creighton University requires a minimum of 40 hours of
observation supervised by a physical therapist. UNMC has no formal requirement
for volunteer, observation, or employment experiences in the field of physical
therapy. However, broad exposure to the field is to the applicant's personal
benefit and is encouraged.
Students applying to
Schools of Physical Therapy outside Nebraska should check with these schools
to ensure that other requirements are fulfilled.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores must be presented.
***Students pursuing a program of study in pre-physical therapy are
expected to choose a major so that they can be working towards a baccalaureate degree
concurrently with the pre-physical therapy program. This requires a major/minor
combination or a comprehensive major as well as completion of the UNK general studies
requirements and other degree requirements as set forth in the college catalog. (Students
who are accepted into physical therapy school prior to completing a baccalaureate degree
at UNK may be eligible to receive a BS degree in Health Science
if they have completed all General Studies requirements and
have at least 90 semester hours completed in pre-PT studies.)
