Department of
Physical Therapy

Professor and Chairperson Urfer
Professor Dunkle
Assistant Professor Alexander
Instructors Sirotnak, Creelman
Adjunct Faculty Bowman, Mickelsen, Lansche, Klein,

Master of Physical Therapy

The graduate entry level program in Physical Therapy is a professional entry level program preparing students for licensure to practice as physical therapists. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Requirements for Admission to the Master of Physical Therapy Program

Completion of bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited in the United States or its equivalent from a school in another country. Course work older than 10 years may not be approved by the Physical Therapy Admissions Committee.
Grade point average of 3.0 or above on the equivalent of the most recent four full-time semesters of academic work. The GPA is calculated from upper division courses only.
Grade point average of 3.0 or above in each pre-requisite set of science courses. Please contact the Department of Physical Therapy for clarification.
Graduate Record Examination scores at 50th or greater percentile on at least one of three aptitude sections (verbal, quantitative, analytical), and at least 30th percentile in the other two areas.
At least 200 hours of salaried or voluntary experience in two or more physical therapy practice settings, 100 hours of which must be in acute care (hospital setting). Experience must be supervised and documented by a licensed physical therapist. This experience must have occurred within the last five years.
6. Three letters of recommendation. One letter must be from a licensed physical therapist.
7. Personal interview with physical therapy admissions committee.
Prospective applicants should contact the department for specific descriptions of the above general requirements.
A maximum of 24 students are admitted to the program each year. Classes begin in June of each year.
Curriculum
The curriculum is 26 months in duration and includes 4 clinical affiliations. There are 4 semesters and 3 full-time summer sessions encompassing a total of 85 credits. The clinical affiliations mandate student travel and housing with the usual expenses borne by the student
Master of Physical Therapy Curriculum
Semester 1 (Summer)
```
BIOS 574            Human Anatomy for 
                    Physical Therapists                5 cr 
PT 612              Professional Communication         3 cr
PT 613              Physical Therapy Profession        2 cr
                                                   Total 10
```
Semester 2 (Fall)
```
BIOS 586            Human Systemic Physiology          5 cr
PT 601              Clinical Kinesiology               4 cr
PT 605              Clinical Exercise Physiology       2 cr
PT 621              Manual Evaluation and 
                    Treatment                          6 cr
                                                   Total 17
```
Semester 3 (Spring)
```
PT 631              Clinical Affiliation 1 
                    (January; 5 wk) (general)          2 cr
PT 622              Musculo-Skeletal System 
                    Management I                       5 cr 
PT 602              Clinical Neuroscience              5 cr
PT 624              Cardiac and Pulmonary System 
                    Management                         3 cr
PSCI 318            Pharmacology                       2 cr
                                                Total 17 cr
```
Semester 4 (Summer)
```
PT 632              Clinical Affiliation 2 
                    (Aug.; 6 wk) (orthopedic)          2 cr
PT 614              Research Methodology               4 cr
PT 623              Musculo-Skeletal System 
                    Management II                      3 cr
                                                 Total 9 cr
```
Semester 5 (Fall)
```
PT 603              Normal Life Span 
                    Development I                      4 cr
PT 626              Neurological System 
                    Management                         6 cr
PT 616              Professional Project 1
PT 633              Clinical Affiliation 3 
                    (November-December; 6 wk) 
                    (cardiac, pulmonary or neuro 
                    rehabilitation)                    2 cr 
                                                Total 13 cr
```
Semester 6 (Spring)
```
PT 604              Normal Life Span 
                    Development II                     4 cr
PT 625              Multi-System Management            5 cr
PT 615              Physical Therapy Resource 
                    Management                         4 cr 
PT 616              Professional Project               3 cr
                                                Total 16 cr
```
Semester 7 (Summer)
```
PT 634              Clinical Affiliation 4 
                    (June-July; 8 wk) (neuro, 
                    multi-systems, cardio-pulmonary)   3 cr
                                                  Total 3cr
```
ELECTIVES
```
PT 648              Grad Special Topics 
                    (2nd yr. only)                   1-3 cr
PT 611              Patient-Therapist Interaction      3 cr
                                               Total 4-6 cr
```
Degree and Licensure Requirements
Students receiving the degree of Master of Physical Therapy must satisfactorily complete all courses in the curriculum, prepare and present study papers on a regular basis, prepare and present a Professional Project, attend and complete all clinical affiliations, and satisfactorily pass an oral and written departmental examination. For state licensure, students must have met the degree requirements and pass the National Board Examinations for Physical Therapy.
Grade Requirements
The Graduate School and the Department of Physical Therapy requires that an overall GPA of 3.0 be maintained in all graduate course work and all clinical affiliations must be completed with an S(satisfactory) grade. In addition, the Department of Physical Therapy will terminate the graduate program of any student who has received grades of "C or lower" in more than 6 credits or a maximum of two program courses. Students should consult specific departmental grading policies for specific information.
Physical Therapy
Graduate Courses
P T 601 Clinical Kinesiology 4 credits. Analysis of normal movement and posture of the human body. Study of muscle action with application of principles of mechanics. Emphasis on movement and posture of the back and gait analysis.
P T 602 Clinical Neuroscience 5 credits. Study of structure and function of the human nervous system at the cellular and systemic levels. Specific application to clinical physical therapy management of neurological problems and pathology. PREREQ: BIOS g474, BIOS g486.
P T 603 Lifespan Development I 4 credits. Normal and abnormal development of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary systems; cognitive/perceptual and psycho-social behavior associated with life through early childhood. Evaluation, program planning and treatment strategies for pediatric management. PREREQ: BIOS g474, BIOS g486.
P T 604 Lifespan Development II 4 credits. Study of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary systems; cognitive/perceptual and psycho-social behavior associated with childhood, maturity and old age. PREREQ: PT 602, PT 603, PT 622, PT 623.
P T 605 Clinical Exercise Physiology 2 credits. Study of physiological response to specific exercise regimes in the rehabilitation of various patient types. PREREQ: BIOS g474, BIOS g486, PT 601, PT 621 (COREQS).
P T 611 Patient-Therapist Interaction 3 credits. Overview of psychological response of patients and family to acute and chronic physical dysfunction. Patient-therapist management of grief, changes in social status, sexuality in patients. Management of stress.
P T 612 Professional Communication 3 credits. Introduction to standard forms of professional communication within physical therapy and among health care professions in general. Medical terminology, physical therapy records, referral mechanism. Principles of education.
P T 613 Physical Therapy Profession 2 credits. Survey of current status of the physical therapy profession in health care systems. Professionalism, ethics, legal issues, validation of practice. Future projections and historical perspective.
P T 614 Research Methodology 4 credits. Application of principles of research design in the biological, psychological and social sciences to clinical and laboratory research in physical therapy. Preparation of professional project proposal. PREREQ: STATISTICS, PT 613.
P T 615 Physical Therapy Resource Management 4 credits. Application of business and health care administration principles to the practice of physical therapy; resource management strategies with emphasis on rural health care delivery. PREREQ: PT 612, PT 613, PT 621, PT 632.
P T 616 Professional Project 1-2 credits. Individual in-depth study of a treatment, administrative or education problem in physical therapy. Preparation and public presentation of a report of this study in format suitable for submission for publication. PREREQ: PT 614. GRADED S/U.
P T 621 Manual Evaluation and Treatment 6 credits. Study and practice of theory and application of basic manual techniques of patient evaluation, handling and treatment in physical therapy.
P T 622 Musculo-Skeletal System Management I 5 credits. Physical therapy evaluation, treatment, and management of patients with muscle, skeletal, and connective tissue problems. Overview of orthopedic pathology. PREREQ: BIOS g474, BIOS g486, PT 621, PT 601, PSCI 318 (CONCURRENT).
P T 623 Musculo-Skeletal Systems Management II 3 credits. Continuation of 622 with emphasis on evaluation and treatment of specific joint injuries and special treatment techniques. PREREQ: PT 622.
P T 624 Cardiac and Pulmonary Systems Management 3 credits. Physical therapy management of persons with dysfunction of the cardiac and/or pulmonary systems and related pathologies. Management by other health professional team members. PREREQ: BIOS g486, PSCI 318 (CONCURRENT), PT 605.
P T 625 Multi-System Management 5 credits. Physical therapy management of persons with problems affecting multiple systems; burns, wounds, amputations, neoplasms, metabolic disorders. PREREQ: PT 621, PT 622, PT 623, PT 624.
P T 626 Neurological System Management 6 credits. Physical therapy management of patients with central and peripheral neural and neuro-muscular dysfunction. Survey of management by other health professionals. PREREQ: PT 602, PT 603 (CONCURRENT), PT 605.
P T 631 Clinical Affiliation I 2 credits. Application of physical therapy manual evaluation and treatment skills in acute and rehabilitation settings. PREREQ: BIOS g474, BIOS g486, PT 601, PT 621. GRADED S/U.
P T 632 Clinical Affiliation II 2 credits. Clinical management practicum related to orthopedics, sports medicine, and/or cardiopulmonary problems. PREREQ: PT 622, PT 623 (CONCURRENT), PT 624, PT 631. GRADED S/U.
P T 633 Clinical Affiliation III 2 credits. Clinical management practicum related to patients with orthopedic, neurological, and/or cardiopulmonary problems. PREREQ: PT 626 (CONCURRENT), PT 632. GRADED S/U.
P T 634 Clinical Affiliation IV 3 credits. Clinical management practicum related to patients with orthopedic, neurological, cardiopulmonary and/or multi-systems problems. PREREQ: PT 615, PT 625, PT 633. GRADED S/U.
P T 640 Physical Management of Young Children with Movement Disorders 2 credits. Biological and environmental factors, medical conditions that place a child at risk for abnormal development; characteristics of developmental disabilities leading to movement disorders; developmental intervention in the classroom.
P T 648 Graduate Special Topics 1-3 credits. Individual or group critical analysis and study of a specific area of physical therapy patient management, administration, or research. PREREQ: 2ND-YEAR P T STUDENTS, AND/OR PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR.