Choosing a Major for PT | Springfield College

Contact PMPHS

Dr. Travis M. Gagen
Director of Pre-Health Professions
Location: Locklin Hall 101C
Email:tgagen@springfield.edu

Students generally complete the following requirements to apply to physical therapy (PT) school.

Requirements vary by program and additional prerequisite courses may be required for some courses on the list.

PT program prerequisite courses

Bioscience 1 & 2
General Chemistry 1 & 2
Human A&P 1 & 2 (or A&P Concepts 1 & 2)
General Physics 1 & 2
Physiology of Exercise
Pre-Calculus or Calculus
Statistics or Biostatistics
Intro to Psychology

Additional PT program requirements

GRE exam scores
High overall GPA
High GPA in science courses
Letters of recommendation
Personal statement
Observation hours (about 25 documented hours in a PT clinic, although exact number of hours varies by program)
Community service and extracurricular activities

Additional course requirements are needed to complete the following majors:

Health Science (12 additional courses), Applied Exercise Science (14 additional courses), and Sports Biology majors (8 additional courses):

For Health Science major

Intro to Health Care
Intro to Public Health
Intro to Health Care Ethics
Human Disease and Chronic Illness
Principles of Epidemiology
Concepts of Assessment in Health Care
Evidence-Based Health Care
Cultural Comp for Health Professionals
Senior Research Practicum
4 Health Science selectives (e.g., EMT 1, EMT 2, Health Psychology, Health Law, etc.)

For Applied Exercise Science major

Introduction to Applied Exercise Science
Kinesiology
Measurement and Evaluation
Exercise Testing and Prescription
Management of Hlth/Fitness Programs
Senior Seminar
Exercise Testing and Prescription
Concepts of Personal Training
AEXS 284 - On-Campus Practicum
AEXS 350 & 486 - Internship I & II
Strength and Conditioning
Introduction to Nutrition
Applied Nutrition

For Sports Biology major

Kinesiology
Organic Chemistry 1 & 2
4 Biology selectives (e.g., Genetics, Microbiology, Developmental Biology, Biological Chemistry, Immunology, etc.)
Seminar in Biology (BIOL 482)

Resources developed by Sofija Zagarins and Melinda Fowler.