Welcome to the UNCW Physical Therapy blog. If you want to become a physical therapist at UNCW the information here will help you in streamlining your academic career so you don't waste time taking unnecessary courses.

Things To Think About

Pre-Physical Therapy

Here is a short list of courses that most graduate schools require for entrance:

BIO 201(with lab): Cells
BIO 240-241(with labs):Human Anatomy & Physiology 1 & 2
CHM 101-102 (with labs): General Chemistry
PHY 101-102 (with labs): Elementary College Physics
MAT 111:College Algebra
STT 215: Introduction to Statistics
PSY 105: Introduction to Psychology
PSY 223: Life Span Human Development

Here are a few things to keep in mind throughout your time here at UNCW to keep you on the right track.

  • Meet all of the minimum requirements for the professional schools of health to which you plan to apply; for example, most professional schools of health require the following as a minimum
  • Completion of at least 90 semester hours, an undergraduate degree is generally expected prior to application (except some pharmacy schools)
  • 8 semester hours each of general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics (all with labs)
  • Calculus plus one additional math course, statistics is sometimes required
  • 6-8 semester hours of English with an emphasis on writing
  • Beyond the minimums, follow a rigorous curriculum, particularly rich in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics;
  • Take at least 15 - 16 hours each semester;
  • complete as many upper-level elective science courses as possible to demonstrate depth of understanding and;
  • choose a variety of non-science electives (see below) that increase your general knowledge as well as your specific understanding of healthcare related ideas and issues.

Unfortunately UNCW does not have a Pre-Physical Therapy undergraduate degree program. Instead undergraduate students must choose a different academic major to study. The majority of undergraduate students at UNCW interested in entering the field of Physical Therapy choose Exercise Science as their major which is a Physical Education (P.E.) degree with a concentration in exercise science. Below is a link to the 2008-2009 Undergraduate catalogue where you can find the Exercise Science course list.

http://www.uncw.edu/uc/documents/0809cas-ped-exsci_000.pdf

Suggested Minors for Physical Therapy careers:

Science Humanities, & Society
Psychology
Gerontology
Sociology
Community Health

These are just a few of the majors that my friends are taking who are also planning on going into the physical therapy field. You can choose not to take on a minor or you can choose any other minor not on this list. These are just going to be the most helpful in enhancing your knowledge of your specific field.

Links to N.C. PT Schools

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