Biology and health related majors like athletic training and exercise science are the most common areas of study for the pre-professional phase of physical therapy education, as these majors compliment physical therapy very well. However, it is very important to understand that the pre-requisites for graduate studies in physical therapy can be coupled with any major. In other words, a student does not have to study in a health related field to be accepted into physical therapy school. A student could major in music and take the PT pre-requisites while studying music. What is critical is that the earned GPA for both the undergraduate education as well as the pre-requisites is high.

Regardless of the area of undergraduate studies, all students who attend Eastern University will be taught by dedicated faculty who bring integrity, expertise, commitment and Christian faith to the classroom. Those students who major in exercise science and athletic training, which are the most common pre-professional majors for physical therapy, will gain extensive hands-on experience in our state of the art laboratory which houses a variety of equipment including: a Wingate Peak Monarch Cycle Ergometer and software, Quinton Treadmill and Electrocardiograph, metabolic cart and hydrostatic weighing tank. Students will study a curriculum that is accredited by the: Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (Exercise Science) and Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (Athletic Training).

It is a curriculum that has an intentional cohesiveness which promotes a deeper understanding through logical sequencing which in turn results in a richer understanding overtime.

At Eastern, our Pre-professional students are actively involved in the Athletic Training or Exercise Science Clubs and participate in a variety of activities such as Health Fairs, the Special Olympics, and Journal Clubs and attend professional conferences in their related disciplines.

The advising at Eastern is impeccable. Students meet with their advisors and develop a four year plan that will enable them to earn their undergraduate degree and meet the pre-requisite requirements. However, the advising does not stop there. The student’s advisor meets with the students on a regular basis to ensure the application process is on schedule. Moreover, there is interview preparation and advice on post-application protocol. This is unique to Eastern.

Most of our students remain in the Philadelphia area to attend graduate school. However, we do have students who attend schools out of the tri-state area. The following are some of the graduate schools that have been most recently attended by Eastern graduates: Arcadia University, Thomas Jefferson University, Hahnemann-Drexel University, Widener University, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, Neumann College and Stockton College of New Jersey.

Most physical therapy education programs require an earned bachelor’s degree prior to admission into the graduate program. There are, however, some programs that offer a 3 + 3 program which involves 3 years of specific pre- professional (undergraduate/Pre-PT) coursework followed by admission into a specific professional program. This involves an agreement between the undergraduate and the graduate programs or institutions. At Eastern, we purposefully do not have such agreements because we believe it is critical that students graduate with a Bachelor’s degree that will provide them with a set of skills that can be utilized upon graduation. These agreements between undergraduate and graduate institutions do not guarantee admission into the professional phase of the physical therapy education. Oftentimes, students and their families misinterpret the relationship between the institutions and interpret the existence of such as a relationship that guarantees admission.

Admission into a physical therapy education program is very competitive! Physical therapy programs look for students with high grade point averages, especially in the science and math courses. In addition, documented volunteer or paid experience in the health care field is often a prerequisite for admission to most programs. Students are also required to take the Graduate Record Examination for acceptance into most institutions. It is important for students to recognize that there are a limited number of programs across the country and program size is quite small. In fact there are oftentimes more than four times the number of applicants than spaces available in most programs. Therefore, it is critical that students during their undergraduate preparation maintain a very high GPA.

Common Admission and Application Requirements for Schools of Physical Therapy include:

• Completion of a special application to the physical therapy program
• Completion of all prerequisite courses with a high overall grade point average
• A high grade point average in all the science and math prerequisite courses
• Documented clinical experiences with the required number of hours varying among programs
• Letters of recommendation (as specified by the program)
• Written essays (usually required as part of the admissions application process) on topic (s) specified by the program
• Graduate Record Examination Scores.