Arcadia University

PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION (2009-10)

Susan Jacobs
Associate Director of Enrollment Management
Arcadia University
Enrollment Management
450 S. Easton Rd.
Glenside, Pennsylvania 19038
Phone: 877-272-2342
Phone (alternate number): 215-572-2912
Email: jacobss@arcadia.edu
Website: www.arcadia.edu/ptadmission

APPLICATION DEADLINE for 2010 ENTERING CLASS

PTCAS Application Deadline	Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Deadline Type	SOFT Deadline
Application Close Date (for soft deadlines only)	Monday, February 01, 2010
Program Has Rolling Admissions Process?	See details below
Important Dates (if any): The review process for completed applications begins on September 1, 2009. Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete all components of their application well in advance of the priority deadline of December 15, 2009. (A complete application for Arcadia includes official GRE scores, PTCAS application, and 3 recommendations.) James Madison University, Messiah College, and Arcadia University students applying for admission through guaranteed admission criteria must have their completed applications delivered to Arcadia University no later than December 15, 2009. For applications completed by December 15th, decisions will be released between January 15th and February 15th, 2010. In the case of highly qualified applicants, admission may be offered prior to January 15th. Get Acquainted Days are exclusively with the Physical Therapy Faculty and Students. Come observe a class, tour the campus and meet with a graduate financial aid counselor. Fall 2009 dates are Monday, October 19, 2009 and Monday, November 30, 2009. Call 215-572-2912 to register. Graduate Open Houses give you the opportunity to learn about the program, tour the campus and meet with a graduate financial aid counselor. The 2009 dates are August 13th and November 18th. Call 215-572-2912 to register.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

If supplemental materials are required, send items directly to the PT program.

Supplemental APPLICATION required?	NO
Supplemental MATERIALS required?	NO
If yes, list of items	.
Supplemental FEE required?	NO
If yes, amount	$
Supplemental deadline(s) YYYY-MM-DD	.
Link to supplemental forms or instructions	.

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites

Must applicants earn a Bachelor's degree prior to enrolling into the PT program? YES
For more information about course prerequisites, visit the program Web site: http://www.arcadia.edu/PT

Course Prerequisite Name or Subject Area	Req, Rec, Crq*	SEM hrs	QTR hrs	Lab Required (Y/N)	Additional clarifying information, if any
Biological Sciences	REQ	4	.	YES	Any biology course
Biological Sciences	REQ	4	.	YES	Any biology course
Human or Mammalian Systems Physiology	REQ	4	.	YES	A two semester Anatomy & Physiology course with laboratory would meet this requirement
Upper level biological science	REQ	3	.	NO	This course must be 300 level or above and at least 3 credits with a biology focus. Preferably taken through a biology department.
Chemistry Course 1	REQ	4	.	YES	Any chemistry course
Chemistry Course 2	REQ	4	.	YES	Any chemistry course
Physics I	REQ	4	.	YES	Must be a physics 1 course. Does not need to be calculus-based.
Physics 2	REQ	4	.	YES	Must be a physics 2 course. Does not need to be calculus-based.
Psychology Course 1	REQ	3	.	NO	Any psychology course
Psychology Course 2	REQ	3	.	NO	Any psychology course
Statistics	REQ	3	.	NO	Content should include descriptive statistics, differences between 2 means, correlation and beginning concepts of analysis of variance.

* “Req” = required course; “Rec” = recommended course; “Crq” = conditionally required course

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Is the GRE required?	Required
Program’s GRE College Code	# 2039
Last acceptable GRE test date – YYYY-MM-DD (if applicable)	2009-11-01
Oldest GRE score considered – YYYY-MM-DD (if applicable)	2005-01-31

GRE table below may contain blank fields if program data is not available or applicable.

GRE Section	Minimum GRE Score	Average GRE Score for Accepted Students
Verbal	450	500
Verbal Percentile
Quantitative	450	630
Quantitative Percentile
Analytical Writing	4.0	4.2
Analytical Writing Percentile
Composite (verbal & quantitative)	1050	1125
Composite Percentile
Additional information about program’s GRE requirements

References

Number of references required by program: 3 References

EVALUATOR TYPE	Applicant must send one reference from this SPECIFIC type of evaluator	Applicant must send a reference from one or more evaluators in this category to fulfill program's requirements	Evaluator Type ACCEPTED	Evaluator Type NOT Accepted
Physical Therapist-1	X
Physical Therapist-2			X
Professor in Major			X
Professor	X
Academic			X
Supervisor/Employer			X
Teaching Assistant			X
PTA			X
Pre-PT Advisor			X
Politician/Elected Official			X
Health Care Professional			X
Friend				X
Family Member				X
Co-worker			X
Clergy			X
OTHER				X

Additional information about program’s reference requirements: Recommendations required from three (3) people. One must be from a currently practicing licensed physical therapist. One must be from a college professor who is able to judge your academic qualifications and readiness for rigorous work at the graduate level; this professor should have taught one of your academic courses for your major.

PT Observation Hours

Enter your PT observation hours on your PTCAS application. Print the PT Observation Hours form from the PTCAS application or use online PT Hours signature process, if the program requires you to have your hours verified by a physical therapist. Send signed forms to PTCAS.

PT HOURS	PROGRAM REQUIREMENT
Description of Program’s PT Hours Requirement	PT hours are required - no verification by a physical therapist
Total Number of PT Hours REQUIRED	.
Total Number of PT Hours RECOMMENDED	.
DEADLINE for Completion of All PT Hours YYYY-MM-DD	2009-12-15
PAID Experience	Accepted
VOLUNTEER Experience	Accepted
INPATIENT Experience	Accepted
OUTPATIENT Experience	Accepted
Additional information about program’s PT hours requirement	Knowledge of the profession through work or volunteer experience is required. A broad overview of the profession through experiences in more than one setting is preferable to experience in a limited area. More than one experience is required.

GPA Requirement

GPAs will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

GPA	Minimum GPA	Average GPA for Accepted Students
Overall Undergraduate Cumulative	3.00	3.50
Program-specific Prerequisite	3.00	3.40
Additional information about program’s GPA requirements (if any)	All courses used to meet the minimum prerequisite biological and physical science requirements should be taken through the appropriate science departments (i.e. biology, chemistry, physics). Courses in kinesiology, exercise physiology or those taken to fulfill requirements for a physical therapist assistant degree will also not automatically meet the prerequisite requirements. All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to the start of the physical therapy program. A grade of "C-" or below is not acceptable as a prerequisite course. However, it will be included when calculating the prerequisite GPA. One-half of the prerequisite courses, including physiology and statistics, must have been taken within 10 years prior to application.

Program Essay Instructions

Some PTCAS programs require applicants to respond to a custom essay question in addition to the standard PTCAS essay question. The PTCAS application will automatically prompt you to respond to the custom essays for your designated programs. The custom essay question for this program is below.

Arcadia’s DPT program is an innovative patient-centered curriculum, where students learn to integrate and apply clinical, behavioral and scientific knowledge. Tell us what has drawn you to apply for admission to our program, and what characteristics you possess that will make you successful here.

FOREIGN APPLICANTS AND TRANSCRIPTS

The program’s foreign (international) transcript policies do NOT apply to study abroad coursework that is itemized on a U.S. college or university transcript. Study abroad is processed in the same way as U.S. coursework.

Program’s citizenship requirements (individuals listed may be eligible for admission)	U.S. citizens U.S. permanent residents Canadian citizens Foreign (non-U.S.) citizens with a visa
Program requires non-native speakers to submit TOEFL scores?	Non-native English speakers must submit either TOEFL or IELTS scores
Program policy for submission of non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework	Send foreign transcript evaluation to PTCAS
Program policy for CANADIAN coursework	Send foreign evaluation for Canadian coursework directly to program
Additional information about program’s policy on foreign coursework	International applicants should visit www.arcadia.edu/international for detailed information on admission requirements and application procedures. Official results from the TOEFL or IELTS are required for all students for whom English is a second language except for non-native speakers of English who hold degrees or diplomas from post-secondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand). A course-by-course evaluation of all transcripts by an independent evaluation service based in the United States also is required.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

PT Degree Offered	Program culminates in a doctoral (DPT) degree.
PT Program Start Date(s) For Entering Class YYYY-MM-DD	2010-09-01
Dual-degree programs offered in conjunction with the PT degree (if any)
Institution's religious affiliation (if any)	.

Profile of Most Recent Entering Class

Items will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

Size of Most Recent Entering Class	55
Anticipated Size of Next Entering Class	55
Percent of IN-STATE students in most recent entering class	55%
Percent of WICHE students in most recent entering class (if applicable)	.
Percent of OUT-OF-STATE (non-resident) students in most recent entering class	45%
Percent of CANADIAN students in most recent entering class	.
Percent of INTERNATIONAL (non-U.S/non-Canadian) students in most recent entering class	.
Additional information about the class profile	No preference is given to in-state applicants; however, Arcadia University has an assured admissions program for its own undergraduates. Arcadia University has articulation agreements with Messiah College and James Madison University. For details about any of the above please see the respective schools' website.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Arcadia's entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program provides clinical experiences where classroom learning is applied to real patients, opportunities for study or pro-bono work in international settings, and personal attention from renowned faculty. The program begins in September and runs over a 2½ year period. The D.P.T. program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. All graduates of Arcadia’s program to date have passed the licensure examination in their state of choice and continue to perform well above the national average on the licensure examination.

The entry-level D.P.T. curriculum is organized into 21 patient-based units that integrate knowledge from every practice area of physical therapy. Content ranges from the treatment of the young child to the older adult, from fractures to traumatic brain injury. Interspersed throughout the program are 34 weeks of full-time clinical education and 20 weeks of part-time clinical experience in the first year. These experiences play a key role in taking the knowledge obtained in the classroom and applying it to real patients under the direct supervision and mentoring of a licensed physical therapist. Students will learn and work in general hospitals, rehabilitation settings, private offices and in other facilities that provide areas of specialization. Arcadia has clinical internships in a wide variety of local, regional, national and international facilities. The majority of sites are in the mid-Atlantic region.

Arcadia University is recognized as a leader in global education and provides interested students with International Opportunities to study. Arcadia believes that to understand the world, students should experience it—and that can mean leaving the campus for a time. Whether it is for a clinical education experience in England or California or a service trip to Jamaica, Morocco, Peru or Guatemala, Arcadia's D.P.T. students have several opportunities to experience the world as medical professionals.

Physical therapists today are required to be critical consumers. Whether assessing medical literature to provide the highest level of care to patients, participating in clinical research trials, or investigating treatments/ideas, physical therapists need a solid foundation in statistics, experimental design and critical thinking. These concepts are integrated into all facets of the D.P.T. program at Arcadia. Students are encouraged to take advantage of Research Opportunities within the Physical Therapy Department. Please visit www.arcadia.edu/pt for more information regarding our program.