Physical Therapy Prerequisites

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Physical Therapy Prerequisites

To enter the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at UTMB, a student must complete a baccalaureate degree including the following prerequisite courses.

You may contact our Admissions Chair, Dr. Jennifer Ellison at jbelliso@utmb.edu or (409) 772-3068, with any questions you have regarding prerequisites.


Mathematics and Natural Sciences - 31 hours
*Course*	*Hours*	*Notes*
Chemistry	8	Must be a course for science majors Must include lab
Physics	8	Must be a course for science majors Must include lab
General or introduction to Biology and/or Zoology	8	Must be a course for science majors, must include lab. Microbiology and Cell Biology courses with labs may be accepted for this requirement. Anatomy and Physiology I or the Anatomy part of a two semester Anatomy and Physiology course will not be accepted toward this requirement.
Physiology	4	May be a Vertebrate, Chordate, Comparative or Human Physiology course. Must include lab. Must be a course for science majors. Two semesters Anatomy and Physiology I & II can be used to meet this requirement.
College Algebra, Trigonometry, or Calculus	3	Any one of these math courses are acceptable.

Behavioral Sciences - 6 hours
*Course*	*Hours*	*Notes*
General Psychology	3	Introduction to Psychology is also acceptable
Developmental Psychology	3	Lifespan Psychology or Child Psychology is acceptable as well. Lifespan Development offered through an Education Department may also be accepted.

Humanities and Liberal Arts - 9 hours
*Course*	*Hours*	*Notes*
English	6	Must include composition
Statistics	3	Upper level psychology sociology or education based is preferred. Must include ANOVA.

Suggestions and Comments:

The following courses are not required, but if taken as electives, would provide a strong base for DPT curriculum:
- Sociology
- Anatomy
- Management
- Technical Writing
- Neuroscience
- Exercise Physiology
- Medical Terminology
- Speech
Physical Education activities classes are neither counted as electives, nor used in the calculation of overall GPA.
Waiver request / Course Substitution Approval Process
An applicant may obtain approval of a course that does not exactly meet prescribed requirements if a waiver is requested and accepted. It is the applicant's responsibility to petition the UTMB PT Admissions Committee for course approval. This is done by submitting the waiver request identifying the course the applicant wishes to have waived and the course to be considered as a replacement. The request must include a course syllabus (not a course description). We may also ask you to submit the name of the textbook used in the course and or a course schedule.