Pre-Physical Therapy

Students interested in a career in physical therapy may complete their pre-professional coursework at NKU. For most physical therapy schools the requirement is a bachelor’s degree that includes specified pre-professional coursework. For up-to-date information, students should check current catalogs or websites of the professional schools to which they intend to apply and work closely with an NKU advisor who specializes in advising for this area. Students should seek an advisor in biological sciences or chemistry & biochemistry.

Coursework

The following coursework is generally required for admission to a physical therapy program:

• Two semesters of biology with labs.
• Two semesters of inorganic/general chemistry with labs.
• One semester of statistics.
• One semester of medical terminology.
• Two semesters of physics with labs.
• One semester of oral communication.
• One semester of introduction to psychology.
• One semester of developmental psychology.

First-year plan

Because requirements vary slightly between physical therapy programs, students are urged to work very closely with their advisors to plan their program. Four-year plans in particular areas of interest (such as biological sciences or chemistry) show how the pre-physical therapy requirements can be met concurrently with the requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Only the first year of recommended study is shown below.

♦  Indicates prerequisite.