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2022-2023

Pre-Physical Therapy (Advising Track)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science: Life Science (Richard Bland College of William and Mary)
Richard Bland College
Richard Bland College
Associate degree

Associate of Science: Life Science

Program description

Students interested in the pre-physical therapy advising track must be on track to complete all prerequisite coursework, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and be on track to receive a baccalaureate degree by the time of applying to be considered for admission to PT school. Students interested in PT school should consult with a pre-professional health & STEM career  adviser to learn about requirements that are specific to the schools to which they hope to apply.


Declaration of the pre-physical therapy advising track through the VCU Career Services PPH & STEM team does not constitute admission to the VCU Physical Therapy program. Students must apply separately to the physical therapy school of their choice at the appropriate time.


Students with an interest in preparing for PT school must declare an academic major and should declare and maintain their pre-physical therapy advising track. Students do not earn a pre-physical therapy degree. Students unsure of their academic majors initially should clarify their academic interests through regular conversations with their advisers. Pre-Physical therapy  students are encouraged to major in fields of greatest interest to them. To declare a pre-pt advising track, please see the Canvas PPH Hub.

Career opportunities

Physical therapists (PT) evaluate and record a patient's progress. Physical therapists help injured or ill people improve movement and manage pain. They are often an important part of preventive care, rehabilitation, and treatment for patients with chronic conditions, illnesses, or injuries. PTs may specialize in fields such as cardiology, pulmonology, geriatrics, neurology, orthopedics, sports medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, or obstetrics.

Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Healthcare Researcher
  • Physical Therapist
  • Professor
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin

    n/a

Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 151
  • STAT 210
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • A minimum GPA of 2.7 is required to apply to become a pre-professional health student and to stay on the pre-professional health advising track.
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Pre-Physical Therapy (advising track)

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2022-2023

Pre-Physical Therapy (Advising Track)

Richard Bland College of William and Mary (Associate of Science: Life Science)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Attend cultural events at RBC and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU's annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Familiarize yourself with the career services offered at RBC and VCU and explore career pathways on the VCU Career Services website.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
Experience Year 2
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Select a VCU major.
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Consider applying to the Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP).
  • Consider learning a foreign language.
  • Volunteer with a vulnerable, under-represented and/or underserved community. Reflect on the challenges these populations might face with their healthcare.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at RBC or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Find healthcare experience that’s paid, volunteer or shadowing experience - answer the question, "is this really what I want to do?"
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at RBC and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU's annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Familiarize yourself with the career services offered at RBC and VCU and explore career pathways on the VCU Career Services website.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Select a VCU major.
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Consider applying to the Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP).
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language.
  • Volunteer with a vulnerable, under-represented and/or underserved community. Reflect on the challenges these populations might face with their healthcare.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at RBC or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Find healthcare experience that’s paid, volunteer or shadowing experience - answer the question, "is this really what I want to do?"
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2022-2023

Pre-Physical Therapy (Advising Track)

Richard Bland College of William and Mary (Associate of Science: Life Science)

Richard Bland College of William and Mary courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
Students who earn this associate degree before enrolling at VCU will be eligible for a waiver of VCU's general education requirements.
ENGL 101 Rhetoric and Research I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENGL 102 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
ENGL 102 Rhetoric and Research II UNIV 200 3 General education
MATH 151 Pre-calculus II MATH 151 3 General education (Pre-PT requirement)
MATH 217 Statistics STAT 210 3 Elective (Pre-PT requirement)
BIO 151 + Lab Biological Science I + Lab BIOL/Z 151 4 General education (Pre-PT requirement)
BIO 152 + Lab Biological Science II + Lab BIOL/Z 152 4 Elective (Pre-PT recommendation)
BIO 205 + BIO 206 Human Anatomy and Physiology (both courses must be taken to be equivalent to VCU’s courses) BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 8 Elective (Pre-PT requirement)
CHEM 101 + Lab General Chemistry I + Lab CHEM/Z 101 4 General education (Pre-PT requirement)
CHEM 102 + Lab General Chemistry II + Lab CHEM/Z 102 4 Elective (Pre-PT requirement)
PSY 210 Survey of Psychology PSYC 101 3 General education (Pre-PT requirement)
Complete general education and elective requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 21 General education
Richard Bland credits transferred to VCU 60
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Your GPA Doesn't Transfer With You Although you worked hard to earn your grades at your current institution, they will only be considered by VCU for an admission decision. Once you enroll at VCU, your GPA will reset to 0.0, and your new GPA will be determined by your level of success in your classes at VCU.
The courses listed below are required or recommended for pre-physical therapy students. Students must also select a VCU major and complete the major requirements. The minimum number of credits required for a bachelor's degree at VCU is 120 credits.
PHYS 201 or PHYS 207 General Physics I or University Physics I 4 to 5 Elective (Pre-PT requirement)
PHYS 202 or PHYS 208 General Physics II or University Physics II 4 to 5 Elective (Pre-PT requirement)
PSYC 304 or PSYC 407 Life Span Developmental Psychology or Psychology of the Abnormal 3 Elective (Pre-PT requirement)
Physical therapy schools across the U.S. have different prerequisites for admission. The list below shows courses required by various schools beyond the courses listed above for the VCU physical therapy doctoral program. Students should discuss career plans with their pre-professional health adviser for additional guidance.
BIOL 200 Quantitative Biology 3 Elective (Pre-PT recommendation)
BIOL 308 Vertebrate Histology 4 Elective (Pre-PT recommendation)
HPEX 250 Medical Terminology 1 Elective (Pre-PT recommendation)
HPEX 375 + HPEZ 375 Physiology of Exercise and Laboratory 4 Elective (Pre-PT recommendation)
Courses required for VCU major and electives VCU students are strongly encouraged to take cell biology as well as other upper-level biology courses. Admission to the D.P.T. program is highly competitive. Taking upper-level biology and/or engineering courses will enhance a student’s application and make them more competitive. 35 Major
Minimum number of credits completed at VCU 60
Minimum number of credits required for a bachelor's degree 120