Direct Admission Student Option

Carroll College will admit freshmen, matriculating directly from high school, to an existing undergraduate major with a pre-physical therapy emphasis. The direct admission (also known as freshman admission) option guarantees students a position in the Professional Physical Therapy Program which begins in the fall of the senior year. Requirements for transition from high school to Carroll College with direct admission status and standards for transition from the pre-professional to the professional phase of the Physical Therapy program are outlined below.

Selection decisions for admitting students from high school to Carroll College with direct admission status are based on the following:

1. Carroll College application form
2. Transcript from an accredited secondary school which shows six semesters of coursework. In addition, the following high school courses must be completed by graduation:

Required

1. Three or more years of mathematics
2. One or more years of high school biology
3. One or more years of high school chemistry
4. One or more years of high school English
5. One or more years of high school history
6. Two or more years of high school foreign language

Strongly Recommended

1. One or more years of high school physics
   
   
3. the Safety and Technical Standards Form
4. ACT composite score of 23 or higher and high school cumulative GPA 2.75 or higher

Transition for Direct Admission Students to the Professional Physical
Therapy Program

During their freshman, sophomore and junior years at the college, direct admit students earn credits toward undergraduate degrees in existing Carroll majors which have a pre-physical therapy emphasis and participate in activities in the Physical Therapy program. To advance into the professional phase of the program in their senior year, direct admission students must satisfy all of the following requirements during their freshman, sophomore and junior years at the college:

1. A college cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher
2. A pre-professional course grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Courses include:
3. Completion of the following courses prior to beginning of the professional phase of the program in the student’s senior year:

1. First Year Seminar (FYS 100)
2. Writing Seminar (ENG 170)
3. 4 semesters of biology including one semester of human anatomy (HSC 402) and one semester of human physiology (HSC 403)
4. 2 semesters of physics (Physics 101, 102)
5. 2 semesters of chemistry (Chemistry 109, 110 or Chemistry 101, 102)
6. Computer Science 107
7. One course from each of the seven Liberal Studies Program (LSP) areas
8. One semester of statistics (Math 112)
9. The majority of required and elective courses in the undergraduate major
4. Evidence that the bachelor's degree will be awarded at the completion of the senior year
5. GRE total score (Verbal, Quantitative and Writing)
6. Participation in a clinical observation experience. A Clinical Experience Documentation Form must be submitted to the program
7. Submission of three letters of reference: one from a physical therapist, one from a college professor, and one that attests to the student’s character
8. Participation in college or community service activities

If, for any reason, a direct admission student does not advance into the professional phase of the program, career counseling will be provided through the Walter Young Center.

Majors Compatible with Direct Admission Option

During the program's pre-professional phase (freshman, sophomore and junior years), students work toward completion of their undergraduate majors (with minors in psychology, sociology or physics) and degrees, while also fulfilling the requirements for entrance into the program's professional phase. During the freshman, sophomore and junior years, students with pre-physical therapy emphases also complete the college's general education core. The majors with pre-physical therapy emphases give students a strong foundation in humanities and the natural, behavioral and social sciences. The majors with pre-physical therapy emphases developed to date are:

Pre-professional Physical Therapy Majors (96 credits)
Biology major, Human Biology major , bachelor of science,
Pre-professional Physical Therapy Emphasis

Exercise Science major, bachelor of science,

Health science major, bachelor of science,

Psychology major, bachelor of science,

Suggested Minors: biology, business, chemistry, Hispanic health and human services, psychology, sociology.

The senior year is a transition year when students are enrolled in the professional phase of their training while finishing up their undergraduate bachelor's degree. The Doctor of Physical Therapy degree is awarded after three years of professional physical therapy course work which consists of the senior year plus two years of graduate study.

The physical therapy faculty strongly recommends that pre-professional students participate in the Carroll College Library Supplemental Instruction program designed to help students succeed in challenging courses. Click here for additional information.

Summary of credits

• Pre-professional physical therapy emphasis
  with undergraduate major: 128 credits
• Pre-professional Phase: 96 credits
• Professional Phase I: 32 credits