Major Adviser: Kathleen Buccieri, Chair of Graduate Studies, kbuccieri@ithaca.edu
The Department of Physical Therapy offers a six-year, dual-degree program in clinical health studies and physical therapy. Students receive a bachelor of science (B.S.) degree in clinical health studies after four years of study and a doctor of physical therapy degree after two years of graduate study. Students must complete the graduate years to be eligible for physical therapy licensure. The six-year program is designed for both freshman-entry and transfer applicants. The undergraduate component of the six-year program is described in the Ithaca College undergraduate catalog.
The graduate program builds on the undergraduate program’s depth and breadth in liberal arts and basic sciences, the students’ independent study skills, and their understanding of theory, communication, and critical thinking. The graduate program is approximately 24 months in duration with the first graduate year academic courses delivered on the Ithaca College campus and the second graduate year academic courses at Ithaca College’s Rochester Center. Students participate in classroom and clinical experiential learning opportunities on campus and in diverse clinical and research facilities to integrate learning and apply knowledge in health care settings. Graduate students participate in thirty six weeks of full-time clinical education coursework at health care facilities throughout the United States.
Candidates for a doctor of physical therapy degree are required to meet all requirements for graduation within four years of their matriculation date as a graduate student into the second professional year of program.
To be eligible for admission to the graduate program, applicants must have completed the Ithaca College B.S. degree in clinical health studies and have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or greater.
Departmental Regulations: Criteria for College or school academic status (warning, suspension, or dismissal) are specified in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs. The criteria below apply to departmental academic status.
A graduate student in the Department of Physical Therapy will be placed on academic warning by the Division of Graduate and Professional Studies if he or she:
Students on academic warning may be allowed to progress in the curriculum only under conditions specified and approved by the department. Remediation for removal of academic warning status will be determined by the faculty. Graduate students on academic warning may not be allowed to progress to clinical education courses.
Warning due to academic status will be removed when the student’s GPA for the following block or semester is 3.00 or greater and the cumulative GPA is 3.0 or greater. Warning due to unprofessional behavior will be removed when the student completes the following block or semester without additional documented incidences of unprofessional behavior.
Graduate students on academic warning due to performance in a clinical education course may be allowed to progress in the curriculum only under conditions specified and approved by the faculty. Removal of this academic warning status may be achieved in one or more of the following ways, as recommended by the faculty:
A graduate student in the Department of Physical Therapy is subject to dismissal for any of the following reasons:
A student dismissed from the program is not eligible to remain in the Department of Physical Therapy but may be eligible to pursue other Ithaca College programs. If academic performance deficiencies include failure to meet minimum standards of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, or the Division of Graduate and Professional Studies, suspension or dismissal from Ithaca College may result.
During the full-time clinical education placements, students are responsible for making housing arrangements and for transportation to and from clinical facilities.