Department of Physical Therapy

Clinical Health Studies (B.S.), Physical Therapy (D.P.T.)

Hélène Larin, Associate Professor and Chair

The mission of the physical therapy program is to prepare skilled physical therapist practitioners who render independent decisions and implement evidence-based, ethical, and culturally competent care to maximize the function, health, and wellness of their patients, clients, and society. Through expert faculty, modern resources, a contemporary curriculum, and lifelong learning, our graduates are competent to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing health care environment and are prepared to become clinical educators, scholars, managers, and consultants in a variety of settings.

The Department of Physical Therapy offers a six-year, dual-degree program in clinical health studies/physical therapy. Students receive a B.S. degree in clinical health studies after four years of study and a doctorate degree in physical therapy after completion of the entire program. Students must complete the D.P.T. degree to be eligible for physical therapy licensure. The first five years of the program are spent on the Ithaca campus. The final year is conducted at the Rochester, New York, campus of Ithaca College, located at the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. The program maintains an affiliation with the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and Strong Memorial Hospital. Students spend the summer semester following the junior year on the Rochester campus in a 10-week concentrated study of human anatomy. Students gain practical experience through full-time clinical education courses, totaling 36 weeks, at sites throughout the United States. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education and is approved by the New York State Education Department.

Clinical Health Studies, B.S.
Physical Therapy, D.P.T.

B.S. in Clinical Health Studies

Note: This degree does not provide eligibility for licensure to practice physical therapy. It is awarded after four years of study in the six-year combined B.S./D.P.T. program in clinical health studies/physical therapy.

Special Academic Status Policy for Clinical Health Studies and Doctorate of Physical Therapy Majors

Grade requirements

Undergraduate students: Students in the clinical health studies major must receive at least a grade of C- in all required courses. Students who do not have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.80 at the completion of the spring semester of their sophomore year will be dismissed from the program.

Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 3.00 before taking the clinical health studies/physical therapy curriculum courses that are at the graduate level (level 5 or higher), which begin at the professional phase of the curriculum (end of junior year). Therefore, students entering as clinical health studies/physical therapy majors as freshmen would need a 3.00 GPA by the end of their junior year in order to continue in the program.

To be eligible for admission to the doctorate in physical therapy program (graduate years), applicants must have completed the B.S. program in clinical health studies and have achieved at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA.

Graduate students: Students are expected to enter the D.P.T. program in the fall semester immediately following the awarding of the B.S. degree in clinical health studies. Graduate students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 through each academic block/semester to avoid academic warning and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 to graduate.

During the graduate years of the program, any student receiving more than 6 credits of C (C+, C, or C-) or an F in a required course will be subject to dismissal from the physical therapy program and may not reenter the program. At the graduate level, no grades of D are awarded; the lowest passing grade is C-. Students must earn a satisfactory rating in all courses, including all required clinical education courses, before the degree will be awarded and certification granted for licensing.

Curricular requirements

Courses and credits must be satisfactorily completed in the allotted time and in the sequence shown in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs unless permission to deviate from the sequence or time frame has been approved by the department faculty. Candidates for a doctorate in physical therapy are required to meet all requirements for graduation within four years of their matriculation date into the graduate program.

Academic warning

Being placed on academic warning indicates that a student has a serious academic deficiency that, if not corrected, will result in suspension or dismissal from the clinical health studies/physical therapy program. Juniors, seniors, and graduate students on academic warning may not be allowed to progress to clinical education courses. Such students 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 department faculty.

Undergraduate students: An undergraduate clinical health studies major will be placed on academic warning within the Department of Physical Therapy for the following semester if he or she

1. receives less than a C- grade in, drops, or withdraws from any required course;
2. does not complete the required and elective courses in the time allotted;
3. fails to remove an incomplete grade in the time allotted;
4. fails, drops, or withdraws from a clinical education course;
5. receives less than a 3.00 GPA during a semester taking required graduate (level 5 or higher) courses; or
6. fails to complete the requirements for General Education and a minor before taking the clinical health studies/physical therapy curriculum courses that are at the graduate level (level 5 or higher) in the first professional year of the clinical health studies/physical therapy curriculum. For matriculating students entering as freshmen, this requirement must be met by the end of the junior year.

Graduate students: A graduate student in the physical therapy major will be placed on academic warning by the Division of Graduate Studies if he or she

1. receives less than a 3.00 GPA in an academic block/semester;
2. withdraws from a required course;
3. fails to remove an incomplete grade in the allotted time; or
4. fails, drops, withdraws, or receives a U in a clinical education course.

Warning will be removed when both of the following criteria are met:

1. The student's GPA for the following semester or academic block/semester is 3.00 or greater.
2. The student's graduate cumulative GPA is 3.00 or greater.

Clinical education: If the student receives a grade of F or U in a clinical education course, he or she will be placed on academic warning. The student must remediate this grade in one or more of the following ways as decided by the faculty:

1. complete an equivalent clinical education course and receive a grade of pass or S;
2. perform remedial work under the supervision of one or more faculty members; or
3. satisfactorily complete the course Independent Clinical Study.

Upon successful remediation, the warning will be removed and the student will be allowed to progress in the program.

Suspension from the undergraduate program

A student who is subject to dismissal from the program may, under extenuating circumstances, be granted a suspension from the program. Alternatively, if the student is subject to warning, but not dismissal, and the academic deficiency is more severe than normal in warning situations, the student may be suspended from the program. A student on program suspension may not enroll in courses offered within the major. Such a student may apply for a leave of absence from Ithaca College in accordance with College policy. To be eligible for readmission, the student will have to fulfill certain conditions prescribed by the Department of Physical Therapy at the time of suspension.

Dismissal from the program

Undergraduate students: An undergraduate student is subject to dismissal from the clinical health studies/physical therapy major if he or she

1. receives less than a C- in two or more required courses in the same semester;
2. is a freshman or sophomore on academic warning who fails to successfully complete (with grades of C- or better) at least 12 credit hours in a semester, or a junior or senior who has not successfully completed the minimum number of credit hours to progress to the next semester;
3. has less than a 2.80 cumulative GPA at the end of the sophomore year (i.e., after the 54 undergraduate credits in the required curriculum);
4. has less than a 3.00 cumulative GPA at the end of the junior year (i.e., after the 86 undergraduate credits in the required curriculum);
5. has less than a 3.00 cumulative GPA at the end of the senior year (i.e., after 120 undergraduate credits in the required curriculum);
6. is a freshman or sophomore on academic warning for the preceding semester, or a junior or senior who has been on academic warning for any semester, and receives less than a C- (or fails to remove an incomplete grade in the specified time period) in any required course;
7. is a senior who receives less than a C- (or fails to remove an incomplete grade in the specified time) in any required course or clinical education prerequisite;
8. fails, drops, withdraws, or receives a U in any two required courses, including clinical education courses; or
9. withdraws from a required course while on academic warning.

In an exceptional case, a student may be readmitted upon the satisfactory completion of conditions determined by the department faculty.

Graduate students: A graduate student in the Department of Physical Therapy is subject to dismissal from the program if he or she

1. receives more than 6 credits of C (C-, C, C+) during the graduate years;
2. receives a grade of F for any course in the graduate years (including independent clinical study);
3. remains on academic warning for any two consecutive full-time academic terms;
4. fails, drops, withdraws, or receives a U from any two clinical education courses; or
5. fails to successfully complete departmental remediation, as prescribed by the faculty, within the allotted time.

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 Studies, suspension or dismissal from Ithaca College may result.

A more complete description of special academic policies and procedures is available in the physical therapy department office.

Requirements for the Major in Clinical Health Studies -- B.S.

Major department requirements

Required courses outside major department

(in the School of Humanities and Sciences)

Electives outside major department

General education requirements

(see School of Humanities and Sciences)

General education requirements must be completed by the end of the junior year. There is no limitation on the number of advanced placement (AP), international baccalaureate (IB), or transfer credits that may be applied toward appropriate courses to meet the general education requirement. Students must either achieve a score on the math placement exam placing them in group 1, 2, or 3 or, if placed in group 4, earn a grade of C- or better in MATH 10000 or MATH 18000. Students must include in their coursework at least 6 credits with a global designation and 6 credits with a historical designation. These credits may be fulfilled in part by courses taken to fulfill general education requirements or as unrestricted open electives. Students may obtain sample course sequences for meeting these requirements from the department office.

Minors

Students are required to complete a minor by the end of the junior year. They are encouraged to declare a minor early, as careful scheduling may be necessary to complete some minors. The minor can be in any department at Ithaca College. Generally, minors require 18-21 credits. Please review this catalog for a listing of available minors.

Summary

Housing and Transportation Arrangements for Clinical Education

During each full-time clinical education, students are responsible for making housing arrangements and arrangements for transportation to and from the clinical facilities. Information on securing housing during clinical education placements is available from the Office of Experiential Learning.
Office of Experiential Learning

Doctorate in Physical Therapy

For students who begin their program under the 2010-11 undergraduate catalog, the major department requirements for the doctorate in physical therapy are listed below. Note that the summers preceding the senior year and the final year of the program take place on the Rochester, New York, campus.

Graduation Requirements

To be considered for the doctorate in physical therapy, all students must complete the B.S. degree program in clinical health studies at Ithaca College and the required courses listed below.

Major department requirements

Clinical Education

The Department of Physical Therapy has established contracts with more than 1,100 clinical education sites. It continues to explore new clinical sites to assure that students are offered the best clinical education. A current listing of sites is available in the Office of Experiential Learning. The directors of clinical education determine the sites to be used and the placement of the students for each of their clinical education courses. Assignments to clinical education sites are based on several factors, such as program requirements for a variety of experiences, faculty advisement, student performance, and student preference.

M.S. in Physical Therapy

The graduate year in physical therapy at Ithaca College is an extension of the B.S. degree program in clinical science. The final year of study, a 12-month period, takes place at the Rochester, New York, campus of Ithaca College, located at the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. The program maintains an affiliation with the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and Strong Memorial Hospital. For students who began their program under the 2005-2006 undergraduate catalog, the major department requirements for the M.S. in physical therapy are listed below.

Graduation Requirements

To be considered for graduation, all students must complete the following requirements:

1. B.S. degree program in clinical science at Ithaca College;
2. required courses listed below;
3. either a group research project or an individual thesis. The thesis option is available only to students with a GPA of 3.30 or higher who pass a faculty review.

Major department requirements

Clinical Education

The Department of Physical Therapy has established contracts with more than 1,000 clinical affiliation sites. It continues to explore new clinical sites to assure that students are offered the best clinical education. A current listing of sites is available in the Office of Experiential Learning. The directors of clinical education determine the sites to be used and the placement of the students for each of their clinical education courses. Assignments to clinical education sites are based on several factors, such as program requirements for a variety of experiences, faculty advisement, student performance, and student preference.