Renee M. Brown, Assistant Professor and Acting Chair
The mission of the physical therapy program at Ithaca College is to prepare graduates to meet the challenges facing the profession of physical therapy in the rapidly changing health care system. We prepare graduates to be physical therapy practitioners, which includes the roles of manager, consultant, teacher, and clinical scholar. To meet this need, the central theme of the physical therapy curriculum is to promote a sense of self-reliance for learning and an emphasis on professional behavior. Throughout the liberal arts and professional components of the curriculum, students are required to develop strategies for independent learning to be able to solve clinical problems through reasoning and the use of scientific literature and method. Faculty members promote this theme by creating learning environments that encourage creative thinking and reflection.
The physical therapy department offers a five-year, dual-degree program in clinical science/physical therapy. Students receive a B.S. degree in clinical science after four years of study and an M.S. degree in physical therapy after their fifth year of study. Students must complete the M.S. degree to be eligible for physical therapy licensure. The five-year program is designed for freshman entry. If class space is available, transfer students may be accepted as indicated on page 79.
The first four years of the program are spent on the Ithaca campus. The final year is conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center in conjunction with Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. Students spend the summer semester following the sophomore year on the Rochester campus in a 10-week concentrated study of human anatomy. Students gain practical experience through five full-time clinical affiliations --- a total of 30 weeks --- at sites throughout the United States. The program is accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education and is approved by the New York State Education Department.
B.S. in Clinical Science |
Note: This degree does not provide eligibility for licensure to practice physical therapy. It is awarded after four years of study in the five-year combined B.S./M.S. program in clinical science/physical therapy.
Undergraduate Students
Students in the clinical science major must receive at least a grade of C- in all required courses.
Students who do not have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.70 at the completion of the spring semester of their sophomore year will be dismissed from the program.
To be eligible for admission to the master of science program in physical therapy (fifth year), applicants must have completed the B.S. program in clinical science and have achieved at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA.
Graduate Students
Fifth year students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 through each academic block to avoid academic warning and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 to graduate.
During the fifth year 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 dismissed from the physical therapy program and may not reenter the program. At the master's degree level, no grades of D are awarded; the lowest passing grade awarded is C-. Students must earn a satisfactory rating in all courses, including Clinical Education III, IV, and V, before the degree will be awarded and certification granted for licensing.
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 an advanced degree in physical therapy are required to meet all requirements for graduation within three years of their matriculation date into the graduate program.
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 science/physical therapy program. Junior, senior, 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 science 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, or
2. does not complete the required and elective courses in the allotted time, or
3. fails to remove an incomplete grade in the allotted time, or
4. fails, drops, or withdraws from a clinical education course.
Graduate Students
A graduate student in the physical therapy major will be placed on academic warning if he or she
1. receives a GPA below 3.00 in an academic block, or
2. withdraws from a required course, or
3. fails to remove an incomplete grade in the allotted time, or
4. fails, drops, or withdraws from a clinical education course.
If the student receives a grade of F in a clinical education course, he or she will be issued an academic warning by the Division of Graduate Studies. The student must remediate this grade in one or more of the following ways as decided by the faculty:
1. repeat the affiliation and receive a grade of pass,
2. attend an equivalent affiliation and receive a grade of pass,
3. perform remedial work under the supervision of one or more faculty members.
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 in accordance with College policy. To be eligible for readmission, the student will have to fulfill certain conditions prescribed by the department at the time of suspension.
Undergraduate Students
An undergraduate student is subject to dismissal from the program if he or she
1. receives less than a C- in two or more required courses in the same semester, or
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, or
3. has less than 2.70 cumulative GPA at the end of the sophomore year, or
4. 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 period of time) in any required course, or
5. 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 affiliation prerequisite, or
6. Fails, drops, or withdraws from any two required courses, including clinical education courses.
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 year,
2. receives a grade of F for any course in the graduate year (excluding clinical education courses),
3. remains on academic warning for any two consecutive blocks of 12 or more credits each,
4. fails, drops, or withdraws from any two clinical education courses (graduate or undergraduate), 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 physical therapy department 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 this special policy is available at the department office.
670-10100 |
Introduction to Physical Therapy |
1 |
670-30000 |
Preclinical Conference I |
0 |
670-30100 |
Preclinical Conference II |
0 |
670-31000 |
Human Anatomy |
6 |
670-31100 |
Massage and Surface Anatomy |
1 |
670-31200 |
Mobility Training |
1 |
670-31300 |
Clinical Physiology |
3 |
670-31400 |
Musculoskeletal Assessment |
3 |
670-31500 |
Physical Agents for Physical Therapists |
3.5 |
670-39000 |
Biostatistics |
3 |
670-40100 |
Biomechanics |
3 |
670-40200 |
Exercise, Muscle Physiology, and Plasticity |
3 |
670-40300 |
Histology-Pathology |
4 |
670-41000 |
Clinical Education I |
3 |
670-41100 |
Clinical Conference I |
0.5 |
670-44100 |
Clinical Administration I |
3 |
670-44200 |
Clinical Administration II |
2 |
670-45100 |
Neuroanatomy |
3 |
670-45200 |
Neurophysiology |
3 |
670-46200 |
Pharmacology |
2 |
670-46300 |
Normal Motor Development |
3 |
670-46400 |
Electrophysiological Assessment |
2 |
670-46500 |
Soft Tissue and Peripheral Joint Examination and Mobilization |
3 |
670-46600 |
Assessment and Treatment of the Spine |
2 |
670-49000 |
Clinical Education II |
3 |
Total, within department |
61 |
In the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
640-20500 |
Critical Health Issues |
3 |
In the School of Humanities and Sciences
303-11900, 303-12000 |
Fundamentals of Biology |
8 |
303-20600 |
Primary Human Anatomy |
3 |
304-11100, 304-11300 |
Fundamentals of Chemistry with Lab |
4 |
304-11200, 304-11400 |
Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry with Lab |
4 |
314-10100 |
Introduction to Philosophy |
3 |
314-23000 |
Medical Ethics |
3 |
315-10100, 315-10200 |
Introduction to Physics I and II |
8 |
330-10300 |
General Psychology or |
|
330-10400 |
Introduction to Developmental Psychology |
3 |
377-10600 |
Academic Writing I or |
|
377-10700 |
Academic Writing II |
3 |
Total, required courses outside major department |
42 |
|
English (307-xxxxx) |
3 |
|
Mathematics (313-xxxxx) |
3 |
|
Psychology (330-xxxxx, level 2 or higher) |
3 |
|
Interpersonal communication (319-11500, 319-14000, 319-14900, or 640-35000) |
3 |
|
One course from fine arts, modern languages and literatures, anthropology, history, politics, religion, or sociology |
3 |
Liberal arts focus - 9 LA credits in the same department, with 3 credits at the 30000 level (may include distribution electives and/or required courses). Must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the junior year. |
9 | |
|
Open electives |
15 |
|
Total, electives |
39 |
Total, B.S. in clinical science |
142 |
Students may obtain sample course sequences for meeting these requirements from the department office. The following departmental courses may be taken as open electives.
670-20200 |
Rehabilitation for Older Adults |
1 |
670-39900 |
Selected Topics in Physical Therapy |
1-3 |
670-47000 |
Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy of the Lumbar Spine |
2 |
670-49900 |
Independent Study |
1-3 |
670-59800 |
Honors Seminar in Physical Therapy |
1 |
670-59900 |
Honors Project |
3 |
During each full-time clinical affiliation, students are responsible for making housing arrangements and arrangements for transportation to and from clinical facilities. Information on securing housing during affiliation placements is available from the department offices on the respective campuses. For more information on student expenses for the final year, see p. 343.
M.S. in Physical Therapy |
The fifth year in physical therapy at Ithaca College is an extension of the B.S. degree program in clinical science. It is designed to provide breadth and depth for students' professional background, liberal arts education, and analytical skills. The final year of study, a 12-month period, takes place at the University of Rochester Medical Center in conjunction with Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York.
To be considered for graduation, all students must complete the following requirements:
1. Bachelor of science 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.
671-60000 |
Clinical Conference II |
1 |
671-60100 |
Pathokinesiology/Applied Biomechanics |
3 |
671-60200 |
Psychosocial Aspects of Patient Care |
2 |
671-60400 |
Cardiopulmonary Testing and Management |
4 |
671-60600 |
Orthotics/Prosthetics |
2 |
671-61000 |
Clinical Education III |
3 |
671-61100 |
Clinical Education IV |
3 |
671-61200 |
Clinical Education V |
3 |
671-61300 |
Clinical Science I --- Orthopedics |
3 |
671-61400 |
Clinical Science II --- Medicine |
2 |
671-61500 |
Clinical Science III --- Neurology I |
4 |
671-61600 |
Clinical Science IV --- Surgery |
3 |
671-61700 |
Clinical Science V --- Neurology II |
3 |
671-61800 |
Clinical Science VI --- Pediatrics |
3 |
671-61900 |
Geriatrics in Physical Therapy |
1 |
671-62000 |
Professional Issues in Physical Therapy |
1 |
671-60700-671-60800 |
Research I-II or |
|
671-63000-671-63100 |
Thesis I-II |
4 |
Total, M.S. in physical therapy |
45 |
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