BHS in Pre-Professional Physical Therapy

Degree Program Description

Physical therapists (PTs) are health care professionals who diagnose and treat individuals of all ages, from newborns to the very oldest, who have medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their abilities to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.

PTs examine each individual and develop a plan using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. In addition, PTs work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness- and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles.

The University of Missouri offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

This degree is granted to some students who gain Advanced Admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Students may not major in the BHS in Preprofessional Physical Therapy unless they have applied and been accepted for Advanced Admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. 

Major Program Requirements

This degree program is only for students who are planning advanced admission into the DPT in Physical Therapy program and is not a standalone undergraduate degree. Advance Admission grants students the opportunity to apply to the DPT program during their junior year and enter the DPT program after completing 90 credit hours of college level coursework. Students who seek to gain early admission to the DPT program must complete a minimum of three years (six fall/spring semesters or 12 quarters of full-time enrollment) of residential coursework on a college campus prior to starting the DPT program. To be eligible to apply for advanced admission, students must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Students accepted for the early admission program must complete 90 credit hours, including University of Missouri general education requirements and pre-requisite coursework prior to beginning the professional phase of the program. At the time of application, students may have up to three of the following courses to be completed, with no more than two planned for the spring semester: Statistics, Chemistry, Physics 1, Physics 2, Biology, Physiology, Medical Terminology and Anatomy.

Pre-requisite Courses
ENGLSH 1000Writing and Rhetoric *3
or ENGLSH 1000H Honors Writing and Rhetoric
MATH 1100College Algebra *3-5
or MATH 1160 Precalculus Mathematics
HLTH_SCI 4200WIntroduction to The Research Process and Evidence Base - Writing Intensive3
STAT 1200Introductory Statistical Reasoning *3
or STAT 1300 Elementary Statistics
or STAT 2500 Introduction to Probability and Statistics I
or ESC_PS 4170 Introduction to Applied Statistics
CHEM 1400
CHEM 1401
College Chemistry I
and College Chemistry I Laboratory *
4
or CHEM 1400H
CHEM 1401H
College Chemistry I - Honors
and College Chemistry I Laboratory - Honors
PHYSCS 1210College Physics I *4
PHYSCS 1220College Physics II *4
BIO_SC 1010
BIO_SC 1020
General Principles and Concepts of Biology
and General Biology Laboratory *
5
or BIO_SC 1500 Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory
or BIO_SC 1500H Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory Honors
or BIO_SC 1030 General Principles and Concepts of Biology with Laboratory
MPP 3202Elements of Physiology *5
CDS 2190Medical Terminology *3
PTH_AS 2201Human Anatomy Lecture *3
Students must complete departmental requirements, including at least 6-8 hours of 3000/4000-level coursework in one of the following content areas: a) Biological/Physical Science, b) Social/Behavioral Science. (See suggested courses below.)
Suggested Biological/Physical Science Courses: ~
BIOCHM 3630General Biochemistry3
BIO_SC 3750General Microbiology3
CHEM 3200Quantitative Methods of Analysis with Lab4
MPP 4204Medical Pharmacology4
MICROB 3200Medical Microbiology and Immunology4
MICROB 4304Immunology for Health Professions3
NEP 3850Physiology of Exercise3
or NEP 3850W Physiology of Exercise - Writing Intensive
NEP 4860Exercise Prescription3
Suggested Social/Behavioral Science Courses:
HLTH_SCI 3700Health Care in the United States3
PSYCH 3140Cognitive Psychology3
PSYCH 3150Human Memory3
PSYCH 3830Health Psychology3
PSYCH 4210Physiological Psychology3
SOCIOL 3430The Sociology of Sport3
SOCIOL 3440Sociology of Health3
SOCIOL 4210Aging and the Life Course3
Major Core Requirements
PTH_AS 7222Gross Human Anatomy (The Health Professions) *7
PH_THR 5110Fundamentals of Physical Therapy *1
PH_THR 5210Applied Neurophysiology *3
PH_THR 5220Biophysical Agents *2
PH_THR 5230Clinical Evaluation and Procedures *4
PH_THR 5240Foundations of Therapeutic Exercise *3
PH_THR 5250Human Kinesiology *3
PH_THR 5260Introduction to Clinical Education I *1
PH_THR 5270PhysZOU I0.5
PH_THR 5100Introduction to Interprofessional Practice 1
PH_THR 5310Applied Therapeutic Exercise *3
PH_THR 5320Clinical Kinesiology *3
PH_THR 5330Clinical Pathophysiology *3
PH_THR 5340Introduction to Clinical Education II *1
PH_THR 5350Introduction to Orthopedic Physical Therapy *3
PH_THR 5360Pharmacology in Rehabilitation *2
PH_THR 5370PhysZOU II0.5
~

MPP 3202 may meet the Physiology requirement and count toward the Biological/Physical Science category.

*

 Courses in which a grade of C- or higher is required

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Semester Plan

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits 
MATH 11003CHEM 1400
CHEM 1401
4 
PSYCH 10003MO State Law Requirement3 
Humanities Course3HLTH_SCI 10003 
BIO_SC 10103ENGLSH 10003 
BIO_SC 10202PSYCH 25103 
PH_THR 10001  
 15 16  
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits 
PHYSCS 12104CDS 21903 
COMMUN 12003HLTH_SCI 37003 
HLTH_SCI 24003H_D_FS 2400W4 
PSYCH 24103PHYSCS 12204 
STAT 12003  
 16 14  
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
HLTH_SCI 30001HLTH_SCI 4200W3PTH_AS 72227
HLTH_SCI 25003MPP 32025PH_THR 51101
HLTH_SCI 28503Humanities Course3 
HLTH_SCI 44803SOCIOL 34303 
PTH_AS 22013  
PTH_AS 22032  
 15 14 8
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits 
PH_THR 52103PH_THR 51001 
PH_THR 52202PH_THR 53103 
PH_THR 52304PH_THR 53203 
PH_THR 52403PH_THR 53303 
PH_THR 52503PH_THR 53401 
PH_THR 52601PH_THR 53503 
PH_THR 52700.5PH_THR 53602 
 PH_THR 53700.5 
 16.5 16.5  
Total Credits: 131

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Degree Audit

The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. 

MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.

Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.

Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.

For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.

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Major and Career Exploration

The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.

  • If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.

  • If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major

  • If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.

For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.

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