Kinesiology: Pre-Physical Therapy Emphasis - BS

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Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services

Department of Kinesiology and Health Science

About This Degree

The kinesiology degree at USU provides three different options for students who wish to pursue careers in exercise science, physical therapy, or physical education. Many graduates from the program are accepted into advanced degree programs in physical and occupational therapy or are admitted to medical schools.

In all of these areas, students study the psychological, neurophysiological, and biomechanical/biophysical aspects of human movement.Through mentoring, students are given the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research. The department collaborates with state health programs, parks and recreation programs, and local and regional school districts to provide students with opportunities for hands-on experience and professional training.

Pre-Physical Therapy Emphasis: The pre-physical therapy emphasis is designed to prepare students to enter into a graduate degree program in physical therapy. Physical therapists help people who have limited abilities to move and perform functional activities. They work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, schools, sport and fitness facilities, work settings, and nursing homes.

For more information about Kinesiology, see the department website.
Admitted and current students must meet with an advisor.
Log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
The highest math requirement for this degree is MATH 1060: Trigonometry or MATH 1100: Calculus Techniques (QL) or MATH 1210: Calculus I (QL) .

Minimum University Requirements

Total Credits: 120
Credits of C- or better: 100
Total credits taken through USU: 30
Total major required credits taken at USU: 10
Minimum Grade Point Average (many majors require a higher GPA): 2.0 GPA
Credits of upper-division courses (#3000 or above): 40
Upper-division credits taken at USU: 20
General Education Requirements
University Studies Requirements
Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Admission Requirements For This Program

New freshmen must be admitted to USU in Good Standing.
Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU must have an overall 2.0 GPA.

Major Requirements

Program Graduation Requirement: 2.0 overall GPA
Coursework for the major may not be taken pass/fail, except KIN 4250 .
It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to investigate physical therapy or other graduate/professional programs to determine all required prerequisites for admissions, and meet with their academic advisor to ensure the degree plan includes any remaining prerequisites to take.

I. Prerequisites (15-16 credits)

Complete BIOL 2320 , BIOL 2420 , PSY 1010 , and MATH 1050 . Must complete BIOL 2320 & BIOL 2420 (or BIOL 4600 ) before enrolling in KIN 3250 , KIN 4100 , KIN 4200 , and KIN 5100 .

BIOL 2320 - Human Anatomy 4 credit(s)
BIOL 2420 - Human Physiology 4 credit(s) or
BIOL 4600 - Advanced Human Physiology 5 credit(s)
PSY 1010 - General Psychology (BSS) 3 credit(s)
MATH 1050 - College Algebra (QL) 4 credit(s)
Or ACT Math Score of 26 or higher; SAT Math Score Equivalent .

II. Professional Foundations (30 credits)

KIN 2020 - Introduction to Physical Therapy 2 credit(s)
KIN 3000 - Principles of Fitness 3 credit(s) or
PE 3000 - Dynamic Fitness 3 credit(s)
KIN 3100 - Athletic Injuries 3 credit(s)
KIN 3250 - Anatomical Kinesiology 3 credit(s)
KIN 4100 - Exercise Physiology 4 credit(s)
KIN 4200 - Biomechanics (QI) 4 credit(s)
KIN 4250 - Advanced Cooperative Work Experience 1-10 credit(s) (4 credits required, 10 credits is the maximum allowed for KIN 4250)
KIN 4400 - Measurement and Evaluation in Kinesiology (QI) 3 credit(s)
KIN 5100 - Fitness Assessment and Exercise Programs 4 credit(s)

III. Professional Development (30-33 credits)

Biology (4 credits required, including lab)

It is the student’s responsibility to determine which biology courses are required for the particular graduate schools they are interested in attending. Many schools require both BIOL 1610 /BIOL 1615 AND BIOL 1620 /BIOL 1625 .

Recommended Courses:
BIOL 1610 - Biology I 3 credit(s) and
BIOL 1615 - Biology I Laboratory 1 credit(s)
Recommended course sequence to complete in addition to take after BIOL 1610 & 1615:
BIOL 1620 - Biology II (BLS) 3 credit(s) and
BIOL 1625 - Biology II Laboratory 1 credit(s)
BIOL 2060 - Elementary Microbiology 4 credit(s)
BIOL 3060 - Principles of Genetics (QI) 3 credit(s)
BIOL 3300 - General Microbiology 4 credit(s)

Chemistry (10 credits required)

Required prequisite/co-requisite(s) to enroll in the chemistry courses:

Math ACT score of at least 25 or equivalent SAT Math score

MATH 1050 or higher (may be taken concurrently).
CHEM 1210 - Principles of Chemistry I 4 credit(s) and
CHEM 1215 - Chemical Principles Laboratory I 1 credit(s)
CHEM 1220 - Principles of Chemistry II (BPS) 4 credit(s) and
CHEM 1225 - Chemical Principles Laboratory II 1 credit(s)

Mathematics (2-4 credits) Choose one course

The math requirement in the KHS PrePT program is required for physics courses. Thus, any of the following will suffice. However, it is the student’s responsibility to determine which math course(s) may be required for the specific PT schools they intend to apply to.

Please note that AP Calculus credit is typically not acceptable for physical therapy school and/or other medical schools. Check the university catalog or academic advisor to verify prerequisites to enroll in the math course.

MATH 1060 - Trigonometry 2 credit(s)
MATH 1100 - Calculus Techniques (QL) 3 credit(s)
MATH 1210 - Calculus I (QL) 4 credit(s)

Statistics (3-4 credits) Choose one course

Check the university catalog or academic advisor to verify prerequisites to enroll in the statistic course.

STAT 2000 - Statistical Methods (QI) 4 credit(s)
STAT 2300 - Business Statistics (QL) 4 credit(s)
STAT 3000 - Statistics for Scientists (QI) 3 credit(s)

Physics (8 credits required)

MATH 1060 or MATH 1100 or MATH 1210 (only one of the three math required) must be completed before enrolling in PHYS 2110 and PHYS 2120 . Labs are required in the 4 credits for each course.

PHYS 2110 - General Physics - Life Sciences I 4 credit(s)
PHYS 2120 - General Physics - Life Sciences II (BPS) 4 credit(s)
PHYS 2210 and PHYS 2220 are also acceptable but are generally for math, science, engineering students.

Psychology (3 credits) Choose one course

PSY 1010 must be completed first before either course.

PSY 2100 - Developmental Psychology: Adolescence 3 credit(s)
PSY 2300 - Psychological Disorders 3 credit(s)

Additional Information

Some Physical Therapy (PT) or other graduate programs may require additional coursework for admission. Students can verify prerequisites for most PT programs they are interested in here: https://www.apta.org/cas/ptcas (physical therapy programs) or on individual program websites. Many PT schools could require specific prerequisite Math and Science courses to be completed (graded) before applying to their program. The GRE is also a possible prerequisite for PT school, but will vary and is subject to change. It is strongly recommended for students to utilize the USU Health Professions Advising for additional guidance on preparing for health profession programs.

Open Electives (0-15 estimated credits)

Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. Please consult your Academic Advisor for details.

Total Credits: 120

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