Sacred Heart UniversityOffice of Graduate Admissions5151 Park Avenue | Fairfield, CT 06825www.sacredheart.edu/graduate

FOR MORE INFORMATION:Visit www.sacredheart.edu/gradcounselor, or call 203-365-7619 to find the dedicated admissions representative in charge of your program.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The doctoral program in physical therapy prepares graduates for professional practice as general practitioners who are self-di-rected, lifelong learners. Graduates will gain an understanding of self in the context of the professional role, competency in clinical practice, a commitment to the application of professional skills, knowledge of self in service to others and a commitment to cre-ating positive change within the greater community.

Sacred Heart University (SHU) offers a graduate program of study leading to a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT). The DPT is a clinical doctoral degree that prepares graduates to enter the physical therapy profession and should be distinguished from an academic doctoral degree earned through advanced graduate study, such as a Ph.D., Ed.D., Sc.D. or D.Sc. The DPT is a first professional degree and is not intended to prepare graduates for careers in research or academia, although physical therapists with a DPT may choose to pursue these goals through further graduate study. Program applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and have completed the necessary prerequisites to be eligible for admission to the program.

The graduate program is a three-year course of study available on a full-time basis only, in order to allow for professional socialization and the integration of coursework. There are four separate full-time clinical education experiences that total 38 weeks (one eight-week and three 10-week) and are embedded in the three-year course of study.

THE PROFESSION

The primary objective of physical therapy is to promote optimum movement in people across the life span. As defined by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), physical therapy aims to transform society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience. Physical therapists use their knowledge, skills and expertise to optimize movement, to promote health and wellness, to mitigate the progression of impairments and to prevent additional disability.

Doctor of Physical TherapyCOLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS

THE FACULTY

The department includes 19 exceptional faculty members with more than 100 years of aggregate teaching experi-ence. Faculty are well established in the PT community and are nationally recog nized for scholarship, service to the pro-fession and teaching excel lence. Faculty credentials include: nine academic doctorates, 10 clinical doctorates, graduate degrees in business administration and public health, one fellow of the APTA Education Leadership Institute, one Fulbright Scholar, one Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists, 13 board cer-tifications from the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties and one certification as a lymphedema therapist. Dr. Christopher Petrosino, PT, PhD, Chair of Department of Physical Therapy & Human Movement Science, joined Sacred Heart University in July 2017 returning to a Program Director position after 7 years in university administration as a Dean and Associate Academic Vice President. Chris has 7 years of experience as a Program Director and 8 years of experience as an Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education in his 22 years as an academician. Prior to joining the academy, Chris was a physical therapist working inside Steel Mills in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania in the roles of Manager of Industrial Medicine and senior physical therapist for a hospital system. Chris has held various lead-ership positions in the APTA at the regional and national levels and is currently on the APTA Nominating Committee. In addition to his administrative duties, he has taught cours-es in research, evidence based practice, professional issues, business administration, practice management and clinical sciences. For a full listing of the accomplishments and specializations of our faculty, please visit our website: www.sacredheart.edu/dpt.

Integrated Clinical Experiences:Structured clinical activities integrated into classes during each of the first four academic semesters help students understand the practical application of semester content, as well as facilitate the process of professional development.

Service Learning and Community Service OpportunitiesStudents have opportunities across the curriculum to engage in service learning experiences and community outreach both domestic and international. Faculty and students have opportunities to collaborate on week long international service learning experiences in Guatemala, sustained service activities across a period of time, and individual day service projects.

Special Projects: Students complete two special projects during the program. The capstone experience occurs during the fourth and fifth semesters and is the culmination of the evidence in practice and patient-based portion of the curriculum. The community practice project occurs during the fifth semester. Each special project develops the students’ ability to access, interpret, synthesize and apply relevant research literature to patient or practice situations.

Rankings: SHU’s DPT program was ranked as the number one PT program in the state of Connecticut in the most recent U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools. This also places the DPT program in the top five programs in New England and among the top 25 percent in the nation.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) design:PBL places emphasis on the development of a reflective practitioner by teaching students to learn from and solve clinical problems. Curriculum is organized around carefully designed patient or professional practice problems that students study, discuss and research in small groups called tutorials.

Students develop the ability to identify, organize and synthesize materials relevant to each case in a self-directed manner that indicates responsibility for one’s own learning, as well as the learning of the group. The tutorial group work develops reasonable interdependence among students and supports the use of peers in learning and problem solving.

Prospective students should consider themselves comfortable with this highly interactive, small-group-focused learning style. Clinical supervisors and employers of our graduates have acknowledged a clinical readiness in terms of independence in clinical decision-making, efficiency in practice and self-directive in professional development that is important for today’s practitioner.

UNIQUE PROGRAM ATTRIBUTES

The new Center for Healthcare Education encompasses 120,000 square feet of exceptional learning facilities in a three-story building on 8.7 acres and includes: Multi-professional education practices, state-of-the-art laboratory and classroom facilities, life and sport analysis clinic, enhanced athletic training, human performance and motional analysis labs, a multipurpose amphitheater and more!

THE NEW CENTER FOR HEALTHCARE EDUCATION

Sacred Heart UniversityOffice of Graduate Admissions5151 Park Avenue | Fairfield, CT 06825www.sacredheart.edu/graduate

FOR MORE INFORMATION:Visit www.sacredheart.edu/gradcounselor, or call 203-365-7619 to find the dedicated admissions representative in charge of your program.

THE EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK:

The APTA reports that approximately 198,000 physical therapists practice in the United States today. The job market is strong for physical therapists. Long-term employment prospects appear good as physical therapists become increasingly involved with growing segments of the population in need of healthcare services, such as the elderly, children with special needs and health services in rural and urban settings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income of a salaried, full-time physical therapist is approximately $85,400 depending on experience and location.

ACCREDITATION

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Sacred Heart University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). http://www.capteonline.org * must have been completed within the past 10 years

PREREQUISITE COURSE GUIDELINES:

Matriculation into the DPT program requires the successful completion of undergraduate prerequisite courses (see descriptions) prior to beginning the DPT program in August.

All science prerequisite courses must be taken at a four-year regionally accredited institution. Science prerequisite courses taken at a two-year community college will not be accepted. AP course credit from high school is accepted by the undergraduate institution and satisfies the prerequisite requirements regardless of where the course was taken. However, AP course grades do not factor into the prerequisite GPA calculation.

BIOLOGY | 8 credits. Two semesters of college biology with laboratories, to include: cell biology, energetics, genetics and evolution. Organismal functions should be studied, including active transport systems, nutrition, control of internal environment, hormonal and neural control and reproduction. (SHU equivalent: BI 111/113, BI 112/114)

GENERAL CHEMISTRY | 8 credits. A two-semester college sequence with laboratories, which includes: laws and theories of chemistry, atomic and molecular structure, chemical bonding and acid/base theories. Principles of thermodynamics and electrochemistry, ionic relationships and basic concepts of biochemistry should be included. A semester of inorganic and a semester of organic chemistry, each with laboratories, will also fulfill the requirement. (SHU equivalent: CH 151/153, CH 152/154)

HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY | 8 credits.* (Completed within the past 10 years.) A two-semester college sequence with laboratories, to include: (one) systemic human anatomy of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurosensory/motor, respiratory, digestive, excretory and integumentary organ systems; and (two) systemic human physiology of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurosensory/motor, respiratory, digestive, excretory and integumentary organ systems. (SHU equivalent: BI 206/208, BI 207/209)

GENERAL PHYSICS | 8 credits. A two-semester college sequence with laboratories, to include: vectors and forces, linear and angular acceleration, concepts of work and energy including such basic instruments as levers and pulleys and mechanical and thermal properties of matter. Topics of vibration, light and sound wave forms, electricity, magnetism and properties of electromagnetic fields should also be included. (SHU equivalent: PY 111/113, PY 112/114)

MATH | 3-4 credits. A one-semester course of precalculus level math or above to prepare students for the concepts of physics described above. Concepts should include at least set theory, symbolic logic, algebraic functions, polynomial and rational functions and analytic trigonometry. (SHU equivalent: MA 140)

STATISTICS | 3-4 credits.* (Completed within the past 10 years.) A one-semester course in probability and elementary statistics to include: descriptive and inferential statistics such as concepts of distribution, central tendency, variation and consideration of both parametric and non-parametric tests. (SHU equivalent: MA 131)

PSYCHOLOGY | 6-8 credits. Two semesters of psychology, including general or introductory psychology and a second course of the student’s choice.

“Our program was ranked the number one PT program in Connecticut, one of the top five programs in New England and among

the top 25 percent of programs in the nation according to the most recent U.S.News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools.”

Sacred Heart UniversityOffice of Graduate Admissions5151 Park Avenue | Fairfield, CT 06825www.sacredheart.edu/graduate

FOR MORE INFORMATION:Visit www.sacredheart.edu/gradcounselor, or call 203-365-7619 to find the dedicated admissions representative in charge of your program.

ADMISSION PROCESS

External Applicants: Please apply early as it does take some time for you to collect your supporting application materials and for the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) to verify your application. Academically qualified applicants will be invited to campus for an interview. Interviews are by appointment on specified dates in January and February for the incoming Fall class. Acceptance notification will be made by March 1. Each professional class will be comprised of approximately 68 students. SHU Undergraduate 3+3 and 4+3 students: Completed graduate applications are due by September 15 of your junior year (3+3) or September 15 of your senior year (4+3) and you will be notified in October if you have been invited to interview in November or December. Prerequisite and overall GPAs will be calculated based on course work completed prior to September 15th and used to make interview decisions. Acceptance notification will be made by March 1st. Each professional class will be comprised of approximately 68 students.

Connecticut Campuses: Fairfield, Griswold and Stamford Graduate Center

International Campuses: Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

SHU FAST FACTSThe Princeton Review includes SHU in its The Best 381 Colleges: 2017 and Best 294 Business Schools: 2017 and U.S. News & World Report recognized SHU as one of the best regional universities in the North in its 2016 “America’s Best Colleges” publication, making it one of the top New England liberal arts colleges.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

An applicant for admission to the graduate physical therapy program must submit:

• Complete an online application: External/Non-SHU, complete: https://portal.ptcas.org/ SHU Undergraduates complete: http://apply.sacredheart.edu

• Two letters of recommendation (one from a past employer, one from an academic source)

• Two required essay questions

• Official transcripts of all previous college or university work

• Official GRE score report: When applying through PTCAS, please indicate code 7001 to have your GREs sent to Liaison International. GREs are required for candidates applying for Fall 2019 entry and beyond

Arrange for your PTCAS materials to be sent to:

PTCAS, PO Box 9112 Watertown, MA 02471 ptcasinfo@ptcas.org Tel: 617-612-2040

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Student loans, deferred payment plans and a variety of other programs are available through the Office of Student Financial Assistance. For links to the FAFSA and Graduate Confidential forms please visit the Student Financial Assistance website.

Once you e-submit your completed PTCAS application, login frequently to check on the status of your materials.

Applicants for Fall 2019 and Fall 2020 entry:

• Completion of an undergraduate degree and all prerequisite courses

• Undergraduate and prerequisite GPA of 3.2 or higher

• No grade lower than a “C” in any prerequisite courses. Grades from one repeated course will be permitted for use in prerequisite GPA calculation. All science prerequisite courses must be taken at a regionally accredited 4-year institution

• Observation of PT practice in two clinical practice settings for a minimum of 50 hours total

• Official GRE score report (no minimum score)

• Successful completion of the Admission Interview

Applicants for Fall 2021 entry and beyond:

• Completion of an undergraduate degree and all prerequisite courses

• Undergraduate and prerequisite GPA of 3.3 or higher

• No grade lower than a “C” in any prerequisite courses. Grades from one repeated course will be permitted for use in prerequisite GPA calculation. All science prerequisite courses must be taken at a regionally accredited 4-year institution

• Observation of PT practice in two clinical practice settings for a minimum of 50 hours total

• Official GRE score report with scores greater or equal to 25th percentile in each section

• Successful completion of the Admission Interview