DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology Pre-Physical Therapy Major

 

Special curricula are available in both the Department of Psychology and the Department of Zoological and Biomedical Sciences for individuals who plan to apply to a professional school of physical therapy. The curriculum offered by the Department of Psychology is heavily oriented toward coursework in psychology and the natural sciences.

The following program will not prepare you to complete a degree in biological sciences. If you are not accepted into the physical therapy program but desire to pursue a career in medicine or certain allied health fields, you should consider a major from the programs offered in biological sciences and chemistry, or from those offered through the College of Health and Human Services.

Students should include the following among the courses they complete.

Freshman :

  • CHEM 121, 122, 123* Principles of Chemistry
  • ENG 151 or 152 or 153 Freshman Composition
  • MATH 163A or 266A or 263A Calculus
  • PSY 101 General Psychology
  • PSY 221 Statistics
  • PT 259A & B Introduction to Physical Therapy
  • SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
  • BIOS 170, 171 Introduction to Zoology



Sophomore-Junior :

  • PHYS 201, 202, 203 Introduction to Physics
  • PSY 226 Research Methods
  • PSY 273 Child and Adolescent Psychology
  • PSY 312 Physiological Psychology
  • PSY 332 Abnormal Psychology
  • BIOS 301A & B Human Anatomy (soph)
  • BIOS 345, 346 Human Physiology and Lab (soph)
  • BIOS 445, 446 or PESS 414, 415 Physiology of Exercise, Lab
  • PHIL 130 Introduction to Ethics or PHIL 331 Moral Problems in Medicine
  • ENG 305J Technical Writing (jr) or ENG 308J Advanced Composition (jr)



Junior-Senior :

  • PSY 374 Adulthood and Aging
  • one of:
    PSY 201 Sensation and Perception
    PSY 203 Learning
    PSY 304 Human Learning
    PSY 308 Human Judgment and Decision Making
    PSY 327 Human Psychophysiology
     
  • one of:
    PSY 233 Psychology of Personality
    PSY 351 Clinical and Counseling Psychology
    PSY 380 Psychology of Health and Illness
    PSY 430 Psychoactive Drugs
     
  • one of:
    PSY 315 Behavior Genetics and Individual Differences
    PSY 376 Psychological Disorders of Childhood
    PSY 378 Psychology of Gender
     
  • two of:
    PSY 261 Industrial and Organizational Psychology
    PSY 336 Social Psychology
    PSY 337 Social Psychology Of Justice


 

 Recommended :

  • BIOS 352 Biomechanics  or PESS 302 Biomechanics (must be section for pre-physical therapy majors) 
  • HLTH 230 Medical Terminology