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Overview | Degree Requirements | Careers and Graduate School | Costs and Scholarships | Research and Engagement | Faculty
Overview
The pre-physical therapy program at UMN Morris will guide you through every stage of your undergraduate education to prepare you for graduate-level professional schooling in physical therapy. The academic rigor and interdisciplinary strength of a UMN Morris education will greatly enhance your physical therapy path. You’ll gain the knowledge, experience and support you need to be ready for graduate school.
As a student in the pre-physical therapy program at UMN Morris, you will pursue a major of your choosing. A specific undergraduate major is not required for pre-physical therapy, but you will need to complete prerequisite coursework from different academic programs. Physical therapy prerequisites align best with the biology and exercise science majors, but strong knowledge in the subjects of chemistry, mathematics, physics, psychology, and statistics is needed.
UMN Morris also has an early assurance agreement with the UMN Twin Cities physical therapy doctorate program. This means that as a pre-physical therapy student at UMN Morris, you will have the opportunity to receive an early assurance commitment to the doctor of physical therapy program at the UMN Twin Cities Medical School. You can apply to the early assurance program during spring semester of your first year.
Degree Requirements
Graduation Requirements
As a UMN Morris student following the pre-physical therapy track, you will need to complete the degree requirements for your chosen major. Pre-physical therapy itself is not a major or minor at UMN Morris. Rather, it is an academic program to guide you on your path to graduate school while you pursue your undergraduate degree.
As part of a well-rounded liberal arts education, UMN Morris offers courses across different disciplines that will help prepare you for graduate schooling in physical therapy. Be sure to work with your academic adviser to ensure proper course planning.
Suggested Courses
The following courses (descriptions can be found in the course catalog) meet the requirements for most physical therapy doctorate programs.
- BIOL 1111. Fundamentals of Genetics, Evolution, and Development
- BIOL 2111. Cell Biology
- BIOL 2102. Human Anatomy
- BIOL 2103. Human Physiology
- CHEM 1101. General Chemistry I
- CHEM 1102. General Chemistry II
- MATH 1021. Survey of Calculus
- PSY 1051. Introduction to Psychology
- PSY 2411. Lifespan Developmental Psychology
- PSY 3313. Psychopathology
- PHYS 1101. General Physics I
- PHYS 1102. General Physics II
- STAT 1601. Introduction to Statistics
General Education Requirements (Morris Core)
The University of Minnesota and its faculty are committed to providing an education that invites you to investigate the world from new perspectives, learn new ways of thinking, and grow as an active citizen and lifelong learner. The University’s general education requirements (Morris Core) are designed to be integrated throughout your four-year undergraduate experience. These courses provide you an opportunity to explore fields outside your major and complement your major curriculum with a multidisciplinary perspective.
Learn more about UMN Morris General Education Requirements (Morris Core)
Transferring Credit
Put your credits to work for you at UMN Morris, where you’ll earn a degree from a highly ranked public liberal arts university.
Careers and Graduate School
Careers
As a physical therapist, you will work closely with patients to repair their bodies, educate them about the anatomy of a specific problem, train them to accurately and effectively perform therapeutic exercises, and encourage their compliance with treatment. Physical therapists can choose from a wide range of professional settings and clientele, including:
- Clinics treating sports and orthopedic injuries
- Facilities specializing in workplace injuries
- Hospitals assisting patients with recuperation from surgeries, illnesses, strokes or other neurological events that limit function
- Schools working with children who have neurological or orthopedic disabilities
- Rehabilitation facilities helping people return home after illness or injury
- Nursing homes providing intensive therapy to residents who need improved function to achieve a higher quality of life
Graduate School
Having a UMN Morris degree will set you up for success when it’s time to take the next steps for graduate or professional school. UMN Morris pre-professional graduates have gone on to be accepted at many graduate schools. The physical therapy doctorate program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is the most common path that UMN Morris graduates take. If planning to attend graduate school elsewhere, you may need to familiarize yourself with the specific application requirements of that school, many of which use the physical therapist centralized application service.
Admission to physical therapy programs is very competitive; primary standards require a minimum GPA of 3.0. Exposure to a physical therapy setting through volunteer work or employment (minimum of 100 hours) is a prerequisite for admission for many schools.
Costs and Scholarships
Costs at a Glance
The University of Minnesota Morris is a national public liberal arts college committed to making a high-quality education available to students from across the country. Expenses for housing, meals, books and supplies, transportation, loan fees, and personal expenditures can vary.
Use our net price calculator to estimate your cost of attendance
Scholarships
A variety of scholarhips are available to students.
Research and Engagement
Research
At UMN Morris, you’ll be able to do hands-on, undergraduate research. As a small-town campus with a Big 10 research university affiliation, UMN Morris is uniquely situated to provide beyond-the-classroom healthcare learning opportunities.
Engagement
Admissions boards want to know whether or not you really understand what it means to work in a medical field. At UMN Morris, you may be able to volunteer or work at a local healthcare facility, or even shadow local healthcare professionals. Thanks to strong relationships between UMN Morris and local medical providers, you may shadow medical professionals at the Stevens Community Medical Center. Many local physical therapy patients receive care right on campus at the Regional Fitness Center.
UMN Morris has an extensive Community Engagement office that can help you find related opportunities in Morris or the surrounding community. There are also several great service learning opportunities, many of which provide course credit.
