Pre-Physical Therapy

You’ve always had a fascination with the health sciences and a desire to help others. Wheaton’s pre-physical therapy academic track will help prepare you for a career helping patients overcome pain, improve their motor skills and functionality, and live a better life. You’ll gain knowledge and skills through courses like biology, anatomy and physiology, physics, statistics, chemistry, psychology needed for entry into graduate physical therapy programs. Internships and other experiential opportunities in Wheaton’s top-notch laboratories and in healthcare centers and clinics will ground your knowledge with practice.

Minimum number of courses: 11

The below courses are meant to serve as a guide for most schools, but may lack some specific requirements as they are updated by the professions and individual schools. Check with the specific school. The course prerequisites for admission vary significantly across PT education programs. Visit the institution’s website or the program pages on the PTCAS site to determine what courses are required by each institution.  There are over 200 PT programs nationwide.

One general Biology course 

Bio 114: Introduction to Biological Sciences

Two other Biology courses 

Bio 106: Human Anatomy
Bio 244: Introductory Physiology

Two general Chemistry courses 

Chem 153: Chemical Principles (equivalent of “General Chemistry I”)
Chem 232:  Aqueous Equilibria (equivalent of “General Chemistry II”)

Two Physics courses 

Phys 170:  Introductory Physics I
Phys 171:  Introductory Physics II

One Statistics course  

Math 141: Statistics
Psy 141: Statistics for the Social Sciences
Soc 141: Statistics for the Social Sciences

Two Psychology courses 

Psy 101: Introductory Psychology

Another Psychology course from:
Psy 203: Child Development
Psy 233: Lifespan Development

Note: Some PT schools require one or more specific Psychology courses.  

Physical Therapy (PT) Curricular Path (pdf)

Pre-Health Faculty Advising

Working with a dedicated Pre-Health Faculty Advisor, students interested in pre-health can expect individualized curricular sequencing guidance, career advice and coaching, and pre-application support for graduate and medical schools. Pre-health career students can also access a wide array of internship and shadowing opportunities that are regularly shared by the Pre-Health Faculty Advisor.

Students applying to pre-health graduate programs receive graduate school selection guidance and support, personal statement guidance, interview preparation, feedback on application materials, and testing guidance and testing preparation for GRE/MCAT/DAT/PCAT.

Medical school applicants are supported at Wheaton College through the Pre-Health Advisor and the work of an interdisciplinary committee of staff and faculty. Wheaton College’s Pre-Health Advisor is Hilary Gaudet, Ph.D.