Minimum Qualifications
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Bachelor's Degree
Students must have completed a baccalaureate degree prior to June 30th.
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Meet GPA requirements
Have a minimum, cumulative and pre-requisite GPA of a 3.0 to be considered during the applicant screening process.
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Complete pre-requisite courses
All prerequisite courses must be completed within the last 10 years with a minimum grade of a "C" or above. All laboratory classes with the exception of those taken in 2020 must have been completed in-person. A list of prerequisite courses is available at the bottom of the page. Click here for detailed information.
Application
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Apply to the program
Program applications are submitted through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). As part of the PTCAS application, students are required to complete a PTCAS essay. The applicant's response to the PTCAS essay will be assessed by the admissions team.
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Submit three letters of recommendation
Letters of Recommendation are submitted with the PTCAS application. Recommendations from physical therapists, other health care professionals, current or former professors, pre-professional academic advisors and/or a work supervisor will be accepted. Recommendations will not be accepted from family, friends or clergy. We require one recommendation from a physical therapist.
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Provide official transcripts
Transcripts are submitted with the PTCAS application. If you have outstanding coursework and are accepted to the program you will have to submit an official transcript to the program once the coursework is complete if it is not updated in PTCAS.
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Complete shadowing hours
A minimum of 40 total shadowing hours are required. The hours should be obtained under the direct supervision of a licensed physical therapist in at least two settings (e.g. Acute Care, Outpatient, Long-Term Rehabilitation Center, etc.).
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Complete supplemental questions
Answer the supplemental questions for Colorado Mesa University in PTCAS. The applicant's responses to the supplemental questions will be assessed by the admissions team. The program gives slight preference to Colorado Mesa University graduates and Colorado residents particularly those who are from and intend to stay on the Western Slope after graduation.
Course Pre-Requisites
- One course in anatomy with lab
- One course in physiology with lab
- OR a two-course sequence in anatomy & physiology with lab
- Two courses in biological sciences, preferably with lab (not botany)
- Two courses in general chemistry with lab (NOTE: Gen Chem NOT Intro to Chem)
- Two courses in general physics with lab (Calc based not necessary)
- One course in psychology
- One course in statistics
No more than 2 pre-requisite courses should be outstanding at the time of the application and must be completed by June 30th. Courses must be taken from a regionally-accredited US Higher Education institution and be verifiable through official transcripts. Science lab courses with the exception of those taken in 2020 must be in-person. All prerequisite courses must have been completed in the last 10 years.
Vaccination Policy
*Please note, a medical exemption waiver could impact the availability of clinical placements resulting in delayed progression in the educational curriculum.
Effective April 25, 2023, Colorado Mesa University has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone: 703-706-3245; email: [email protected]). If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 970-248-2266 or email [email protected].
Candidate for Accreditation is an accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program may matriculate students in technical/professional courses. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status does not assure that the program will be granted Initial Accreditation.
Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT; www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT's website).