BS in Premedical and Health Studies/Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) with Simmons College (Professional Pathway)
Boston
Overview
This articulation agreement with Simmons College provides a vehicle for students interested in physical therapy to earn the Bachelor of Science degree (BS) from MCPHS and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT) from Simmons College. The U.S. News and World Report has ranked the professional Physical Therapy program at Simmons among the top 25 in the country.
Students have the option of two different pathways into the DPT program, which are listed in detail below. The curriculum is designed to educate students in the areas of health promotion, disease prevention, and rehabilitation.
Option 1: Complete three years at MCPHS and three years at Simmons. A student will complete three years of undergraduate work at MCPHS in the Premedical and Health Studies program. After their third year, they transfer to Simmons. After completing their first year at Simmons, students will earn their BS degree in Premedical and Health Studies from MCPHS, while continuing in the Simmons DPT program. After two additional years of coursework, the DPT degree is awarded.
Option 2: Complete four years at MCPHS and three years at Simmons. Complete the BS degree in Premedical and Health Studies (four years) at MCPHS and enter Simmons DPT program after earning the BS degree.
Students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program attend classes on the Simmons campus and at Harvard Medical School for Advanced Human Anatomy. More than 200 affiliated clinical sites, located across the country, provide students with the opportunity to participate in the practice of physical therapy under the mentorship of skilled clinicians.
To be eligible for the Simmons program, students must substitute Bio 110 and 210 (Anatomy and Physiology I and II) in the third year in lieu of electives and also substitute a course in exercise physiology for Genetics (this course is available at Simmons through COF cross-registration). The curriculum below is a sample illustration; program advisors will assist students with curriculum choices in years three and four.
Admission to the Simmons Doctor of Physical Therapy program is contingent upon the student achieving an overall 3.00 gpa (including courses taken outside MCPHS) and a 3.30 gpa in science prerequisites (Che 131, Che 132, Phy 270, Phy 273. Bio 110, Bio 210, Mat 261, Lib 120, a Behavioral Science course, and Exercise Physiology). Audit and Pass/Fail courses are not permitted. Students must also complete thirty hours of paid or volunteer experience by the end of the third year. They must also earn minimum SAT scores of 500 on each section if taken prior to March 2005; or minimum scores of 500 in the Math, Critical Reading, and Writing sections and a score of 4 in the essay (if taken) for SATs taken after March 2005; or a composite ACT score of 22.