Pre-Allied Health/Pre-Physical Therapy Major

Department of Allied Health, Sport and Wellness

OVERVIEW

Prepare yourself for a rewarding, in-demand career where your knowledge and skills can help restore, maintain and promote mobility and physical wellness.

Baldwin Wallace's pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy is a rigorous major that prepares you for a multitude of allied health graduate studies, leading to a career in areas such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, athletic training, chiropractic, podiatry and nursing.

The program combines comprehensive coursework, theoretical study and practical experiences. It includes a strong science foundation, impressive lab and research opportunities, diverse clinical exposure and community outreach initiatives.

Real-world focused, the major helps you develop the interpersonal and professional skills needed for client-patient interaction, assessment and evaluation of client-patient needs, and integration of this information into a treatment plan.

Pre-Physical Therapy student experiences

Graduate School Partnerships

Baldwin Wallace's affiliation with the following universities offers a channel for admission into graduate school.

Chatham University

BW students receive a direct link to post-graduate physical therapy, occupational therapy and athletic training programs at Chatham University (Pittsburgh).

Ambassador Program at the University of St. Augustine (USA)

The faculty and staff of The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences provide support for students interested in attending an entry-level program in either occupational therapy or physical therapy at USA.

D'Youville College Partnership

BW's affiliation with D'Youville College (Buffalo, N.Y.) offers acceptance for up to 10 BW students a year who fulfill requirements for guaranteed admission into the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program.

Graduate Programs in Athletic Training

BW's articulation agreements offer acceptance for students that fulfill the requirements into a number of Master's of Athletic Training programs. Articulation agreements currently exist with:

Chatham University
Kent State University
Ohio University
University of Toledo
Xavier University
Youngstown State University

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

A bachelor's degree in pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy can prepare you for post-graduate education opportunities that include:

Athletic training
Chiropractic
Nursing
Occupational therapy
Physical therapy
Physician assistant
Podiatry

Projected job increase of 34 percent through 2024

In-Demand Career Field

According to the 2019 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the job growth for physical therapists, athletic trainers and occupational therapists is much faster than the average for all occupations (2019-2029).

BW Grad School Partners

BW partnerships with graduate programs can streamline your entry into graduate school.

infographic: 98 percent acceptance rate

Exceptional Acceptance Rate into DPT Programs

98% of BW pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy students applying to a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program are accepted.

Grad School Options

Well respected among graduate schools, BW's pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy major also has excellent placement rates in a wide range of programs, including occupational therapy, chiropractic, physical therapy, physician assistant and nursing. In addition to our graduate school partnerships, alumni attend graduate and post-professional programs at institutions such as Baldwin Wallace University, Youngstown State University, The Ohio State University, University of Pittsburgh, Northwestern University, Columbia University, Walsh University and others across the United States.

CURRICULUM

Offered as a major, pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy blends critical thinking and problem-solving skills with specialized coursework and hands-on learning. It includes a strong foundation of biology, chemistry and physics in preparation for the rigorous prerequisites required of professional allied health programs.

Pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy is an ideal companion major to the exercise science major or sport medicine minor.

The pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy major prepares students to:

Demonstrate mastery of principles of human anatomy and physiology as related to exercise, training and general health/wellness, including responses to injury
Demonstrate mastery of skills related to assessment of health, fitness, human movement, and performance
Analyze and interpret current scientific literature and evidence to create effective professional presentation of content
Demonstrate mastery of skills related to assessment and application of therapeutic modalities used in the care and treatment of physically active clients

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions, requirements for the major and additional information can be found in the University Catalog.

STUDENT EXPERIENCES

Student success is a top priority. Small class sizes, individual attention and faculty mentoring are at the core of BW's pre-allied health/pre-physical therapy major.

Experiential learning bridges classroom study with real-world opportunities. You can enhance your studies through internships, co-curricular activities and other learning opportunities that include:

STUDENT CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

Pre-Physical Therapy/Exercise Science Student Organization
The Pre-Physical Therapy/Exercise Science Student Organization is a student-led group. It provides students with educational opportunities to develop skills, enhance their knowledge of these professions and learn about the requirements for graduate and professional programs.

At the annual Honors Ceremony in the spring, recognitions include:

Bonnie Raye Graduate Scholarship (in honor Bonnie Raye, who taught at BW and was the women's basketball coach, 1980-89).
Dr. Lee J. Tressel Scholarship (in honor of Dr. Lee Tressel '48, who taught and was BW's football coach, 1957-80).
Hower-Stover Award (in honor of Dr. Marjorie Hower, who was a professor at BW, 1947-80, and Myrta Stover, who coached and taught at BW, 1943-68).