Widener offers students three different ways to prepare for a graduate program in physical therapy.

1. Students may choose any major while taking the prerequisite courses for a graduate Physical Therapy Program. During their last two years of undergraduate study, they work with the pre-medical advisor, Dr. Theodore O’Tanyi, to prepare their application for the Widener Physical Therapy Program (4+3 program) or for other physical therapy programs of their choice.



2. Students may be offered admission into the Guaranteed 3+3 Program for Pre-Physical Therapy students, when they apply for admission as undergraduates. A limited number of freshmen are admitted each year to the Guaranteed Three-Plus-Three Program, which assures the student a seat in Widener’s graduate Physical Therapy Program. Special three-year curriculum ladders enable undergraduate students to major in anthropology, behavioral science, biology, psychology, or sociology to complete prerequisite course work so as to be able to apply for admission to Widener’s graduate Physical Therapy Program during their junior year. Those students accepted into the graduate program through the Three-Plus-Three option begin the physical therapy curriculum in the fall of their fourth year of study at the university. Students following these curriculum ladders must meet all requirements of their selected undergraduate major as well as all general education requirements. Students who successfully complete the prescribed program of study are guaranteed a seat in Widener University’s graduate Physical Therapy Program.
   
   The curriculum ladders listed below will help students understand the Guaranteed Three-Plus-Three requirements:
   • Pre-Physical Therapy Anthropology Curriculum
   • Pre-Physical Therapy Biology Curriculum
   • Pre-Physical Therapy Psychology Curriculum
   • Pre-Physical Therapy Sociology Curriculum
   • Pre-Physical Therapy Behavioral Science Curriculum
   
   
3. To remain a part of the guaranteed program, the student must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 while pursuing one of the pre-physical therapy curriculum ladders shown above. In addition, the student must complete all of the specific courses required for admission to the graduate Physical Therapy Program with a minimum grade of B- and must meet periodically with a physical therapy faculty member designated as the professional education advisor. Students who fail to meet these requirements can still apply for admission to the graduate Physical Therapy Program, but will compete for admission with applicants from outside the University.
   
   By the fall of the student’s junior year, he or she must complete all required volunteer work in physical therapy practice sites. The student must also submit, by January 30, one letter of recommendation and the responses to the essay questions. The letter of recommendation and the responses to the essay questions must meet the existing standards for all applicants to the program. The two additional letters of recommendation and scores on the Graduate Record Examination that are required of all other applicants to the program, are waived for applicants who are in good standing in the Guaranteed Pre-Physical Therapy Program at the time of application.
   
   The courses that the Three-Plus-Three students take during the first year of the physical therapy program count toward requirements for the baccalaureate degree and toward requirements for the graduate physical therapy degree. The baccalaureate degree in anthropology, behavioral science, biology, psychology, or sociology is conferred upon completion of the first year of graduate study.
   
   In addition to the Three-Plus-Three program, Widener offers an alternative Four-Plus-Three program for pre-physical therapy students. The Four-Plus-Three option provides for a less intensive schedule of courses, therby increasing the opportunity for students to broaden their undergraduate experiences and to complete the program successfully. Curriculum ladders for majors in anthropology, behavioral science, biology, psychology, and sociology include the prerequisite course work to be considered for admission to Widener University’s graduate Physical Therapy Program. The requirements for remaining a part of this program are the same as those described above in the section on the Three-Plus-Three admissions program. In this program, however, students apply for admission to the graduate program in their senior year. By the fall of the senior year, the student must complete all required volunteer work. He or she must also submit by January 30 of the senior year a complete application to the graduate Physical Therapy Program, including one letter of recommendation and responses to the essay questions.
   
   Students pursuing the Guaranteed Three-Plus-Three or Four-Plus-Three Program for Physical Therapy students should consult with the advisors in the graduate Physical Therapy Program, in addition to their science or social science faculty advisor.