Reserved Seat Programs
Three-Plus-Three Reserved Seat Program
Undergraduate students may major in a variety of majors offered in the College of Arts and Sciences to complete prerequisite coursework so as to be able to gain admission to Widener’s graduate physical therapy program during their junior year. Because of the intense demands of these curricula, the three-plus-three admissions program is recommended only for students with a record of outstanding academic achievement at the high school level.
Those students accepted into the graduate program through this option begin the physical therapy curriculum in the summer after their third year of study at the university. Students following these curricula must meet all requirements of their selected major as described in the sections of this catalog pertaining to the Science, Social Science, and Humanities Divisions. Students following these curricula must also satisfy the general education requirements. Please see the relevant sections of this catalog for details. Students who successfully complete the prescribed program of study and meet the prescribed requirements outlined in the reserved seat agreement retain a reserved seat in Widener’s graduate physical therapy program.
To remain a part of the reserved seat program, the student’s prescribed requirements include maintaining an overall GPA of 3.0. In addition, the student must complete all of the specific courses required for admission to the graduate physical therapy program at Widener University with a minimum grade of B (this does not include a B-). Students must also have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher by the end of the fall semester prior to matriculating into the graduate program. Students who fail to meet these requirements can still apply for admission to the graduate physical therapy program. See “Alternative Admission” to the graduate physical therapy program.
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 submit by November 15 of the junior year a complete set of supplemental materials required by the graduate physical therapy program, including one letter of recommendation from a physical therapist, the transcript analysis form, and confirmation/documentation of at least 40 volunteer hours in physical therapy. The letter of recommendation and documentation of volunteer hours must meet the existing standards for all applicants to the physical therapy program.
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 their undergraduate major is conferred upon completion of the first year of graduate study. Students pursuing a pre-physical therapy pathway should consult regularly with an advisor in the physical therapy program in the School of Human Service Professions in addition to their science, social science, or humanities faculty advisor.
Four-Plus-Three Reserved Seat Program
In addition to the three-plus-three program, Widener University offers the four-plus-three program for pre-physical therapy students. The four-plus-three program provides for a less intensive schedule of courses, thereby increasing the opportunity for students to broaden their undergraduate experiences and to complete the program successfully. The College of Arts and Sciences has identified a variety of majors compatible with the pre-physical therapy four-plus-four program. The requirements and curricula information are described in the science, social science, and humanities areas of the Colleges of Arts and Science section of this catalog. The requirements for remaining a part of this program are the same as those described above in the section on the three-plus-three program. Students who successfully complete the prescribed program of study and meet the prescribed requirements retain a reserved seat in Widener University’s graduate physical therapy program. Students who fail to meet the requirements for this program can still apply to the graduate physical therapy program. See the section on “Alternate Admission to the Graduate Physical Therapy Program” below.
In this program, students apply for admission to the graduate physical therapy program in their senior year. By the fall of the senior year, the student must complete all required volunteer work in physical therapy practice sites. The student must submit by November 15 of the senior year a complete set of supplemental materials required by the graduate physical therapy program, including one letter of recommendation from a physical therapist, the transcript analysis form, and confirmation/documentation of at least 40 volunteer hours in physical therapy. The letter of recommendation and documentation of volunteer hours must meet the existing standards for all applicants to the physical therapy program.
Students pursuing these pathways should consult regularly with their science, social science, or humanities faculty advisor.
Alternate Admission to the Graduate Physical Therapy Program
Students who fail to meet the requirements for continuing in either the three-plus-three or four-plus-three reserved seat program may apply for admission to the graduate physical therapy program in the regular admissions cycle. For more information on admission to the graduate physical therapy program via the regular admissions process, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies at gel@widener.edu. All applicants that are not in the Widener reserved seat programs must apply via the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). Review the physical thereapy website for details, www.widener.edu/ipte.