Admission Criteria | Prerequisites | Application Materials

Courses
Prerequisite courses are expressed in terms of semesters. Three quarter courses are regarded as the equivalent of two semester courses. Ideally, required science and math courses will have been taken within five years of application. Science and math courses taken before that time will be considered as meeting requirements for prerequisites but may weaken an applicant's potential for admission.

Science Prerequisites
(must have lab components and qualify for majoring in the sciences) 
General Biology
Human Anatomy*
Human Physiology*
Two semester courses of Chemistry
Two semester sequence of General Physics

Other Prerequisites
Applied Statistics
Calculus**
Introductory Psychology
Developmental or Abnormal Psychology

* Or a year of human anatomy/physiology combined.
** Pre-calculus does not satisfy this prerequisite. Calculus for mathematics, engineering, or natural science is preferred, but business calculus is accepted.

Advanced Placement credit courses must appear on a college transcript to be considered for satisfaction of a prerequisite.

Course descriptions for prerequisite courses as taught at UIC are provided here to assist you in selecting courses at your chosen school and to assist your local school counselors in advising you on which courses to take that are most likely to be equivalent to the prerequisite courses.

Introductory Psychology Requirement
PSCH 100 Survey of basic concepts of contemporary psychology. Introduction to the nervous system, perception, motivation, learning and memory, social behavior, personality, developmental and clinical psychology. Participation in research.

Abnormal or Developmental Psychology Requirement
PSCH 270 Abnormal Psychology Survey course covering the assessment, description, causes, and treatments of many psychological disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis, sexual dysfunction and personality disorders.
PSCH 320 Developmental Psychology Analysis of research and theory concerning social, cognitive, and biopsychological aspects of human development

Statistics Requirement
PSCH 242 Introduction to Research in Psychology Techniques and problems associated with the study of behavior. Emphasis on measurement, descriptive statistics, and the principles of experimental design. Exercises involving data collection. Participation in research.

General Biology Requirement
BIOS 100 Biology of Cells and Organisms Processes of cellular and organismic function. Cell structure, respiration, photosynthesis, molecular genetics and development, structure and physiology of plants and animals. Lecture, laboratory and discussion.

Human Anatomy & Human Physiology Requirements
MVSC 251/252 Human Physiological Anatomy I and II (only available to Movement Science majors)
MVSC 251 The structure and function of mammalian cells and tissues and human skeletal, muscular and nervous systems are discussed. Integrating the functions of the various systems is emphasized.
MVSC 252 The structure and function of the human endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, sensory, and reproductive systems are discussed. Integrating the functions of the various systems is emphasized.

General Chemistry Requirement
CHEM 112/114 General College Chemistry I and II
CHEM 112 Stoichiometry, periodicity, reaction types, the gaseous state, solution stoichiometry, chemical equilibria, acid-base equilibria, dissolution-precipitation equilibria. Includes a weekly three-hour laboratory.
CHEM 114 Phase transitions, thermochemistry, spontaneity and equilibrium, electrochemistry, kinetics, bonding theory, order and symmetry in condensed phases, coordination compounds, descriptive chemistry.

Calculus Requirement
MATH 180 Calculus I Differentiation, curve sketching, maximum-minimum problems, related rates, mean-value theorem, antiderivative, Riemann integral, logarithm, and exponential functions.

General Physics Requirement
PHYS 105/106 and PHYS 107/108 Introductory Physics I & II
PHYS 105/106 A non-calculus course. Kinematics; Newton's laws; momentum; work and energy; torque and angular momentum; rotational dynamics; gravitation; oscilliations; waves physical; optics; relativity.
PHYS 107/108 A non-calculus course. Electrostatics; electric current; magnetism; Farady's law; Maxwell's relations; electromagnetic radiation; geometric optics: quantum mechanics; the Heisenberg uncertainty principle; Bohr model; nuclear and particle physics.

Clinical Experiences
The three required physical therapy experiences may be observation, volunteer, or work experiences. The experiences must be at least 15 hours each and be documented by different physical therapists licensed in the United States and practicing in differently-owned facilities. A lengthy experience at one or two facilities does not waive the requirement for the other experience(s). Documentation of Clinical Experience forms may be downloaded from our application materials section.. The therapist provides his or her license number, the name of the facility at which you observed, and signs the form. Directors of volunteer services, office managers, medical doctors, athletic trainers, occupational therapists or other non physical therapists are not acceptable as documenters of physical therapy experience.

Documentations of clinical experience from previous applications are not retained. Clinical experiences need not be repeated, but new documentations must be submitted. If redocumentation cannot be obtained, the experience will have to be replaced with another.