Program Overview

Program Overview

The prephysical therapy post-baccalaureate program is designed to allow career changing students the opportunity to complete core course requirements needed for admission to physical therapy graduate (DPT) programs. The PrePT program meets foundational requirements for most physical therapy programs in Illinois, students are strongly advised to confirm the admission requirements of the schools in which they are interested before enrolling to ensure that the SPS program fulfills their needs.

Prephysical Therapy Certificate Program

• The prephysical therapy post-baccalaureate program is designed to allow career changing students the opportunity to complete core course requirements needed for admission to physical therapy graduate (DPT) programs.
• The PrePT program meets foundational requirements for most physical therapy programs in Illinois, students are strongly advised to confirm the admission requirements of the schools in which they are interested before enrolling to ensure that the SPS program fulfills their needs.
• PrePT students complete courses with Northwestern curriculum and faculty, which offers students the opportunity to build a deep and strong science foundation.
• PrePT coursework is primarily offered in evening and weekend classes, and can be completed in 21 months.
• This program is designed for career changers who do not have an extensive background in science.
• Students who need only some of these courses should consider the Prephysical Therapy Completion program.
• Students who have already completed the course requirements for PT graduate programs may consider the Advanced Studies in Biology for the Health Professions certificate program, or designing a specialized post-baccalaureate certificate to meet their needs.

About the Prephysical Therapy Certificate Program

• Prephysical Therapy Required Courses
• Transfer Credit Policy for Prephysical Therapy
• Prephysical Therapy Tuition
• Admission for Prephysical Therapy
• Prephysical Therapy Registration Information
• Prephysical Therapy Sample Course Plans
• Prephysical Therapy Pre-Health Professional Student Group
• Find out more about the Prephysical Therapy Program

Prephysical Therapy Required Courses

• All of the following courses are required:
  • BIOL SCI 201 Molecular Biology
  • BIOL SCI 202 Cellular Biology
  • BIOL SCI 203 Genetics and Evolution
  • BIOL SCI 232 Molecular and Cellular Processes Laboratory
  • BIOL SCI 233 Genetics and Molecular Processes Laboratory
  • BIOL SCI 234 Investigative Laboratory
  • BIOL SCI 310 Human Physiology
  • BIOL SCI 313 Human Anatomy
  • BIOL SCI 316 Human Structure and Function
  • BIOL SCI 317 Regional Human Anatomy Lab
  • BIOL SCI 318 Advanced Human Physiology
  • CHEM 110 Quantitative Problem Solving for Chemistry
  • CHEM 131 Fundamentals of Chemistry I (with lab, CHEM 141)
  • CHEM 132 Fundamentals of Chemistry II (with lab, CHEM 142)
  • PHYSICS 130-A College Physics I (with lab, Physics 131-A)
  • PHYSICS 130-B College Physics II (with lab, Physics 131-B)
  • PHYSICS 130-C College Physics III (with lab, Physics 131-C)
  • Two Elective Courses
    • Elective Course Options
      • BIOL SCI 312 The Evolutionary Biology of Human Anatomy, Health and Disease
      • CLASSICS 110 Scientific Vocabulary Classical Roots
      • HUM 341 Revolution and Society in Cold War Latin America
      • KINS 237 Foundations of Human Movement
      • PHIL 269 Bioethics
      • PRO_HLTH 390 Interprofessional Health Practice
      • PSYCH 110 Introduction to Psychology
      • PSYCH 213 Social Psychology
      • PSYCH 244 Developmental Psychology
      • SOCIOL 303 Analysis and Interpretation of Social Data
      • STAT 202 Introduction to Statistics & Data Science

Notes

• While Northwestern University’s programs are designed to align with core sequences required for medical, dental, veterinary, and related professional schools, students should familiarize themselves with the admission requirements for desired institutions as they choose which program aligns best.
• Northwestern University’s policy on awarding credits states that credit is awarded in units, rather than credit hours, on student transcripts.
• Courses are offered over a ten-week period and are assigned 1.0 unit of credit.
• One unit of credit is equivalent to four quarter hours, which is equivalent to 2.67 semester hours.
• Some institutions will round up to 3 semester hours while others will not, so it is imperative that students know the requirements of the institutions to which they intend to apply.

Transfer Credit Policy for Prephysical Therapy

• Students in the Prephysical Therapy certificate program may transfer up to eight semester hours, or twelve quarter hours of academic credit.
• A transcript and grade of B or better are required for transferred courses in the program.
• Courses audited or taken with the pass/ no credit option cannot be applied toward a certificate program.
• Courses earned for a bachelor's degree at SPS may not be applied retroactively toward certificate requirements.
• Students who have completed up to two courses as a student-at-large may apply for a certificate and ask that those courses be included in the certificate.
• If students complete additional courses (beyond two) as a student-at-large, a petition to the Student Affairs Committee requesting an exception to policy should be submitted.

Prephysical Therapy Tuition

• Post-baccalaureate students at Northwestern's School of Professional Studies pay per course.
• For more information about financial obligations and tuition, please visit the Tuition page.

Admission for Prephysical Therapy

• In addition to completing an online application, you'll also need to submit a few supplemental materials.
• A list of requirements for admission including application deadlines and tips on how to apply can be found on the Admission page.

Prephysical Therapy Registration Information

• Whether you're a first-time registrant or current and returning student, all students register using our online student registration and records systems.
• Important information about registering for courses at SPS, including registration timelines and adding or dropping courses in which you are already enrolled, can be found on the Registration Information page.

Prephysical Therapy Sample Course Plans

• Review Sample Course Plans for the Prephysical Therapy Certificate Program offered by Northwestern University School of Professional Studies.

Prephysical Therapy Pre-Health Professional Student Group

• Learn how students support one another through forums, resources and social networks on the Prephysical Therapy Pre-Health Professional Student Group page.

Find out more about the Prephysical Therapy Program

• Program Courses:
  • Course Detail
  • Concepts of Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics and Evolution
  • Cellular and Molecular Processes Lab
  • Genetics and Molecular Processes Lab
  • Investigative Lab
  • Human Physiology
  • Human Anatomy
  • Human Structure and Function
  • Regional Human Anatomy Lab
  • Advanced Human Physiology
  • Quantitative Problem Solving in Chemistry
  • Fundamentals of Chemistry I
  • Fundamentals of Chemistry II
  • Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab I
  • Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab II
  • Organic Chemistry Lab III
  • Foundations of Human Movement
  • College Physics I
  • College Physics II
  • College Physics III
  • Physics Lab I
  • Physics Lab III
  • Interprofessional Health Practice
  • Professional Health Careers Proseminar I
  • Professional Health Careers Proseminar II
  • Introduction to Statistics & Data Science

Program Courses

• Concepts of Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Cell Biology
• Genetics and Evolution
• Cellular and Molecular Processes Lab
• Genetics and Molecular Processes Lab
• Investigative Lab
• Human Physiology
• Human Anatomy
• Human Structure and Function
• Regional Human Anatomy Lab
• Advanced Human Physiology
• Quantitative Problem Solving in Chemistry
• Fundamentals of Chemistry I
• Fundamentals of Chemistry II
• Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab I
• Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab II
• Organic Chemistry Lab III
• Foundations of Human Movement
• College Physics I
• College Physics II
• College Physics III
• Physics Lab I
• Physics Lab III
• Interprofessional Health Practice
• Professional Health Careers Proseminar I
• Professional Health Careers Proseminar II
• Introduction to Statistics & Data Science

Course Descriptions

• Concepts of Biology: This course will introduce the fundamental concepts of biology, including: Chemical composition and organization of living material, cellular organization, energy conversion by organisms, genetics and reproduction, ecology, evolution, and other topics.
• Molecular Biology: This course is part of the four-course introductory biology sequence. Students will learn about the basics of molecular biology, including the structure of macromolecules, DNA replication, transcription, and translation and the mechanisms by which these processes are regulated.
• Cell Biology: This course is part of the four-course introductory biology sequence. The cell biology course covers mechanisms the cell uses to compartmentalize and transport proteins, to move, to regulate growth and death, and to communicate with their environments.
• Genetics and Evolution: Fundamentals of genetics and evolution. From the rules of heredity to the complex genetics of humans, the methods and logic of genetics as applied to inheritance, development, neurobiology, and populations.
• Cellular and Molecular Processes Lab: This is the first course in a three-quarter sequence of introductory biology laboratory. The course is designed to provide students with an authentic laboratory experience that investigates relevant scientific research and teaches scientific inquiry skills such as experimental design, writing research proposals, data collection, data analysis/interpretation, and the presentation of results.
• Genetics and Molecular Processes Lab: This is the second course in a three-quarter sequence of introductory biology laboratory. The course is designed to provide students with an authentic laboratory experience that investigates relevant scientific research and teaches scientific inquiry skills such as experimental design, writing research proposals, data collection, data analysis/interpretation, and the presentation of results.
• Investigative Lab: This course is the culminating life-science lab experience in the biology lab sequence. Students design and generate reagents that can be used in larger experiments.
• Human Physiology: An exploration of the functions of the human body at the tissue, organ, and organ system level. Emphasis on homeostatic mechanisms and interdependence within organs and organ systems and the influence of modulatory systems.
• Human Anatomy: This course is an introduction to human anatomy. Topics include: system approach to anatomical organization; sections of the body; musculoskeletal and nervous systems; embryology development.
• Human Structure and Function: This course will provide introductory anatomy instruction using recent pedagogical frameworks which present basic human structure in a clinical anatomy context through an emphasis on clinical case studies investigated and presented by collaborative student teams.
• Regional Human Anatomy Lab: This is a lab course utilizing prosections and demonstrations of human cadavers. It is an advanced anatomy course examining the details of human body systems.
• Advanced Human Physiology: Advanced Human Physiology is a fully online course that builds on the concepts covered in BIOL SCI 310 Human Physiology or an equivalent physiology course focusing on the body as an integrated set of systems.
• Quantitative Problem Solving in Chemistry: Solution strategies for traditional word problems and their application to basic chemistry quantitative problems: dimensional analysis, chemical equations, stoichiometry, limiting reagents.
• Fundamentals of Chemistry I: Quantum mechanics, electronic structure, periodic properties of the elements, chemical bonding, thermodynamics, intermolecular forces, properties of solids and liquids, special topics in modern chemistry.
• Fundamentals of Chemistry II: Solutions and colligative properties, chemical equilibrium, aqueous solution equilibria, chemical kinetics, metals in chemistry and biology, oxidation-reduction reactions and electrochemistry, special topics in modern chemistry.
• Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab I: Chemical analysis of real samples using basic laboratory techniques including titration, colorimetric analysis, density measurements, and atomic spectroscopy.
• Fundamentals of Chemistry Lab II: General Chemistry Lab 2 is a laboratory course in which techniques applied to materials science and nanotechnology, acid-base chemistry, and chemical kinetics will be employed.
• Organic Chemistry Lab III: Advanced concepts in modern organic chemistry will be introduced. The material will focus on recent developments in synthetic organic chemistry, including: concerted/pericyclic reactions, catalysis, green/environmental chemistry, automated synthesis, and combinatorial/screening methods.
• Foundations of Human Movement: An introductory course examining the biomechanical and physiological factors contributing to the control of human movement.
• College Physics I: This is the first quarter of a three-quarter algebra-based physics course with lecture and laboratory. Physics is the most basic of the sciences, dealing with the behavior and structure of matter.
• College Physics II: This course is the continuation of PHYSICS 130-A algebra-based physics with lecture and laboratory; the sequence concludes with PHYSICS 130-C in the spring quarter.
• College Physics III: This course is the continuation of PHYSICS 130-A,B. Wave motion, optics, and introduction to the basic concepts of modern physics including quantum mechanics, relativity, and atomic physics.
• Physics Lab I: This is the laboratory course associated with PHYSICS 130-A and must be taken concurrently.
• Physics Lab III: This is the laboratory course associated with PHYSICS 130-C and must be taken concurrently.
• Interprofessional Health Practice: Interprofessional education is important for preparing health professions students to provide patient care in a collaborative team environment, as an interprofessional approach leads to improved patient outcomes.
• Professional Health Careers Proseminar I: Prohealth Proseminar I will meet during the first fall quarter of the students’ pre-health program to prepare students to succeed in the professional health careers program.
• Professional Health Careers Proseminar II: This non-credit proseminar is for students in the Professional Health Careers certificate programs. This course prepares students for the year-long application cycle beginning in the summer.
• Introduction to Statistics & Data Science: This course provides an introduction to probability and statistics theory and foundational data science applications.