Physiology and Physical Therapy Ph.D. Program
Admission requirements
Admission to the physiology/physical therapy program requires:
- A minimum of a bachelor's degree.
- Graduation from an accredited program in physical therapy (or equivalent if trained outside of the U.S.).
- Demonstrated clinical experience in physical therapy.
- Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination within the past five years (typically achieving a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1200 or better).
Note: International applicants must also take the TOEFL exam.
Applicants also must provide three references that attest to their abilities to successfully undertake the academic rigors of a doctoral program. In addition, applicants to this program are encouraged to have completed at least one course in organic chemistry.
Priority consideration for admission and financial assistantships or fellowships is given to students who submit their application by Dec. 17 of each year to be considered for admission the following fall. Applicants who submit their applications later then Dec. 17 may be considered if positions remain available.
Once in the program, students are required to complete 35 to 40 credit hours of course work in addition to their dissertation research. Students also are required to assist with teaching two courses within the professional physical therapy curriculum (under the direction of a faculty member of the Department of Physical Therapy) and one course under the direction of a faculty member of the Department of Physiology.
Curriculum requirements
Students complete curriculum requirements of the department of physiology and biophysics doctoral program. Required seminar courses are taken in both departments. Elective courses may be taken from graduate courses offered by the department of physical therapy. Students may conduct their dissertation research under the guidance of faculty from either the department of physical therapy or the department of physiology and biophysics. The dissertation committee will contain committee members from both of these departments.
Faculty research
General research areas of the Physical Therapy Faculty involved with the Physiology/Physical Therapy Program are:
- Primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases
- Exercise assessment and training in individuals with heart failure
- Transplant and ventricular assist devices
Current physical therapy faculty and their research areas can be found on their individual faculty pages:
Financial support
All applicants who submit their application by Dec. 17 will be considered for financial assistance. Only full-time pre-doctoral graduate students will be considered for financial support (15 credit hours during each of the fall and spring semesters and at least six credit hours during the summer semester). A limited number of traineeships (graduate fellowships and teaching assistantships) are available. As traineeships become available they will be given to the next unsupported student of the longest tenure. Some students are supported by faculty grants. This money is typically awarded after a student develops a relationship with a faculty adviser.
Additional financial aid information can be found online or by writing to:
Virginia Commonwealth University
Financial Aid Office
P.O. Box 980565
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0565
|
