Pre-Physical Therapy - Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT)

Description

Students interested in pursuing professional degrees to become a physical therapist are required to complete a bachelor’s degree, preferably in a related area (typically exercise science, the biological sciences, or psychology). To provide a solid foundation for bachelor’s degree work, students are encouraged to complete the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree with an emphasis on pre-physical therapy coursework.

Statewide General Education Student Learning Outcomes

Please see the General Education page for statewide general education student learning outcomes.

Entrance Requirements

While this program has no formal entrance requirements, individual courses may have prerequisites which must be met before enrollment.

Course Requirements

Course Title Credits
General Education/Foundational
Health:
Choose 3 credits 13
Recommended: HHP 131
Mathematics:
Choose one course4
Recommended: MTH 111Z 2
Oral Communication:
Choose one course3-4
Writing:
WR 121ZComposition I4
WR 122ZComposition II4
or WR 227Z Technical Writing
General Education/Discipline Studies
Cultural Literacy:
One course from the following categories must be designated as cultural literacy on the Discipline Studies list (credits count once).
Arts and Letters:
Choose three courses from at least two prefixes9-12
Social Science:
Choose four courses from at least two prefixes12-16
Science/Math/Computer Science:
Choose four courses from at least two prefixes including at least three laboratory courses in biological and/or physical science12-20
Recommend: BI 231, BI 232, BI 233, and CH 221
Electives
Choose any course numbered 100 or above that brings the total credits to 90 quarter hours. This may include up to 12 credits of Career and Technical Education courses designated by COCC as acceptable.39
Total Credits90-106
1

HHPA activity courses (1 credit each) are not to be duplicated.

2

Most doctorate of physical therapy (DPT) programs require completing MTH 112Z Precalculus II: Trigonometry and STAT 243Z Elementary Statistics I. Work with your advisor to select appropriate MTH courses. 

3

The recommended elective courses are for students to explore the field of physical therapy. These courses are either preferred or required for applications to most DPT programs. Work with your advisor to identify the exact requirements for the particular schools you may apply to. 

4

Refer to advising notes and your assigned advisor for suggestions for a baccalaureate major.

Advising Notes

Pacific University and George Fox are the two Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs in Oregon. These recommendations are based on their application prerequisites. Students pursuing other schools must look at the school's specific course requirements for application as they may vary.

Students should also complete requirements for a major; common choices include exercise science, biological science, and psychology. Courses associated with these majors include the following. See individual focus area descriptions for details.

  • Exercise science: PHE 100 Introduction to Public Health, HHP 131 Introduction to Exercise/Sport Science, HHP 259 Care and Prevention of Athletic Injury, HHP 260 Anatomical Kinesiology, HHP 261 Exercise Physiology, HHP 262 Exercise Testing and Prescription, HHP 270 Sport and Exercise Psychology
  • Biological science: BI 231 Human Anatomy and Physiology IBI 232 Human Anatomy and Physiology IIBI 223 Principles of Biology: PopulationsCH 221 General Chemistry I, CH 222 General Chemistry II, CH 223 General Chemistry III
  • Psychology: PSY 201Z Introduction to Psychology I, PSY 202Z Introduction to Psychology II

The American Physical Therapy Association website is a helpful tool in identifying colleges across the U.S. which offer Doctorate of Physical Therapy degrees and their respective lower-division requirements.

Performance Standards

  • Academic Requirements:
    • Students must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA to earn a COCC certificate or degree.
    • Options for additional standards:
      • All courses in the program must be completed with a grade of C or higher.

Sample Plan

Sample Plan Grid
First TermCredits
WR 121ZComposition I4
Mathematics (recommend MTH 111Z)4
Discipline Studies Science/Math/Computer Science (recommend BI 231)4
Health (3 credits with HHP prefix; recommend HHP 131; see elective recommendations and advising notes)3
 Credits15
Second Term
WR 122Z
Composition II
or Technical Writing
4
Discipline Studies Science/Math/Computer Science (recommend BI 232)4
Elective (recommend HHP 260)4
Discipline Studies Social Sciences: (recommend HHP 270)3
 Credits15
Third Term
Discipline Studies Arts & Letters3-4
Discipline Studies Science/Math/Computer Science (recommend BI 233)4
Elective (recommend MTH 112Z)4
Discipline Studies Social Science: (recommend PSY 201Z)4
 Credits15-16
Fourth Term
Discipline Studies Arts and Letters3-4
Discipline Studies Science/Math/Computer Science (recommend CH 221)5
Discipline Studies Social Science (recommend PHE 100)4
Elective (recommend HHP 261)4
 Credits16-17
Fifth Term
Discipline Studies Social Science (recommend PSY 219)4
Elective (recommend CH 222)5
Elective (recommend BI 101 or BI 234)4
Oral Communication3-4
 Credits16-17
Sixth Term
Discipline Studies Arts and Letters3-4
Elective (recommend CH 223)5
Elective5
 Credits13-14
 Total Credits90-94

Outside of
expected

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