The prerequisite classes for physical-therapy schools vary extensively. All such schools will require a year of human anatomy and physiology, Whitworth's BI 220 and BI 221, and a year of physics with lab, some chemistry, some social science, and some writing. Beyond that, no generalizations can be made. It is the responsibility of the student to consult the individual program requirements for prerequisite classes. The advisor can help match the prerequisite classes for various schools with the courses at Whitworth, but there is simply no one set of classes that will meet the requirements of all physical therapy schools. Here is one possible schedule, should a student be interested in a biology major. (Courses marked with "B" would be required for the bachelor of science degree in biology; those marked with "P" would be examples of courses that are prerequisites for some of the physical-therapy schools).

* Note: BI 220 + BI 221 together may replace BI 323 for the bachelor of science degree in biology.

The following courses are strongly recommended:

BI 204: Medical Microbiology or BI 347: Microbial Physiology
PS 151: General Physics I & PS 153: General Physics II
PY 101: Introductory Psychology & PY 358: Psychopathology
SO 120: Introduction to Sociology

If a student chooses a major in another discipline (business or psychology, for example), the course sequence would, of course, be quite different. As indicated above, the specific prerequisites of physical-therapy schools vary, and students should identify prospective schools as early as possible.

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