Health and Exercise Science (BS) and Physical Therapy (DPT) 4+3 Program

Degree Requirements

Students are required to complete 68 credits for the Health and Exercise Science major. Simmons requires that all undergraduates complete a minimum of 128 credits of coursework, fulfill PLAN and major/program requirements, and submit a Senior Audit form to graduate.

All Students are required to complete a capstone before graduating. Consult with your advisor on how best to fill this requirement.

You may declare a major in the beginning of the first year fall semester. You must declare a major prior to earning 80 credits.

There are 27 prerequisite courses for Simmons’ DPT program. It is recommended to take PSYC 101, NUTR 112 or STAT 118 during the first year, if possible.

All majors must submit CPR/AED and First Aid Certifications by March 1 of their senior year.

In order to proceed into the DPT portion of the curriculum, you must have a minimum of:

• Prerequisite course grades must be a B or better, only 1 B- may stand
• No Academic Integrity Violations
• 3.5 Cumulative GPA and 3.5 Prerequisite GPA 

First Year

BIOL 113	General Biology	4
CHEM 111	Principles of General Chemistry	4
CHEM 112	Principles of Organic Chemistry	4

BIOL 113, BIOL 115, CHEM 111, CHEM 113, and CHEM 112 all include labs.

BIOL 113 or BIOL 115, and STAT 118 or STAT 239: prereq. for BIOL 246.

CHEM 111, CHEM 112: prereq. for BIOL 231.

*Students may complete BIOL 113 or BIOL 115 to fulfill the Introductory Biology requirement.

*Students may complete CHEM 111 or CHEM 113 to fulfill General Chemistry requirement.

First or Sophomore Year

EXSC 100	Introduction to Exercise Science	2
EXSC 110	Form and Function in Resistance Exercise	2
NUTR 112	Introduction to Nutrition Science	4
PSYC 101	Introduction to Psychological Science	4
STAT 118	Introductory Statistics	4
	OR
STAT 239	Regression and Design of Experiments	4

Sophomore Year

BIOL 231	Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BIOL 232	Anatomy and Physiology II	4
BIOL 246	Foundations of Exercise and Health	4

All courses include labs.

Junior Year

BIOL 332/EXSC 332	Exercise Physiology	4
PHYS 110	Introductory Physics I	4
PHYS 111	Introductory Physics II	4
PSYC 232	Health Psychology	4

PT Observation Hours: 30 hours of observation of a licensed physical therapist must be documented by May 1. See the DPT Handbook for details.

BIOL 332, PHYS 110, EXSC 361 include labs.

BIOL 332: prereq. for EXSC 361.

First Aid Certification offered during EXSC 361 lab at cost.

Senior Year

BIOL 362	Kinesiology	4
BIOL 370	Internship	4
EXSC 361	Exercise Assessment & Prescription	4
EXSC 361L	Exercise Assessment & Prescription Lab	0

BIOL 362 includes lab.

BIOL 370: 8 credits (4 credits in Fall and 4 credits in Spring).

**Students in both the 3+3 accelerated and the 4+3 Health and Exercise Science (BS) / Physical Therapy (DPT) programs require 2 semesters of physics prior to entering the grad program: PHYS 110 and PHYS 111; both courses include labs.

Accreditation

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Simmons University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), American Physical Therapy Association, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: [phone]; email: [e-mail]; website: https://www.capteonline.org.