Department of Physical Therapy

Doctor of Physical Therapy
Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Professor Certo (Department Chair)
Associate Professors Ball, Crane, Gannotti
Assistant Professors Gangaway, Goodworth, Higgins, Leard, Veneri

The Department of Physical Therapy offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.). The Physical Therapy program received reaccreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education in 2004. The Doctor of Physical Therapy program was approved by the Department of Higher Education, State of Connecticut, in 2005.

Professional D.P.T. Program

All students must complete a bachelor’s degree and all prerequisite courses before entering the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The program is designed to educate graduates who are generalists dedicated to the promotion of health and the prevention and rehabilitation of physical disabilities. Graduates are also prepared to meet the intellectual, social, cultural, and economic challenges of our changing healthcare system.

Facilities

The on-campus facilities for the Department of Physical Therapy are located in the Charles A. Dana Hall, which is part of the Integrated Science, Engineering, and Technology complex. The program has two Hoffman physical therapy clinical skills teaching laboratories and three dedicated research laboratories for conducting both faculty and faculty-mentored research activities. These research spaces include a human performance research lab with a force platform, for the study of all aspects of human movement as they relate to biomechanical principles; a motor control lab that contains specialized equipment and technology for research related to motor control and motor learning; a balance and mobility laboratory for study and research of the interaction of physical variables on human motor control. Balance responses can be measured with acceleration, velocity, and position-based sensors to measure muscle activity.

University Physical Therapy, LLC, is a faculty private-practice facility located in the Sports Center at Health Services. Physical therapy providers include adjunct and full-time faculty from the physical therapy program. Students in the physical therapy program are linked to the clinic through various professional courses called integrated clinical experiences. In addition, the clinic serves as a site for student internship.

Off-Campus Clinical Facilities

Clinical education settings for the Physical Therapy program are selected on the basis of their ability to provide supervision by professional staff and to offer services to diverse client populations, as well as their compatibility with the University’s and program’s mission and philosophy. The department currently has contracts with approximately 400 facilities in the Greater Hartford area and throughout the United States. Practice settings include healthcare, educational, and community (public and private) agencies.

Admission Requirements

A completed application and official transcripts showing evidence of completion of a baccalaureate degree are required for admission. If the degree was obtained in a foreign country, evaluation of degree completion must be provided through the World Education Services Program. Applicants are responsible for the gathering and submission of all required materials by February 1. An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for application consideration.

Applicants must submit the following:

Three letters of reference (one must be from a course instructor or academic advisor, one from a supervisor in a professional or other work capacity, and one from another individual in either capacity)
Scores on the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). (For those for whom English is a second language, a minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL is necessary.) Official scores of all required examinations must be received by the University by the February 1 deadline.
One letter of intent addressing the question specified in the graduate application
A typewritten page that documents healthcare-related experience, of which 10 hours are required
Transcripts for all undergraduate and postgraduate academic work
Selected candidates may be invited for interviews prior to admission.

Application Deadline

All relevant materials must be submitted by the February 1 application deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisite courses must have been completed at the college level:

Biology: 4 credits—one course with laboratory
Human anatomy: 4 credits—one course with laboratory
Human physiology: 4 credits—one course with laboratory
Note: When anatomy and physiology are taken as a combined course, two semesters (i.e., 8 credits) are necessary to meet the requirements.
Chemistry: general chemistry, two-course sequence with laboratory
Physics: 8 credits—two-course sequence with laboratory
Statistics: 3 credits—course to include descriptive statistics, correlation, and introduction to inferential statistics
Precalculus or calculus: 3 credits
Psychology: 9 credits—courses include general, developmental, and abnormal psychology
Exercise physiology: 3–4 credits— one course
Humanities: 9–12 credits
Social sciences: 9–12 credits

Courses taken to fulfill prerequisites 1–9 above must be completed with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, with no grade below a C, in order for the application to be considered. An applicant may not have more than two required courses still in progress by the February 1 deadline.

Professional Program Academic Policies

Candidates must complete a minimum of 99 credits, including a minimum of 32 weeks of clinical experience to fulfill degree requirements. The curriculum is designed for full-time study only.

Degree candidates must attain an overall grade point average of B (3.0) or higher and must achieve a grade of C (73 percent) or better in all physical therapy courses throughout the entire program, as well as display ethical, personal, and professional qualities needed to fulfill the role of a physical therapist. Students who fail to complete one course successfully in the program must repeat that course prior to continuing in the program. All courses required for the major must be taken for a letter grade and may not be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis. Satisfactory completion of the clinical affiliation component is a requirement for obtaining the doctoral degree in physical therapy.

Students are issued a warning letter if their GPA falls below 3.0 in one semester. Those who have two sequential semesters of GPAs below 3.0 will be dismissed from the Physical Therapy program. Students who fail any combination of two courses at any point in the professional curriculum (didactic and/or clinical) are also dismissed from the program. For detailed information on all academic policies, please refer to the Physical Therapy Student Academic and Clinical Manual.

Clinical Education

In addition to the didactic and laboratory course work, students are required to complete and pass all three clinical education experiences. Clinical education experiences are arranged by the University in conjunction with the student and may take place in a number of sites throughout the United States. During these experiences, students are responsible for all clinical education fees ($1,600 per course for DPT 630 , DPT 730 , and DPT 740 ), living expenses, and/or transportation expenses associated with the clinical education experience. Students are evaluated using the American Physical Therapy Association’s Clinical Performance Instrument. The scores on this form are converted to a Pass/No Pass using the criteria set by the University of Hartford’s Physical Therapy program. Satisfactory completion of each clinical experience is a requirement for obtaining the D.P.T. A grade of No Pass for a clinical affiliation constitutes a failure of a professional course.

Withdrawal and Discontinuance

If a student is failing a clinical education experience, he or she may be administratively withdrawn at the discretion of the academic coordinator of clinical education or at the request of the clinical instructor. When this occurs, the student fails that clinical experience and another site will be pursued. A second failure results in the dismissal of the student from the Physical Therapy program. Failure in any two professional courses (i.e., two professional courses with a grade of C– or below, or one professional course and one affiliation, or two affiliations) results in dismissal from the program. Should a student demonstrate unsatisfactory professional behavior, a written record is placed in the student’s academic file. Repeated incidents may lead to dismissal from the program.

Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics

Professor Certo (Department Chair)
Associate Professors Ball, Crane, Gannotti, Wetherbee
Assistant Professors Gangaway, Goodworth, Higgins, Leard, Veneri

The Department of Physical Therapy offers a Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics (M.S.P.O.) with partner support from Hanger Orthopedic Inc. The National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education has mandated that all prosthetic and orthotic educational programs be elevated to the master’s-degree level by 2012. The currently accredited Prosthetics and Orthotics Program offered by Newington Prosthetics and Orthotics/Hanger, Inc., has joined with the University of Hartford to offer the M.S.P.O. program. The program has been approved by the State of Connecticut Department of Higher Education.

Professional M.S.P.O. Program

All students must complete a bachelor’s degree and all prerequisite courses before entering the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics program. Graduates of the program are prepared to participate in the residency program required by NCOPE prior to taking the professional board exam. Graduates are also prepared to meet the intellectual, social, cultural, and economic challenges of our changing healthcare system.

Professional Program

Academic Policies

Facilities

The on-campus facilities are located in Charles A. Dana Hall, which is part of the Integrated Science, Engineering, and Technology complex. The department has two Hoffman clinical skills teaching laboratories and one dedicated clinical teaching lab for prosthetics and orthotics. There are three dedicated research laboratories for conducting both faculty research and faculty-mentored student research activities.

These research spaces include a human performance research laboratory for the study of all aspects of human movement as they relate to biomechanical principles; a motor control laboratory with specialized equipment and technology for research into motor control, human movement, and motor learning; and a balance and mobility laboratory for study and research about the interaction of physical variables on human motor control. Balance responses are measured with acceleration, velocity, and position-based sensors to measure muscle activity.

The Hanger facility in Newington, Conn., consists of state-of-the-art educational lecture facilities as well as a full-service fabrication facility for comprehensive custom fabrication of all prosthetic and orthotic designs. These facilities are used by University of Hartford students in the program for all master’s-level specialty courses. Several private-practice prosthetic and orthotic facilities are located in the vicinity. Students in the prosthetics and orthotics program are linked to the clinic through various professional opportunities for clinical experiences. In addition, these clinics serve as a site for integrated student internships.

Off-Campus Clinical Facilities

Integrated internships for the prosthetics and orthotics program are selected on the basis of each facility’s ability to provide supervision by certified professional staff, to offer services to diverse client populations, and compatibility with the University’s and program’s mission and philosophy. The program currently has numerous arrangements with local facilities in the Greater Hartford area. These practice settings include hospital-based inpatient, emergency orthotic management, educational, and outpatient community facilities.

Admission Requirements

A completed application and official transcripts showing evidence of completion of a baccalaureate degree are required for admission. Applicants are responsible for gathering and submitting all required materials by February 1. An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for application consideration.

Applicants must submit the following:

Three letters of reference (one must be from a course instructor or academic advisor, one from a supervisor in a professional or other work capacity, and one from another individual in either capacity) and
Transcripts for all undergraduate and post-graduate academic work.

Selected candidates may be invited for informational interviews prior to admission.

Application Deadline

The priority application deadline is March 1. Rolling admission continues until all seats are filled.

Prerequisites:

Biology credits (one course with lab)
Human Anatomy—4 credits (one course with lab)
Human Physiology—4 credits (one course with lab)
Note: When Anatomy and Physiologyare taken as a combined course, two semesters are necessary (8 credits) to meet the requirements.
Chemistry—4 credits (one course with lab)
Physics—8 credits (two-course sequence with lab)
Human Growth and Development
Statistics—3 credits (course to include descriptive statistics, correlation, and introduction to inferential statistics)
Trigonometry—3 credits
Introduction to Psychology—3 credits
Abnormal Psychology—3 credits

All prerequisite courses must be completed with a C (2.0) or better grade. An overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be achieved prior to entering the M.S.P.O. program.

Professional Program

Integrated Internships

In addition to the didactic and laboratory course work, students are required to complete three integrated internships successfully. These experiences are arranged by the program and take place in local communities. During these experiences, students are responsible for all clinical education fees ($1,600 per course for MSPO 550 , MSPO 551 , and MSPO 651 ). Students are evaluated using a Prosthetic and Orthotic Clinical Performance Instrument. The scores on this form are converted to a Pass/No Pass using the criteria set by the prosthetics and orthotics program. Satisfactory completion of each clinical affiliation is a requirement for obtaining the M.S.P.O. A grade of No Pass for a clinical affiliation constitutes a failure of a professional course.

Academic Standards

Degree candidates must attain an overall grade point average of B (3.0) or higher and must achieve a grade of C (73 percent) or better in all courses throughout the program, as well as display ethical, personal, and professional qualities needed to fulfill the role of an orthotist and prosthetist. Students who fail to complete one course in the program successfully must repeat that course prior to continuing in the program. All courses required for the major, with the exception of clinical experiences, must be taken for a letter grade and may not be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis. Satisfactory completion of the clinical affiliation component is a requirement for obtaining the master’s degree in prosthetics and orthotics.

Students are issued a warning letter if their GPA falls below 3.0 in one semester. Students who fail any combination of two courses at any point in the professional curriculum (didactic and/or clinical) are dismissed from the program. For detailed information on all academic policies, please refer to the Student Academic and Clinical Manual.
Students will be placed on probation if the following semester GPA again falls below 3.0.
Students will have one additional semester to achieve a 3.0 GPA, or they will be dismissed from the program.

Withdrawal and Discontinuance

If a student is failing an integrated internship, the student may be administratively withdrawn at the discretion of the academic coordinator of clinical education or at the request of the clinical instructor. When this occurs, the student fails that clinical experience and another site is pursued. A second failure results in the dismissal of the student from the M.S.P.O. program. Failure in any two graduate-level courses (i.e., two graduate-level courses with a grade of C– or below, or one professional course and one affiliation, or two affiliations) results in dismissal from the program. Should a student demonstrate unsatisfactory professional behavior, a written record is placed in the student’s academic file. Repeated incidents may lead to dismissal from the program.

Programs

Master’s Degree

Prosthetics and Orthotics, M.S.P.O.

Doctorate Degree

Physical Therapy, D.P.T.

Courses

Physical Therapy

Prosthetics and Orthotics