Accelerated Special Consideration Programs for Physical Therapy

Mercer University's Accelerated Special Consideration Programs (ASCP) offer high-achieving, first-time students* enrolled on the Macon campus in either the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) or the College of Health Professions (CHP) the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree within six years, and gives students the security of a guaranteed interview with the PT program offered by the College of Health Professions on the Cecil B. Day campus in Atlanta.

Students may participate in one of two programs:

1. The Accelerated Special Consideration Program (ASCP) offered by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) leads to the completion of the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree (BSHS) from the CLAS and the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) from the Mercer University College of Health Professions (CHP) within 6 years;  or

2. The Accelerated Special Consideration Program (ASCP) offered by the College of Health Professions (CHP) leads to the completion of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) and the Doctor of Physical Therapy from the College of Health Professions within 6 years.

Program eligibility requirements are described below and summarized in Tables 1 and 2.

Coursework Required In Residence.  Mercer students who wish to earn Special Consideration upon application to the Mercer’s PT program must complete ALL of their coursework at Mercer (“in residence”); no transfer hours are allowed.  Students who take college courses at institutions other than Mercer after they graduate from high school are no longer eligible for either of the ASC programs.  With the approval of the CHP Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions, dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate credit may be used to fulfill the program requirements, but cannot count toward the semester hours required in residence by the program. Physical education and military science courses also cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.

Declaration of Intent.  Students interested in and eligible for one of these programs* must state their intention to pursue Special Consideration by March 1 of their second year. 

Required Coursework. Students interested in and eligible for one of these programs must complete the coursework specified for that program (see Table 2), and in the specified timeframe (Table 1).

Experiential Requirement.  ASCP students must obtain 60 hours of acceptable physical therapy and community service experience before matriculation into the DPT program, with documentation of at least 40 of those hours submitted with the secondary application. Forty of these hours should be experienced in at least two different types of physical therapy clinical practice settings, and 20 hours or more must be spent as an active participant in a service or community project. (Note that these 20 hours can also count as 20 of the 30 required service hours for the BSPH degree).

Grade Point Averages.  ASCP-PT participants must maintain overall grade point averages (GPA’s) of 3.2 or higher, as well as 3.2 in all pre-PT natural science courses.  Grades of “C” or above must be earned in all pre-PT courses; if a course must be repeated, both grades earned will be averaged when calculating the student’s GPA’s.

Graduate Record Exam. ASCP students must earn the minimum combined score of 300 on the GRE (minimum 150 Verbal Reasoning; 3.5 Analytical Writing).  A score must be submitted with the PTCAS application in October 1 of year 3, but if the minimum is not achieved, students may take it again and submit the minimum by Dec. 31 of year 3.

Interview. ASCP students who comply with all guidelines of their respective program will be guaranteed an interview with representatives of the CHP’s DPT program.

*No transfer credit hours after high school graduation; Math Index of 980 or higher upon acceptance.

Table 1. Summary of Program Requirements

	CLAS' Health Sciences ASCP	CHP’s Public Health ASCP
Hours in Residence (College)	90 credit hours (CLAS)	110 credit hours (CHP and CLAS)
Pre-req Completion Deadline	May of Year 3	May of Year 3
Minimum Overall GPA	3.2	3.2
Minimum Science GPA	3.2	3.2
Minimum GRE Scores	300 (VR 150, QR 150, AW 3.5)	300 (VR 150, QR 150, AW 3.5)
PT Application Deadline	Oct. 1 of year 3 (PTCAS & Supplemental)	Oct. 1 of year 3 (PTCAS & Supplemental)
Documented Experience	60 hours (documentation of 40 hr submitted with application; balance due by May 15, year 3)	60 hours (documentation of 40 hr submitted with application; balance due by May 15, year 3)
Bachelor’s Degree	B.S. in Health Sciences (earned May, year 4)	B.S. in Public Health (earned Dec., year 4)

 

Table 2. Mercer-Macon Coursework Requirements

CLA’s Health Sciences ASCP (BIO/INT Option)			CHP’s Public Health ASCP
(MIDX of 980+) INT 101 UNV 101 INT 201 INT 301 FLL competency Creative Expression Religious Heritage Western Heritage	STA 126 Ethics** COM 210, 230, or 250 EXP 401,403, 404, or 405 PSY 101 ANT 101 PHY 141 PHY 142	CHM 111 CHM 112 CHM 221 CHM 222 BIO 211 BIO 212 BIO 202 BIO 203 BIO 310 BIO 3XX/4XX**	(MIDX of 980+) INT 101 UNV 101 INT 201 INT 301 Religious Heritage Humanities/ Fine Arts Behavioral/ Social Science PSY 101 SOC 101	STA 126 CHM 111 CHM 112 CHM 221 CHM 222 BIO 211 BIO 212 BIO 202 BIO 203 BIO 303 BMB 465	PBH 101 PBH 105 PBH 200 PBH 202 PBH 301 PBH 305 PBH 307 PBH 400 PBH 402 PBH 404 PBH 405 PBH 407
CLA’s Health Sciences ASCP (PSY/INT Option)			** From a list of approved courses
(MIDX of 980+) INT 101 UNV 101 INT 201 INT 301 FLL competency Creative Expression Religious Heritage Western Heritage	STA 126 Ethics** COM 210, 230, or 250 EXP 401,403, 404, or 405 PSY 101 ANT 101 PHY 141 PHY 142	CHM 111 CHM 112 PSY 150 PSY 221 PSY 230, 250, 260, or 270 PSY 306 PSY 307 PSY 310 or 326 BIO 211 BIO 202 BIO 203
CLA’s Health Sciences ASCP (GHS/INT Option)
(MIDX of 980+) INT 101 UNV 101 INT 201 INT 301 FLL 111, 112, & 251 Creative Expression Religious Heritage Western Heritage	STA 126 Ethics** COM 210, 230, or 250 EXP 404 or 405 PSY 101 ANT 101 PHY 141 PHY 142	CHM 111 CHM 112 ECN 150, 515, or SEP 200 GHS 200 ENS 250 GHS 330 GHS 350 BIO 211 BIO 202 BIO 203