Tennessee State University Physical Therapy Department
3500 John A Merritt Boulevard Nashville TN 37209 United States
Phone+1 615.963.5881
Phone 2 +1 615.963.5946
Public
CAPTE Accredited
Bachelors Degree Required
Bachelor's degree required prior to matriculation into PT program?
Yes
Course Prerequisites
General Information
A minimum of a 3.0 pre-requisite GPA is required for your application to be considered. The pre-requisite GPA WILL BE BASED ON REPORTED GRADE EARNED FOR REPEATED COURSES.

You are REQUIRED to complete and submit the "Pre-requisite Course and Calculation Table" referred to in the Supplemental Application section.  

Pre-requisite Course Calculation Chart: Be sure to download the chart from the resources section of the Directory page.  Be sure to upload the "Pre-requisite Course Calculation Chart" into the Document Section of PTCAS application

If you are not sure that a course will be accepted as a pre-requisite or substitution, please email the title of the course, credit hours, and the course description to Dr. David A. Lehman at dlehman@tnstate.edu. Questionable pre-requisite courses will be either approved or denied by the Admissions Committee.

It is recommended your science courses be considered by the institution as courses acceptable for Science majors, Health Science majors, or pre-Physical Therapy (pre-Medical) majors. If your institution only offers Introduction courses, you will be required to have them approved as being equivalent to the General course (i.e. Introduction to Biology is equivalent to General Biology I).

We accept Prerequisites from regionally accredited Community College and 4-year Universities. 

Online prerequisite courses will be accepted.
Anatomy and/or Physiology (A&P) course prerequisites MUST be completed in biology, neuroscience, anatomy, or integrated physiology department
Varies
Link to program's prerequisite instructions
Anatomy
ANATOMY must be a STAND ALONE course to complement PHYSIOLOGY as a stand alone course. Otherwise,claim Anatomy and Physiology I and II as the Anatomy/Physiology pre-requisites. You cannot claim an A and P I or II course to compliment a stand alone Anatomy or Physiology course. Anatomy and/or Physiology (A&P) course prerequisites MUST be completed in biology, neuroscience, anatomy, or integrated physiology department Varies
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Recommended
Credits
SH: at least 3
Acceptable Courses
  • A&P: Advanced
  • A&P: Any
  • A&P: COMBINED Course (eg. A&P)
  • A&P: Human
  • A&P: SEPARATE courses
  • Human Anatomy
  • Human Anatomy for Health Professionals (HLSC 4210)
Biology I
General or Upper Level Biology related course. If the institution you took Science course at has "Introductory" in title, you must show it is equivalent to a General or Upper level science course.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Biology: Any
Biology II
General or Upper Level Biology related course. If the institution you took Science course at has "Introductory" in title, you must show it is equivalent to a General or Upper level science course.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Biology: Any
Chemistry I
The Chemistry prerequisite requirements can be fulfilled by almost any General or Upper Level Chemistry related course. If the institution you took Science course at has "Introductory" in title, you must show it is equivalent to a General or Upper level science course.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Chemistry I
  • Chemistry: Advanced
  • Chemistry: Any
  • Chemistry: Biochemistry
  • Chemistry: Inorganic
  • Chemistry: Organic
Chemistry II
The Chemistry prerequisite requirements can be fulfilled by almost any General or Upper Level Chemistry related course. If the institution you took Science course at has "Introductory" in title, you must show it is equivalent to a General or Upper level science course.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Chemistry II
  • Chemistry: Advanced
  • Chemistry: Any
  • Chemistry: Biochemistry
  • Chemistry: Inorganic
  • Chemistry: Organic
Math
Any college level math that satisfies the pre?? requisite requirement to take Physics I.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Not Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Mathematics: Any
PHYSICS OPTION #1
PHYSICS OPTION #1. In addition to Physics I with lab, applicants must take either (a) Physics II with lab or (b) a Movement Science course. If you substitute a Movement Science course for Physics II, a Lab is NOT required.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Biomechanics
  • Kinesiology
  • Motor Learning or Motor Contro
  • Movement Science
PHYSICS OPTION #2
PHYSICS OPTION #2. In addition to Physics I with lab, applicants must take either (a) Physics II with lab or (b) a Movement Science course. If you substitute a Movement Science course for Physics II, a Lab is NOT required.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Not Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Biomechanics
  • Kinesiology
  • Motor Learning or Motor Contro
  • Movement Science
Physiology
PHYSIOLOGY must be a STAND ALONE course to complement Anatomy as a stand alone course. Otherwise,claim Anatomy and Physiology I and II as the Anatomy/Physiology pre-requisites. You cannot claim an A and P I or II course to compliment a stand alone Anatomy or Physiology course.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Recommended
Credits
SH: at least 3
Acceptable Courses
  • A&P: Any
  • A&P: COMBINED Course (eg. A&P)
  • A&P: Exercise Physiology
  • A&P: Human
  • A&P: Neurophysiology
  • A&P: Pathophysiology
  • A&P: Physiology
  • A&P: SEPARATE courses
PSYCHOLOGY OPTION #1
PSYCHOLOGY OPTION #1: In addition to a Psychology course, (a) a second Psychology course or (b) a Philosophy/Logic (or equivalent) course is required.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Not Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Psychology: Any
PSYCHOLOGY OPTION #2
PSYCHOLOGY OPTION #2: In addition to a Psychology course, program requires (a) a second Psychology course or (b) a Philosophy/Logic (or equivalent) course. In addition to a Psychology course, (a) a second Psychology course or (b) a Philosophy/Logic (or equivalent) course is required.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Not Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Philosophy/ Logic
  • Psychology: Any
Statistics
Any elementary, general or specialized statistics course will be considered. A "Research" course that has an introduction to statistical methods may be considered.
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Not Required
Credits
Acceptable Courses
  • Biology: Biostatistics
  • Elementary Statistics
  • General Statistics
  • Mathematics: Statistics
  • Psychology: Statistics
  • Research