Physical Therapy, MSc, PhD

The Department's minimum admission requirements are an undergraduate degree with an admission GPA of at least 3.0 on the 4-point scale from the University of Alberta, or an equivalent qualification and standing from a recognized institution. The admission GPA will be calculated on the last *60 of graded coursework completed, or on the equivalent of the last two years of full-time graded coursework.

Prerequisite courses are required and include the following: Human Anatomy (*3), Human Physiology (*6), Human Movement (*3), English (*3), Statistics (*3), Human Psychology (*3) and Humanities or Social Sciences (*3) - for examples see Programs and Certificates.

Indigenous Canadian History: All students admitted to the MSc PT program are required to complete a course focused on Indigenous history in Canada. This is considered a program prerequisite. For students who have not met the requirement at the time of admission, a condition of their admission would be to complete the course by the start of the first term of registration. This requirement may be fulfilled through the certificate version of the University of Alberta Indigenous Canada MOOC.

Alternatively, an academic equivalent (*3) will be accepted. Should students complete a (*3) course in Indigenous Canadian History this may also count as the Humanities or Social Sciences prerequisite requirement.

Applicants who do not possess a degree or its academic equivalent from an academic institution recognized by the University of Alberta, in which the language of instruction is English must have an IELTS score of 7.5 or higher with no less than 7.0 in each band, or TOEFL score of 102 (internet-based) or higher with no less than a score of 23 for the speaking component, 24 for the listening component, 24 for the reading component, and 278 for the writing component (or an equivalent approved English language examination result).

Human Anatomy must be completed within five years of the admission of pre-requisite course deadline.

Activity courses in Physical Education, studio courses in Fine Arts, and practicum courses are not considered part of the required *60 credits admission requirements and are not included in the calculation of the academic score.

A minimum of 30 hours of volunteer or paid work is required. Work must include direct contact involving interaction with persons with cognitive or physical disabilities at no more than two facilities. Applicants are required to submit a letter from the primary work supervisor verifying the volunteer/paid work experience.

The selection process is competitive and will be based mainly on the GPA in the most recent *60 taken prior to January of the admission year. The grade point average of the prerequisite courses may be included in the admissions evaluation process. In addition to academic requirements an interview will be required. While preference will be given to residents of Alberta, approximately 15% of the available seats will be offered to out-of-province and international applicants. A minimum of two seats each year will be designated and offered to qualified applicants of Aboriginal ancestry.

Provincial Licensing: In order to be a practising physical therapist in the Province of Alberta, graduates from the course-based MScPT program at the University of Alberta are required to take the Physiotherapy Competency Examination (PCE) which consists of both written (Qualifying Examination) and clinical (Physiotherapy National Examination) examinations. The fee for the examination is the responsibility of the student. Information on the cost of the examination can be obtained from Physiotherapy Alberta - College and Association. Successful completion of the PCE will enable graduating physical therapists to practice in Alberta. Contact (780) 438-0338 for more information.

Please contact the Department of Physical Therapy for further admission information. Normally deferral of admission will not be allowed.