PROGRAM CURRICULUM & INFORMATION
For a suggested course sequence that includes required courses in the 1st year of the program as well as the actual PTA courses beginning in the spring of the 1st year, check out the PTA Program Curriculum Sheet. Students apply to the 2nd year of the program during the fall semester of their 1st year.
General Education- First year of the PTA program
- Students do not go through the program application process to take general education courses from the first year of the program.
- Any interested student may enroll in general education courses from the first year. These are any courses that do not begin with the PTA prefix.
- It is recommended that interested students be familiar with PTA admission criteria and required application process for the PTA Program.
Frequently Asked Questions regarding the first year course work:
- Do I need to apply to the PTA program in order to begin taking 1st year courses? No, students only apply to take PTA core program classes that begin in the spring semester of the first year.
- Do the courses have to be taken in the order listed? No, the general education courses may be taken in any order with the exception of the courses that have prerequisites. For example General Psychology is taken prior to Developmental Psychology.
- I only lack Anatomy & Physiology 1 and 2, can I go ahead and apply to the second year of the PTA program? All prerequisite (first year) courses must be completed prior to the beginning of the fall of the second year. If the courses can be completed in the spring and summer prior to the beginning of the full time PTA second year (Fall Semester) then a student may apply to the program. If accepted, their continuation in the second year would be contingent on successful completion of prerequisite courses prior to the beginning of the fall semester of the second year of the program.
- I have had an Anatomy class at another school, can I take the second class at MSC? The sequencing of A & P classes are not consistent across all schools, therefore it is important that if you take an A & P class at one school to take the second A & P class at that same school. This will ensure that you do not miss important systems. If you attend a school that teaches a full Anatomy classes (Human Anatomy) in a 4 or 5 hour format such as SOSU or ECU, then you should take a full Physiology (Human Physiology) class at that same school.
- I have had a second psychology but it was not called Developmental Psychology, do I need another class? There are several second psychology courses that are acceptable. The purpose of this requirement is to provide students with an understanding of psychology over the life span with focus on early development. If you have had a 2000 level or higher psychology course in child & adolescent psychology or life span psychology, this will most likely work for you. Email the program director if you have questions about your prior course work.
PROGRAM CORE - SOPHOMORE YEAR- Technical Year
Frequently Asked Questions about the Technical Year of the PTA program:
What is the schedule for the PTA course that begin in the second semester of the first year?
For those students accepted into the technical portion of the PTA program, the following schedule is provided but is subject to change.
Spring - The first two PTA courses begin in the Spring semester. These include PTA 2112 & PTA 2103. These courses have been scheduled one day per week on campus with a portion of the course requirements completed through the on-line Blackboard. Students accepted in the PTA program may take these two PTA courses along with any general education courses they may need to take. All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to the beginning of the Fall semester.
Summer - There are no classes during the summer, however there will be targeted self-paced learning activities during the summer to promote success in the full-time second year of the program.
Fall - Fall of the second year includes students in class Monday through Friday - 9:00am to 4:00pm
Spring- The spring semester begins with a 4 week clinical experience that is 5 days per week usually from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. For the remainder of the semester, students will continue in-class sessions three full days per week. Tuesday and Friday - 9:00am to 4:00pm and Wednesdays 9:00am to 12:00. Approximately 6 additional days on either Monday or Thurdays related to outside learning experiences. .
Summer - The final summer semester includes two five week clinical experiences. Monday through Friday usually 8:00 am to 5:00 pm working in assigned clinical settings.
This simple schedule is for your information and is subject to change.
What is the schedule for the PTA course that begin in the second semester of the first year?
For those students accepted into the technical portion of the PTA program, the following schedule is provided but is subject to change.
Spring - The first two PTA courses begin in the Spring semester. These include PTA 2112 & PTA 2103. These courses have been scheduled one day per week on campus with a portion of the course requirements completed through the on-line Blackboard. Students accepted in the PTA program may take these two PTA courses along with any general education courses they may need to take. All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to the beginning of the Fall semester.
Summer - There are no classes during the summer, however there will be targeted self-paced learning activities during the summer to promote success in the full-time second year of the program.
Fall - Fall of the second year includes students in class Monday through Friday - 9:00am to 4:00pm
Spring- The spring semester begins with a 4 week clinical experience that is 5 days per week usually from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. For the remainder of the semester, students will continue in-class sessions three full days per week. Tuesday and Friday - 9:00am to 4:00pm and Wednesdays 9:00am to 12:00. Approximately 6 additional days on either Monday or Thurdays related to outside learning experiences. .
Summer - The final summer semester includes two five week clinical experiences. Monday through Friday usually 8:00 am to 5:00 pm working in assigned clinical settings.
This simple schedule is for your information and is subject to change.
Additional information is available through this link:
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