Physical Therapist Assistant

Application Deadline

The Physical Therapist Assistant program operates on a rolling selective admissions process. Call 570-504-1497 for more information. Priority consideration will be given to applications received by June 1. After June 1, applications will be reviewed as space becomes available.

All Lackawanna College curriculum guides can be found on the Portal.

Students who are interested in applying for the PTA program must fill out an additional application and complete requirements above and beyond the general college requirements for potential admission.  These include:

A. Proof of success in the sciences. This can be done in one of three ways:
1. The student has completed at least one of the following high school courses within the past three years with a passing grade of a C or better:
i. Biology,
ii. Chemistry,
iii. or Anatomy and Physiology
*An official high school transcript must be sent to Lackawanna College as evidence.
2. The student has completed at least one of the following three (3) or four (4) credit college level courses eligible for transfer within Lackawanna College in with a passing grade of a C or better:
i. Biology,
ii. Physics,
ii. Chemistry,
iii. or Anatomy and Physiology
*An official high school transcript must be sent to Lackawanna College as evidence.
3. If neither of the above scenarios applies, a student must enroll in at least one of the following college level courses before applying to the PTA program:
i. Biology,
ii. Physics,
ii. Chemistry,
iii. or Anatomy and Physiology
3a. If a student is currently enrolled in this course while in the process of applying to the PTA Program, the student may receive probationary acceptance while completing this course.
i. Evidence by way of an official college transcript must be received confirming completion of the course with a grade of C or better for official entry into the Fall semester of the PTA Program.
ii. Should the applicant either not complete the course or not receive the requisite grade, they will then forfeit the seat within the PTA Program.
B. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.
C. Three (3) professional letters of recommendation completed per program specifications.
1. PTA Professional Reference Form can be found here.
D. One (1) written essay reflecting on the important characteristics of healthcare providers and describing how the applicant embodies those.
1. Scoring rubrics for the essay can be found here.
E. Attendance at a PTA Lab Observation session.
1. Registration can be found on the LC Events page.
2. Students who are unable to attend a scheduled session should email Dr. Meegan Murray directly at murraym@lackawanna.edu to schedule an alternative appointment.
F. Clinical Observation
1. Students applying to the PTA program must observe physical therapy in at least two different settings for a total of ten (10) hours. Students are expected to be passive observers and use these experiences to learn more about the field. Forms must be completed and signed by professionals as proof of these observation hours.
i. PTA Observation Form can be found here.
G. Meet minimum score required on first portion of interview rubric to move on to the interview process
1. PTA Admissions rubric can be found here.
H. Meet minimum overall score required following interview process and writing sample to be offered an admittance decision
1. PTA interview rubric can be found here.

More details for all these requirements can be found on the PTA Application, and questions can be directed to ptaenrollment@lackawanna.edu.