Exercise Science (Physical Therapy Concentration), Bachelor of Science
Program Overview
The Department of Health and Human Performance has a focus on preparing Exercise Science majors to function professionally in a changing and diverse society, and to improve the quality of life through the understanding, delivering and promotion of health, physical activity, and wellness. This Bachelor of Science (BS) in Exercise with a Concentration in Physical Therapy includes most, but not all prerequisites needed to seek admission to a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Students may need to take additional courses beyond the BS in Exercise program to meet certain DPT program prerequisites.
This program leads to a profession which requires an occupational license as defined under Texas Occupations Code 58.001. This requires that all applicants seeking to become licensed must undergo a criminal background check prior to licensure.
Specific graduation requirements for this program beyond university bachelor’s degree requirements.
- Graduation with a grade of ‘B’ or better in BIOL 2401 and BIOL 2402.
- Grade of ‘C’ or better in all advanced KINE coursework fulfilling major requirements for the BS in Exercise Science.
Core Curriculum - 42 hours
The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.
The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.
The courses listed below fulfill core curriculum and major requirements. Students who have completed a core curriculum category with courses other than those listed below will still be required to take the listed course(s) to meet major requirements.
020 Mathematics - 3 hours
Some Doctor of Physical Therapy programs require a statistics course that covers analysis of variance (ANOVA).
In the core curriculum at UTRGV, only MATH 1343 includes ANOVA. Students who plan to seek admission to a DPT should become familiar with the statistics requirement of any DPT school to which they plan to apply.
030 Life and Physical Science – 6 hours
080 Social and Behavioral Sciences – 3 hours
090 Integrative and Experiential Learning - 6 hours
Major Requirements - 72 hours
Required Courses - 39 hours
Physical Therapy Concentration - 33 hours
Free electives - 6 hours
Free elective credit hours at the advanced level may be needed to achieve the institutional minimum of 42 advanced hours.
Total Credit Hours: 42
Total Credit Hours: 120
View this program’s recommended roadmap to graduation.
UTRGV Roadmaps are a suggested sequence of courses designed to assist students in completing their undergraduate degree requirements. This is a term-by-term sample roadmap of courses required to complete the degree. Students must satisfy all requirements in their catalog including, but not limited to course prerequisites, grade point average and course grade benchmarks, progression requirements, and graduation requirements.
Students should meet with their academic advisor every semester to discuss their individualized path toward completion. Degree progress within this roadmap depends upon such factors as course availability, individual student academic preparation and readiness, student time management, work and personal responsibilities, and financial considerations. Students may choose to take courses during summer terms to reduce course loads during long semesters.