Areas of Study - Degrees & Certificates > 
Health Sciences > Physical Therapist Assistant Program
The course of study for a physical therapist assistant (PTA) is a two-year program, leading to an Associate of Applied Science degree. One cohort is accepted into the program each year. Besides the PTA courses, our program includes general education and science courses necessary for earning an Associate in Applied Science degree. Successful completion of the program satisfies the academic requirement for applying for the state licensure as a PTA and satisfies the requirement for graduates to take the NBPTE, the national licensing exam.
The program contains a total of 66 credit hours. The program is designed to prepare skilled health care workers to perform treatment under the direction of a licensed physical therapist and includes didactic learning, skill development in the lab and clinical training. Clinical facilities will require students to successfully pass a certified background check, a negative screening for drug usage, a seasonal influenza vaccination, TDap vaccination, positive quantitative blood titers for HEP B, Hep C, MMR, Chicken pox, and PPD to screen for TB annually, and a current CPR card which is AHA BLS Provider.
Graduates are prepared for employment as PTAs in acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centers, outpatient clinics, school systems, home health agencies and other places where physical therapy is licensed to practice. Upon completion of the program, graduates must pass the NBPTE national licensing exam to receive a license in Texas.
The general education core will transfer to a variety of colleges and universities. For more specific information and to obtain the recommended sequencing of courses, contact the program director, a college advisor or a college counselor.
Admission Criteria
In addition to the general admission requirements of the Lone Star College (LSC), the following are requirements that must be met in order to apply for admission to the PTA program:
- Complete college-level reading, writing, and math pre-requisites or TSI requirements. All associate degrees require completion of MATH 0310 or higher or placement at College Algebra on an approved exam. To determine your TSI status, see a college advisor.
- Have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in high school and/or college.
- Complete at least 40 hours of observation in the field under the direction of a licensed physical therapist or licensed physical therapist assistant.
- Complete ENGL 1301 , PSYC 2301 , BIOL 2401 , and PTHA 1201 with a grade of “C” or better. Additionally, BIOL 2401 must have been completed within the last 7 years.
Final acceptance into the program is contingent upon other criteria as set by LSC which may include background check and drug screening. Criteria and instructions will be provided to the successful candidate upon admission to the program
Note: It is recommended that students complete as many of the general education core courses as possible prior to application to the PTA program.
Applications for admission will be received during the spring semester before the program starts. Because admission to the program is competitive, the students who are most likely to be accepted are those who score highest on the criteria established by the admissions committee. Those criteria may include but are not limited to the following:
- Completion of the general education core courses in the degree plan
- High GPA in these courses
- High scores on a standardized admission exam, writing sample and interview.
Admission Process
- All applicants are highly encouraged to attend at least one information session prior to applying to the PTA program. The information sessions are held monthly on the LSC- Montgomery campus and the PowerPoint file is on the departmental home page at http://www.lonestar.edu/physical-therapist-assistant-dept-montgomery.htm . Dates and times for the face-to-face sessions are also located on the department’s web page.
- An application packet for the physical therapist assistant program must be completed and submitted to be considered for acceptance into the program. A link to the on-line application for the class starting August will be available beginning in April of each year at http://www.lonestar.edu/physical-therapist-assistant-dept-montgomery.htm .
The following material must be included on the application, which may require document uploading prior to the deadline to be considered for admission:
- Applicants may be invited for an interview and asked to submit a writing sample for review by the admissions committee. Any student who cannot attend the interview will not be accepted into the program.
- All successful applicants admitted to the PTA program will be required to attend a mandatory orientation session in the summer before starting the program. Any student who cannot attend the orientation will be withdrawn from the program.
- All successful applicants admitted to the PTA program will be required to submit documentation of a clear drug screen and background check at the orientation.
If you are applying for admission to a College program or enrolling in a College program that may prepare you for an initial occupational license2 issued by a Licensing authority3 and/or if you later decide to change to a program that prepares you for an occupational license, please be advised of the following:
- An individual who has been convicted of an offense may be ineligible for issuance of an occupational license upon completion of the educational program.
- Licensing authorities that issue an occupational license to an individual who completes the educational program issue guidelines stating the reasons a particular crime is considered to relate to a particular occupational license and any other criterion that affects the decisions of the licensing authority.
- A state licensing authority that issues guidelines files those guidelines with the secretary of state for publication in the Texas Register.
- Local or county licensing authorities that issue an occupational license to an individual who completes the educational program issue guidelines related to criminal history and post the guidelines at the courthouse of the county in which the licensing authority is located or publish them in a newspaper having countrywide circulation in that county.
- Applicants should contact their respective local or county licensing authority for more details.
- An individual may request a criminal history evaluation letter regarding the personal eligibility for a license issued by a licensing authority as required by Texas Occupation Code § 53.102.
All applicants to and enrollees are encouraged to review all applicable eligibility requirements related to the respective occupational license. Questions related to eligibility requirements should be directed to the applicable licensing authority.
Footnotes
- Tex. Occ. Code Ann. § 53.152
- “Occupational license” means a license, certificate, registration, permit, or other form of authorization required by law or rule that must be obtained by an individual to engage in a particular business or occupation. Tex. Occ. Code Ann. § 58.001.
- “Licensing authority” means a state agency or political subdivision that issues an occupational license. Tex. Occ. Code Ann. § 58.001.
Please consult the program website for additional information. http://www.lonestar.edu/physical-therapist-assistant-dept-montgomery.htm
By completing the program, students will earn one award:
-
Physical Therapist Assistant, AAS
[AAS_PHTA offered at LSC-Montgomery]
Total Credit Hours Required for Degree: 66
