Skip to main content

Campus Alert

Search
Dismiss Search
Search
Dismiss Search
Menu

Physical Therapist Assistant, A.A.S. Admissions

Application Deadline

Applications for admission are accepted from January 1 to May 1 of the year the student wishes to enter.  

A class of 26 students is accepted into the PTA program for the Fall semester. Applications are processed from January 1 to May 1 each year. While the actual number of students who apply each year varies, if more than 26 students apply then a ranking procedure (see below) is used.  

Application

First, all students must apply and be accepted to Carroll Community College and submit an official transcript to the Records office. 

The PTA program accepts applications for fall admission from January 1 until May 1. To apply for admission to the program complete the PTA Program Admission Form, Clinical Hours Form and the Employment Verification Form and forward them electronically, as an attachment, to Jayme Beaver jbeaver@carrollcc.edu or mail them to the PTA Program. The Recommendation Form must be completed and mailed directly to the PTA program by your evaluator OR sealed in an envelope, signed, and dated across the seal by the evaluator, and submitted by the student.

Mailing Address :
PTA Program
Carroll Community College
1601 Washington Road
Westminster, MD 21157

Successfully complete the following courses prior to the Fall term for which you are applying (all courses must be passed with a grade of C or better): Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (BIOL-210 and BIOL-211) completed within the last five years; Fundamentals of Biology BIOL-101; college-level Mathematics (3-5 credit course, Statistics preferred); College Writing ENGL-101. 

Due to the intensity of the program, PTA applicants are strongly encouraged to complete all General Education prerequisites prior to applying to the program. 

Complete 75 hours of observation, volunteer, patient time or paid clinical experience in a physical therapy facility under the supervision of a Physical Therapist or PTA. The program strongly recommends that these hours be performed in multiple settings. (See clinical hours form and ranking procedure.) 

Provide at least two recommendations using the forms provided. 

Submit official transcripts from all colleges attended. Certified midterm grades on college letterhead or by verifiable email sent to the program director are acceptable until final transcripts are available. 

Ranking

All qualified applicants will be ranking according to the ranking scale (see below). 

Interview

Once the applications are reviewed and ranked, the top-scoring applicants are chosen to move to the second step of the application process. Historically it has been the top 50% of ranked candidates who are interviewed. Students who are chosen for the interview are notified. The score for the interview is the average score of the interviewers.  

Contact

Admission to Carroll’s PTA program is very competitive. For information regarding the program and its requirements, or if you have extensive education or experience, please contact the Program Director at 410-386-8259. 

Ranking Procedure

If there are more than 26 qualified applicants to the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program, a points-based ranking procedure is used. The admission process awards points to students who complete Carroll’s application process and the PTA application process.  

All students are notified prior to the end of May. The highest-ranking students are required to complete an interview. 

If any of the original accepted students decline their seats in the program or fail to meet their Spring or Summer course requirements, the next eligible student on the waiting list is notified. 

Once grades have been posted in May or after Summer sessions, official transcripts must be submitted to the PTA Program. Any student who drops a course or fails to earn a C grade or better is not admitted.  

Transfer courses with grades are included and are assigned quality points based on the letter grade. Transfer credits earned without a letter grade (CLEP, AP, military evaluation, Challenge examination) are not assigned quality points. 

The program accepts 26 students each year. 

Points Criteria

  • Completion of Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 (five points for an A, three points for a B and one point for a C). 
  • One point is awarded for being a Carroll County resident or from a community college that is a member of the Mid-Maryland Consortium. 
  • Students must complete 75 observation hours prior to the application process. If observation hours are completed and submitted prior to May 1st in three separate settings, three points are awarded; two settings, two points are awarded; and one setting, one point is awarded. 
  • Students having a letter from their employer, on letterhead, verifying they have been a PT tech or aide for at least six months receive one point. 
  • Students who have completed Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 by the end of the Spring term of the year they wish to enter the program receive one point. Students must submit a copy of their Spring schedule if a course is in progress. A midterm grade for the course in progress must be provided to receive credit for it. 
  • Students who will have completed all non-PTA coursework by the beginning of the program receive two points. Students must submit a copy of their Spring course schedule and/or Summer registration with their application.