Can I go from a BS degree from AMU to a B&M?

Hi everyone,
Looking for some help, I just recently got out of the Army and finished my BS in Sports and Health Science with AMU. Ya!, right?!, I should be excited but I'm struggling to find any job related to this degree that would allow me to enter into the field of healthcare..Any ideas would be welcome.

Secondly I went for this degree to serve as a bridge to enter into a Physical Therapy school, but I am seriously having doubts now, I do not know if the online degree will help me get into a B&M school of my choice? Anyone had luck going from online to a B&M? I'm at a loss, I feel like I'm wasting time.

 

Assuming that you are trying to get into a Masters degree program in physical therapy I'd guess that the answer is "no." Considering the nature of your Bachelors degree you are unlikely to have taken the necessary prerequisites for entry into a grad PT program. Beyond that it will depend on your GPA and other related factors (experience, etc.).

 

You could always find the schools you like and take any missing courses. Here's an example of one school's Doctor of Physical Therapy admissions requirements: Physical Therapy Prerequisites

 

Look and see what the prerequisites are for the schools you may want to go to. Consider taking some prerequisite courses before applying. If your gpa is sufficiently high, perhaps there is a program for you to take necessary undergrad courses to bridge the gap? I have no idea. It's a good question to investigate by browsing web sites for prospective programs to see if they offer anything of the kind.

People go from online schools to brick and mortar all the time. It all depends on the circumstances: the coursework you took, your gpa, your life experiences, whether or not you can write a persuasive and compelling admissions essay, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, etc.. (Not all of these may necessarily apply to you.) I am not familiar with AMU and the transferability of their credits, so I can't give any specific comments on how easy it would be.

 

Yes I am missing 4 perquisites for the doctorate of physical therapy program but I am in the process of entering into the local college to complete those and then I'm aiming for UW-Madison? Going back to my original question, have people had success going from online to B&M for graduate degrees, specifically AMU/APU to a university?

 

Thank you, I've gone through PTCAS to determine what is needed.

 

AMU is regionally accredited, so I wouldn't see any problem getting into a B&M.

 

Assuming your grades are high enough, the fact that your BA is from an online school shouldn't stop you. However, I would be more than a little surprised if you were admitted into a doctoral PT program without ever having spent even a minute as a physical therapist.

 

I would. Physical therapy programs, like most professional healthcare programs, have competitive admissions -- they get far applicants than they can accept. So the healthcare programs have no choice; they are forced to "weed out" their applicant pools. This means that the majority of applicants get rejected, even if they have RA degrees.

In general, healthcare programs discriminate in favor of applicants with things like:

- Bachelor's degrees from competitive undergraduate programs.
- High scores on standardized tests.
- Strong performance on undergraduate lab courses.
- Extracurricular experience with local healthcare providers.

Unfortunately, DL programs typically have open admissions, don't require standardized tests, don't have lab facilities, and don't have relationships with local healthcare providers. Sure, the DL degree may be RA -- but that may not be enough in a competitive admissions situation where every applicant has an RA degree.

 

What is the entry-level degree for physical therapists?

 

Up until just the past few years it was a master's degree in physical therapy. Thing are changing though and the master's degree programs are being phased out in favor of the DPT.

 

Probably a medical school bridge program will suffice for admission to a DPT. They are offered almost everywhere.

 

Would the DPT from the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences (DETC only) be an option?

 

Flexible Doctor of Physical Therapy | University of St. Augustine

I too wondered.

 

Military to Medicine: Healthcare Workforce at the Ready

Look into this program, it may assist you..

 

Yes, this is part of the reason for my discouragement, I've talked to a student advisor at a few colleges and they've told me that a online BS is not issue, but I am still uncertian... I did the online degree with AMU while in the army, so if life experience is taken into consideration then I feel better but not I am not confident that it help in being accepted.

How much weight does life experience have in a university?

On another note I reviewed the military to medicine, in July they discontinued the program so it is no longer available.

 

I spoke with an admissions officer of a PT program here in California two years ago and he said that for their school, (1) experience in the field -- either as a volunteer or as a paid professional such as being a PT aide, (2) recommendaton letters from supervisors from item#1 above, (3) grades in undergraduate prerequisite science/lab courses, and (4) the fact that undergraduate prerequisitie science/lab courses have been completed, in that order, trump ALL other factors (such as the field in which bachelor's degree was earned, undergraduate GPA, test scores if required, and reputation of accredited undergraduate institution).

If other schools in the state follow the same practice, then your APUS diploma shouldn't be a problem at all. You'll need to focus on the other items.

 

Thank you! That is my hope, that APUS wont be a problem. Question for you, did you go into PT?

Thank you! I've never come across st. Augustine before so this is interesting.

Military to Medicine was discontinued in July of this year.

This is my dilemma, while AMU is RA it is nonetheless online. If they were to take life experience into consideration then I may feel a little bit better but I would not be confident that it could fill the void for the lack of academic experience.

So going through everyones response here, more people are suggesting there should not be a issue with a BS from AMU than those who are, is that correct?

I'm curious now to know, how much does a college/university take into consideration a student's life experience? I currently right now hold a 3.52 GPA with 4 classes to take to complete the prerequisites. While I would be happy if my GPA were higher, I am proud of my GPA. I often did multiple classes even while I was overseas, at times I often had to manage completing the mission and completing the assignment due.

 

Thank you! That is my hope, that APUS wont be a problem. Question for you, did you go into PT?

Thank you! I've never come across st. Augustine before so this is interesting.

Military to Medicine was discontinued in July of this year.

This is my dilemma, while AMU is RA it is nonetheless online. If they were to take life experience into consideration then I may feel a little bit better but I would not be confident that it could fill the void for the lack of academic experience.

So going through everyones response here, more people are suggesting there should not be a issue with a BS from AMU than those who are, is that correct?

I'm curious now to know, how much does a college/university take into consideration a student's life experience? I currently right now hold a 3.52 GPA with 4 classes to take to complete the prerequisites. While I would be happy if my GPA were higher, I am proud of my GPA. I often did multiple classes even while I was overseas, at times I had to manage completing the mission and completing the assignment due.

 

Thank you! That is my hope, that APUS wont be a problem. Question for you, did you go into PT?

Thank you! I've never come across st. Augustine before so this is interesting.

Military to Medicine was discontinued in July of this year.

This is my dilemma, while AMU is RA it is nonetheless online. If they were to take life experience into consideration then I may feel a little bit better but I would not be confident that it could fill the void for the lack of academic experience.

So going through everyones response here, more people are suggesting there should not be a issue with a BS from AMU than those who are, is that correct?

I'm curious now to know, how much does a college/university take into consideration a student's life experience? I currently right now hold a 3.52 GPA with 4 classes to take to complete the prerequisites. While I would be happy if my GPA were higher, I am proud of my GPA. I often did multiple classes even while I was overseas, at times I often had to manage completing the mission and completing the assignment due.