General Information
The Department of Physical Therapy offers a program leading to the Master of Science degree in Physical Therapy (MScPT).
The course-based MScPT program is designed to provide students with the clinical and evaluative skills necessary for the practice of physical therapy. This course-based master’s degree is for students who hold undergraduate degrees in a variety of fields.
The MScPT program is currently offered at two campus locations: Edmonton and Calgary. Of the students admitted to the program, a portion are admitted to our Edmonton and Calgary campuses based on student preference. All students begin the program with a one month residency in Edmonton to study anatomy and establish initial face-to-face connections with the colleagues they will be working with via technology throughout the remainder of their program. With the MScPT program’s distributed education model, students at both campuses complete the same core program of required courses. Each campus will offer unique elective opportunities reflective of local expertise and community partnerships in addition to the online electives available to all.
Entrance Requirements
The Department’s minimum admission requirements are an undergraduate degree with an admission GPA of at least 3.0 on the 4-point scale from the University of Alberta, or an equivalent qualification and standing from a recognized institution. The admission GPA will be calculated on the last 60 units of graded coursework completed, or on the equivalent of the last two years of full-time graded coursework.
Prerequisite courses are required and include the following: Human Anatomy (3 units), Human Physiology (6 units), Human Movement (3 units), Statistics (3 units), Human Psychology (3 units) and Humanities or Social Sciences (3 units) – for examples see Programs and Certificates.
Indigenous Canadian History:
All students admitted to the MSc PT program are required to complete a course focused on Indigenous history in Canada. This is considered a program prerequisite. For students who have not met the requirement at the time of admission, a condition of their admission would be to complete the course by the start of the first term of registration. This requirement may be fulfilled through the certificate version of the University of Alberta Indigenous Canada MOOC.
Alternatively, an academic equivalent (3 units) will be accepted. Should students complete a (3 units) course in Indigenous Canadian History this may also count as the Humanities or Social Sciences prerequisite requirement.
Applicants who do not possess a degree or its academic equivalent from an academic institution recognized by the University of Alberta, in which the language of instruction is English must have an IELTS score of 7.5 or higher with no less than 7.0 in each band, or TOEFL score of 102 (internet-based) or higher with no less than a score of 23 for the speaking component, 24 for the listening component, 24 for the reading component, and 278 for the writing component (or an equivalent approved English language examination result).
Human Anatomy must be completed within five years of the admission of pre-requisite course deadline.
Activity courses in Physical Education, studio courses in Fine Arts, and practicum courses are not considered part of the required 60 units of admission requirements and are not included in the calculation of the academic score.
With the exception of prerequisite courses, courses completed extra to degree must be senior undergraduate level (typically 300- and 400-level) courses to be included in the admission GPA calculation.
The selection process is competitive and will be based mainly on the GPA in the most recent 60 units taken prior to January of the admission year. The grade point average of the prerequisite courses may be included in the admissions evaluation process. In addition to academic requirements an interview will be required. While preference will be given to residents of Alberta, approximately 15% of the available seats will be offered to out-of-province and international applicants. A minimum of two seats each year will be designated and offered to qualified applicants of Indigenous ancestry.
Provincial Licensing: In order to be a practising physical therapist in the Province of Alberta, graduates from the course-based MScPT program at the University of Alberta are required to take the Physiotherapy Competency Examination (PCE) which consists of both written (Qualifying Examination) and clinical (Physiotherapy National Examination) examinations. The fee for the examination is the responsibility of the student. Information on the cost of the examination can be obtained from the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta. Successful completion of the PCE will enable graduating physical therapists to practice in Alberta. Contact (780) 438-0338 for more information.
The deadline date for submitting applications for admission (including a listing of prerequisites completed and/or in progress) is January 15 for international applications and February 1 for domestic applications. Please contact the Department of Physical Therapy for further admission information. Normally deferral of admission will not be allowed.
General Academic Standing Requirements
The Department of Physical Therapy requires that all students pursuing a Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MScPT) degree must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. A student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 at any time will typically be placed on Academic Probation and may be required to withdraw. Additionally, students in the MScPT program may fail only one academic or clinical course. If the Department of Physical Therapy and Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research recommend that the student be allowed to repeat the course, the student will be required to repeat the failed course the next time it is offered. Students must pass all courses within a term/block to progress to the next term/block. Students who fail more than one academic or clinical course may be required to withdraw from the program.
Academic Standing: See Academic Standing for policies on Academic Standing in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The Department of Physical Therapy has established procedures governing academic standing which are available on admission in the MScPT Student Manual. The Department of Physical Therapy has established appeal procedures so that students who encounter special problems relating to academic standing, grade or course concerns and program requirements are reviewed in an equitable manner. Regulations regarding appeals are included in the MScPT Student Manual provided on admission. Deadlines exist for submission of appeals. Contact the Department for details.