With state-of-the-art equipment, laboratories and therapeutic experiences, physical therapist assistant students learn strategies for addressing a variety of disorders. The program focuses on the medical and physical treatment of these systems:
Musculoskeletal
Neurological
Cardiovascular
Pulmonary
Integumentary (the body's outer layer)
Career Options
Graduates of the Ivy Tech Physical Therapist Assistant program are qualified to work as physical therapist assistants (PTAs) after passing their board exams.
Professionals in this flexible career work under the supervision of physical therapists in places like:
Hospitals
Rehabilitation centers
Long-term care facilities
Outpatient settings
Home healthcare
HOW TO APPLY
Future Students
Students interested in the Physical Therapist Assistant program must apply to Ivy Tech first using the Ivy Tech general application. In this application, apply for the Healthcare Specialist program with an interest in Physical Therapist Assistant. Apply to Ivy Tech Now
The Physical Therapist Assistant program at Ivy Tech is a selective admission program, which means not all students who apply to the program will be accepted. Learn More about Selective Admissions
In-Demand Career
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects job growth that is much faster than average for physical therapist assistants between 2021 and 2031. The BLS anticipates 24% growth nationally, or about 25,500 job openings each year.
Associate Degree – Transferable or Career-Ready
Ivy Tech's Associate of Science (AS) in Physical Therapist Assistant degree program prepares students for a career as a physical therapist assistant.
After earning their AS in Physical Therapist Assistant and passing board exams, graduates can enter the workforce. To position graduates for success, the program has affiliation agreements with more than 130 employers in Indiana that are seeking physical therapist assistants.
The AS in Physical Therapist Assistant degree program also is designed for students who wish to transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. You can save upward of $10,000 by completing your first two years at Ivy Tech and then transferring!
Talk to our transfer advocates for information about continuing your education after completing your associate degree at Ivy Tech. You are also encouraged to contact the university to which you plan to transfer. Note that admission is not guaranteed just by enrolling in the Physical Therapist Assistant program. You will need to be admitted to the institution you intend to transfer to.
The Ivy Tech Physical Therapist Assistant AS degree program prepares you to take the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) licensure exam for physical therapist assistants.
Careers to Pursue
The associate degree prepares students to become physical therapist assistants. This career generally offers the flexibility to choose the location, schedule and patient population for your work.
Physical therapist assistants also can seek administrative roles, including becoming directors, in various therapy settings. They can pursue an Advanced Proficiency designation through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
Student Outcomes
Student Outcomes (SOs) are the competencies that Ivy Tech students should
be well versed in upon graduating from the program.
Physical Therapist Assistant is offered at 3 Ivy Tech locations in Indiana. Each location offers a unique combination of certificate and degree options:
The Physical Therapist Assistant program can prepare students for a variety of fulfilling opportunities, working under the supervision of physical therapists to help people recover and reach their maximum potential. Physical therapists use health, wellness and therapeutic strategies.
A successful physical therapist assistant student and professional develops and strengthens skills like:
Dedication to learning
Desire to engage in medical sciences
Willingness to abide by the field's professional standards
Sound Like You?
If you identify with the details, skills and traits above, physical therapist assistant may be the path for you! Take the next step to get started, or speak with your local advisor to learn more.
The Ivy Tech Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program can be a challenging, yet rewarding, program. Before you apply, review the following requirements and expectations for students in the program.
Time Commitment
The PTA Associate of Science program requires a major commitment of time and energy. Students must be enrolled as a Full-Time student with daytime courses. Students may also need to schedule additional general education courses as needed each semester. It is essential that you plan for the same amount of study time as class time per week. PTA course schedules and assignment due dates will not be adjusted to accommodate individual work schedules.
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all class meetings, or other activities assigned as a part of a course of instruction. Attendance is necessary to maximize student-learning opportunities. Students who are absent are responsible for missed material. Clinical courses require that the student be present to effectively evaluate successful achievement of clinical course objectives and concepts, as clinical course objectives cannot be accomplished or evaluated outside the clinical setting. There are no make-up sessions for missed clinical hours; therefore, regular clinical attendance is mandatory for successful clinical course and program completion.
Additionally, students must be prepared to provide their own transportation to and from clinical sites within an hour-and-a-half drive from their campus in order to complete clinical hours.
Mandatory Drug and Criminal Background Screenings
All PTA program clinical affiliates require mandatory drug and criminal background screenings before allowing students to participate in clinical courses at their facilities. Results of these screenings could impact your ability to complete clinical courses and therefore, your ability to meet the program's requirements for completion. Requiring criminal background and drug screenings ensures students meet the same standards as healthcare facility employees. Annual criminal background and drug screenings are required for all PTA students.
PTA Program Student Requirements
The following are required for participation in clinical activities:
Annual criminal background and sex offender registry screening
Annual drug screening
Physical examination and verification of essential functions
Annual flu vaccination
Up-to-date immunizations including Hepatitis B series, MMR, Varicella, Tdap, Diphtheria, Pertussis, and COVID-19
Annual TB skin testing or other documentation for positive tests per CDC guidelines
Documentation of current CPR Certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) for Health Care Providers from the American Heart Association (AHA).
Students interested in applying for admission to the PTA program should begin locating childhood immunization records early to ensure complete vaccination and physicals are submitted by established deadlines.
In addition to tuition, there are several equipment and exam costs that students will incur during the program. These costs will vary by campus, but you can use these costs as a guide for what to expect.
Charge per credit hour for internet based courses
$20.00
College assessed Technology Fee for all students per semester
$75.00
Consumable fees, PTAS 224 (Capstone)
$130.00
Consumable fees, PTAS 101, 106, 207
$75.00
Drug Screen/Background Check
$211.00
Physical Exam and Immunizations
varies
CPR certification
$65.00 - $100.00
Uniform expenses
$200.00
Scorebuilders Seminar/Online Testing
$350.00
Student membership in APTA – national dues (required 2nd year)
$90.00
FSBPT Exam Fees/Licensure Fees (paid spring of graduation)
$600.00 + (depending on state jurisdiction)
If you have any concerns about these costs, please speak with a member of our financial aid team to discuss options available for support.
Financial Aid
Connect with the Financial Aid team at your home campus to find out if you can receive financial aid for the program of your choice. Make sure that you have completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by the established deadlines to be considered for financial aid assistance.
Prerequisite Courses for Physical Therapist Assistant
Completion of the following required prerequisite courses with a grade of “C” or higher is required for admission to the Associate of Science (AS) in Physical Therapist Assistant degree program:
PTAS 101 Introduction to PTA
APHY 101 Anatomy and Physiology I
APHY 102 Anatomy and Physiology II
ENGL 111 Composition I
SCIN 111 Physical Science
No Expiration of Credits
There is no expiration date for course credits that were earned in previous years from Ivy Tech Community College.
Transfer Credit for Prerequisite Courses
Prerequisite courses completed at colleges other than Ivy Tech will only be considered for general education selection points if transfer credit has been awarded and courses appear on the Ivy Tech transcript prior to the application deadline.
TR grades are not recognized by the online application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that transfer credit has been awarded and that TR grades are updated to transfer letter grades (TA, TB, TC) on their Ivy Tech transcript.
It is recommended that college transcripts be submitted to the Registrar’s office for evaluation and transfer credit at least 4 weeks prior to the program application deadline to ensure adequate time for processing.
Physical Therapist Assistant Courses
Descriptions of physical therapist assistant courses can be found in our online course catalog. View required classes and course descriptions for:
See when specific classes will be offered by searching our class list in Schedule Builder. First, select the semester you’re looking for and then enter the name of the class in the search bar.
If you’re a current student, upcoming classes are easy to find in Schedule Builder in MyIvy.
Class Format
Due to the nature of the physical therapist assistant profession and the hands-on learning in the curriculum, all Ivy Tech physical therapist assistant courses are taught in a traditional, in-person format.
Step 1
Apply to Ivy Tech
Students interested in the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program must first submit the Ivy Tech general application and complete requirements for admission to the college. During this application, you should apply for Healthcare Specialist program with an interest in PTA. Admission to the college does not ensure acceptance to a health science program, but students can be working on prerequisite courses for the PTA program after admission to the college and before applying to the program itself.
Following completion of prerequisite courses, you may apply for the PTA program through the online application for health science programs. Students must have a GPA of 2.5 out of a 4.0 scale at the end of the spring semester in order to be accepted.
Please note that the PTA program is a selective admission program, which means there are a limited number of spots each year.
The PTA program begins each fall. The application window is between March 15 and May 15 to begin the program that year.
Filling Out the Physical Therapist Assistant Online Application
If you are not a current Ivy Tech Community College student, please Apply Now. You will need a C# (Ivy Tech student ID number) and Ivy Tech single sign-on login credentials in order to apply.
Gather all required or optional documentation that you will need to upload into the system. View more about requirements here. You will have the ability to save your application in progress until you are able to secure documentation.
If you are transferring from another institution, please make sure that your transcripts are evaluated at least 4 weeks prior to the application deadline.
Check to make sure your personal information is accurate.
Select the programs and campuses you would like to be considered as an applicant. You can select up to three different programs and three different campuses. (Some students choose to apply to multiple programs within the School of Health Sciences.)
You must meet all of the prerequisites for a program in order to submit your application. If you receive a message indicating that you do not meet the prerequisites, then please remove that program selection in order to proceed with the application.
Upload any necessary documents.
Make sure grades in the system are accurate. If not, please contact your home campus registrar or advisor.
You will be able to submit your application if you are currently enrolled in a course identified as a prerequisite for the program.
Once complete, submit your application.
You will receive an email confirmation in your Ivy Tech email account that your application has been submitted and is pending review.
Once you have submitted your application, you have the option to reopen it to make changes.
Note: DO NOT USE THE “BACK” function on your computer. Use the navigation pane at the side of the page to navigate.
To learn more about the Health Sciences and Nursing application process, watch the below video, read the FAQ, or contact your campus of interest.
Offers of Admission
Students can select up to three programs and three campuses each on the application. Offers of acceptance are for a specific program and campus. The offers are determined through eight rounds of auto-selection and six rounds of manual selection.
If a student is accepted, they will receive an email from the online application system to their Ivy Tech email account offering a seat in the program. Offers are emailed beginning within one week of the application close date and continue until program capacity is met or one week before the start of semester classes. Each round of offers begins at 6:00 am and applicants have until 11:59 pm the following day to either accept or reject an offer.
Depending on their rank and offers, a student could potentially receive multiple offers. Once one offer is accepted, the student is immediately withdrawn from all other offers and will be contacted by the chair or dean of the program with information about the program orientation date, time, and location.
If a student fails to respond, then the offer expires. If a student rejects an offer three (3) times, the application is removed from the auto-selection application pool but will then be available for manual selection rounds that occur later in the process.
Students do have the ability to withdraw an application at any point during the admission cycle. However, once an application is withdrawn, another one cannot be submitted until the next application cycle.
After You're Accepted
If you are accepted into the program—first off, congratulations!—you will be required to attend on orientation session at your local campus during the summer semester prior to beginning classes. An email will be sent following your acceptance with details about the session.
What If I Don’t Get Admitted?
The PTA program does not maintain a waitlist. Non-admitted applicants can reapply in the next year’s application cycle, but we recommend that they to meet with an advisor to begin planning and preparing for the reapplication process. Advisors can also assist students in exploring other programs of interest in Ivy Tech’s School of Health Sciences if they have applied several times and have not been accepted into the program.
What is Selective Admission?
The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program is a selective admissions program. Due to the nature of this program and the high number of applications received, we are only able to accept a small number of students each year.
Weighted Point System
A weighted point system is used to evaluate applicants for admission. Student applications are assigned points based on their grades in prerequisite courses. Point totals for applicants receiving admission offers will vary between campuses. Point totals are not shared.
If there is a tie, the tie breaker will be determined by the student's Ivy Tech GPA from the spring semester.
General Education Weighted Point System
When multiple course attempts are reported on applicant transcripts (including transcripts from other colleges and universities), the highest earned grade of the first three attempts will be used for the selection decision score through the application period. Points for courses transferred from other institutions will be awarded from the grade recorded on the transcript from the other institution provided transfer credit appears on the Ivy Tech transcript.
Course
A
B
C
D/F
PTAS 101
60
40
20
0
APHY 101
30
20
10
0
APHY 102
30
20
10
0
ENGL 111
15
10
5
0
SCIN 111
15
10
5
0
Total General Education Points Possible = 150
The PTA Programs of Lake County at Crown Point, Muncie, and Sellersburg at Ivy Tech Community College are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program institution directly please call: Dr. Dawn D. Bancsi (Lake County), 219-981-1111 x 2405 or email dsininckimeves@ivytech.edu; Dr. Mark Wise (Muncie), 765-289-2291 or mwise@ivytech.edu, or Dr. Emily Smith, 812-248-4290 or esmith782@ivytech.edu.
Ivy Tech's CAPTE accreditation makes graduates of the PTA associate degree program eligible to sit for the licensure exam.
The information below is provided in accordance with accreditation requirements.
Lake County at Crown Point
Muncie
Sellersburg
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Ivy Tech Community College Lake County (Crown Point -Merrillville Center), is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Ivy Tech Community College, Muncie, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
The Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Ivy Tech Community College, Sellersburg, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
Our program chairs are available to answer your questions. You can also find campus-specific materials below that may be helpful as you pursue your associate degree.
Dr. Dawn D. Bancsi, PT, DPT, MPT PTA Program Chair & Assistant Professor 219-980-7799, ext. 012406 dsinickimeves@ivytech.edu
Our program chairs are available to answer your questions. You can also find campus-specific materials below that may be helpful as you pursue your associate degree.
Dr. Dawn D. Bancsi, PT, DPT, MPT PTA Program Chair & Assistant Professor 219-980-7799, ext. 012406 dsinickimeves@ivytech.edu
Our program chairs are available to answer your questions. You can also find campus-specific materials below that may be helpful as you pursue your associate degree.
Dr. Mark Wise, PT, DPT, MA PTA Program Chair 765-289-2291, ext. 1773 mwise@ivytech.edu
Our program chairs are available to answer your questions. You can also find campus-specific materials below that may be helpful as you pursue your associate degree.
Dr. Emily Smith, PT, DPT PTA Program Chair 812-246-3301, ext. 4290 esmith782@ivytech.edu
Dr. Dawn Bancsi has guided the program as chairperson since the spring of 2008, promoting an assessment-driven curriculum focused on patient case study engagement. Dr. Bancsi has practiced pediatric and neurological outpatient rehabilitation for 28 years, owning her own PT/OT mobile service organization.
She has taught anatomy, physiology, and physical therapist assistant education for Ivy Tech for 20 years. She takes pride in assisting students to achieve their educational goal of becoming a PTA. Exemplifying life-long learning, Dr. Bancsi is actively pursuing her Ph.D. in General Psychology: Performance Psychology from Grand Canyon University.
Dr. Mark Wise graduated from the Medical College of Ohio with a BS in Physical Therapy in 1995. Additionally, he earned a Masters's degree in Adult and Community Education from Ball State University and a Transitional Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Arcadia University in Pennsylvania.
He started teaching as an adjunct faculty member in the Muncie Physical Therapist Assistant Program in 1998 and transitioned into the Program Chairperson in 2003. In addition to teaching, Dr. Wise continues clinical practice with a focus on orthopedics, injury prevention, and helping injured workers successfully return to work.
Dr. Emily Smith graduated from Bellarmine University in 2011 with her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She has since practiced as a licensed Physical Therapist in the Southern Indiana area and her areas of interest include Education, Neurology, and Home Health.
Questions About the Program?
Future Students
If you’re not yet an Ivy Tech student, contact us at 1-888-489-5463 and we’ll be happy to help.
Current Students
Contact your academic advisor, who can answer any questions you have about the Physical Therapist Assistant program and your certificate and degree options.
Find Local Advising Contact Info
Don't see a nearby location?
Call 1-888-489-5463 and we'll get you started.
Madison Advising Center
590 Ivy Tech Drive
Madison, IN 47250
Fax 812-265-4028
Zoom Video Calls Available by appointment only. Call 812-256-2580, ext. 4502 to make an appointment.
Advising Team Tricia Miracle 812-265-2580 ext. 4137 tmiracle2@ivytech.edu Text during business hours 812-510-3844 Virtual Drop-In Advising Hours: Wednesdays 9:00-1:00pm & Thursdays 2:00-5:30pm Zoom Link
Lisa Kelley 812-265-2580 ext. 4163 lkelley3@ivytech.edu Text during business hours 502-414-1597 Virtual Drop-In Advising Hours: Tuesdays 1:30pm-5pm & Thursdays 8:30am-12pm Zoom Link
Starting Oct. 28th Tuesdays: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All other days by appointment from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. **Special Saturday December 7 @ 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
1 Source: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage estimates: Indiana.(2023). Lightcast™, lightcast.io. Occupational Overview for Indiana, 2023-2024
2 Associate degree cost is determined by tuition for an in-state, full-time student. Certificate and technical certificate costs are determined by tuition for an in-state, part-time student. Additional fees may be applied. Visit the Tuition & Fees page to learn more.
The Physical Therapist Assistant programs at Ivy Tech Community College are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).