Here’s a guide to help get you started with some answers to some questions that come up along the way.

First of all, let’s dispel the rumors:

No, you do not have to be a resident of Mercer County to be accepted into the professional phase.

• The PTA program is open to anyone who has the appropriate pre-requisite courses and academic preparation regardless of where he or she resides. Out of county or out of state fees might apply depending upon where someone lives but there is no preference based upon someone’s address.

 No, it does not help your chances of being accepted into the professional phase if you are a Mercer County resident.

• The PTA program is open to anyone who has the appropriate pre-requisite courses and academic preparation regardless of where he or she resides. Out of county or out of state fees might apply depending upon where someone lives but there is no preference based upon someone’s address.

No, there is not a wait list, the PTA program uses a petitioning process each year so that those who are the most academically prepared are accepted.

•  The applicant pool is new and different each year.

No, you do not need volunteer hours to petition for the professional phase of the PTA program at Mercer.

• The only criteria used to consider applicants are those listed on the Petition. There is no objective way to evaluate volunteer hours which is why they are not considered. It is an expectation that anyone who is considering a career in a new field would at least have observed that setting but it is not a requirement.

No, you do not have to take all of your pre-requisite courses at Mercer to be considered for the professional phase of the PTA program and it would not be considered an advantage if you did.

• The PTA program is open to anyone who has the appropriate pre-requisite courses and academic preparation regardless of where he or she resides. Out of county or out of state fees might apply depending upon where someone lives but there is no preference based upon someone’s address.

What courses should you focus on as you prepare yourself?

The Degree Requirements page lists just what it says, “Degree Requirements” for the PTA program but, only the PTA program courses are listed in a specific order. The other courses just need to be successfully completed PRIOR to the professional phase of the PTA program.  This means that you need to focus on the courses that are listed on the Petition and make sure that you have THOSE completed.

However; you ALSO need to make sure that you have established 2 things which are described on the Petition:

Your “semester of first matriculation at Mercer” The Admissions office considers those with the earliest dates first.

• This means that you need to take a course at Mercer so that you are listed in the system as a student. This can be ANY course. Many students decide to take HPE 171 Personal Fitness for the following reasons:
  1. It’s a 1 credit course so even if you live out of county, it’s not that expensive
  2. It’s not a required course within the curriculum but you earn free membership in Mercer’s Fitness Center for as long as you are a student here.
  3. You establish a GPA at Mercer of at least 2.5!
  When transferring credit from other academic institutions the credit transfers but NOT your GPA from those institutions. 

SO, what courses should I work on first?

Remember, when transferring courses, you must have earned a grade of C or higher and C+ or higher for Anatomy & Physiology!.

How will I know if the courses that I’m taking at another college are the equivalent to the courses at Mercer?

There is a chart that you can check which lists the general education course equivalencies for area community colleges by course number. It is recommended that you consult this chart to see if the course that you are planning on taking is listed as the equivalent course. If you have a question about it, you can always email one of the faculty members at Mercer’s PTA program at pta@mccc.edu.

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