Recruitment & Special Programs > Jose P. Graduate Scholarship Program for Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy > Fact Sheet for Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy Scholarship Program

Area of Study: PHYSICAL THERAPY

Semester of Entry: FALL

Application Period: JANUARY 1 - APRIL 30

Level of Study: DOCTORAL DEGREE

Program of Study:

A NEW YORK STATE-APPROVED PHYSICALTHERAPY PROGRAM AT ONE OF THE COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES LISTED BELOW:

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY	CONTACT PERSON	TELEPHONE NO.	EMAIL ADDRESS
Columbia University	Jean Fitzpatrick Timmerberg	212-305-2814	jt2634@cumc.columbia.edu
Long Island University	Dominick A. Fortugno, Ph.D.	718-488-1496	dominick.fortugno@liu.edu
Mercy University	Janet Partenza	914-674-7657	jpartenza@mercy.edu
New York Institute of Technology	Cheryl A. Hall	516-686-7670	chall@nyit.edu
Touro University	Jill Horbacewicz, PT, Ph.D.	646-777-9678 X55678	jill.horbacewicz@touro.edu

ELIGIBILITY:

Be accepted by one of the participating colleges or universities and enrolled full-time in a Physical Therapy Program leading to New York State Certification.
Proof of U.S citizenship or permanent resident status.
Certify that you do not possess a disqualifying record of conviction. All awardees need to be fingerprinted and receive clearance by the New York City Public Schools.
Agree to accept employment as full-time Physical Therapists with the New York City Public Schools in areas of high need as determined at the discretion of the program supervisor upon obtaining your New York State license.
Maintain full-time college or university enrollment.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

All applications for the Jose P. Occupational and Physical Therapist OT/PT Graduate Scholarship Program must be submitted electronically. Required documents must be submitted at application filing.

Resume
Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status. (Example: Birth Certificate, Passport, Alien Registration Card)
Current College Transcripts (official and unofficial student copies are acceptable)
Copies of all New York State or other state licenses
A completed College Acceptance Form from a participating college or university stating applicant has been accepted unconditionally as a fully matriculated graduate student
Two (2) letters of reference. (One (1) personal, One (1) professional)
A non-refundable application fee of $75.00 due at application filing.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

RESTRICTIONS:

The Participant must maintain at least a "B" average for each semester that the Department subsidizes tuition and shall meet attendance and all other college or university requirements. The Participant is responsible for informing the Department of any grades below "B."
Current pedagogical or clinical employees of the NYC Public Schools are not eligible to participate in the Scholarship Program.
Applicants who have already achieved New York State or reciprocal state certification are not eligible to apply.
Must not have benefited from or participated in any other incentive programs administered by the NYC Public Schools (i.e., Teachers of Tomorrow, Loan Forgiveness Program, Intensive Teacher Institute in Bilingual Special Education (ITI-BSE), New York City Teaching Fellows, Teach for America, I-Start, New Visions Urban Teacher Residency Program, Success Via Apprenticeship, Math for America, etc.).

DISTRICT RESTRICTIONS:

The awardee must secure employment in a New York City Public School in one of the following school districts:

Bronx Districts - 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12
Brooklyn Districts - 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23 and 32
Queens Districts - 23 and 27
District 75 - Brooklyn and Bronx schools only

AWARD:

The NYC Public Schools will reimburse the college or university the cost of tuition for candidates selected to participate in the Masters or Doctoral program. Unrelated coursework, other fees and expenses (i.e., application fees, books, and room/board) are NOT covered and are the responsibility of the student.

Award amounts will:

Be granted for one year and may be renewable for the second year, contingent upon funding and acceptable academic records.
Cover the full cost of tuition only for courses directly related to programs in Physical Therapy (during the professional phase of the program).

NOTE: The maximum number of years that an awardee is allowed to participate in the scholarship program is two (2) years (specifically the last two (2) years of study in that program) regardless of the length of study or program.

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS:

To be licensed as a physical therapist in New York State, the applicant’s education must be from a:

New York State Registered or Accredited Physical Therapy Program (APTA), you must have a master's or higher degree in physical therapy.
Program located in the United States but not NYS Registered or APTA accredited; you must have completed a program satisfactory to the Department, which is substantially equivalent to a master's or higher degree program in physical therapy registered by the department.
For Physical Therapist Programs located outside the United States that are NOT NYS Registered APTA Accredited, please refer to www.op.nysed.gov/prof/pt/ptlic.htm "Proof of Education" for instructions on how to verify your education credentials.

EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS:

Physical Therapists must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination, or an examination determined by the Department to be comparable in content, is required for physical therapy licensure in New York.

SERVICE AGREEMENT and COMMITMENT:

Participants shall serve in the field of Physical Therapy two (2) years for every one (1) year the Scholarship is awarded or any part thereof. Example: If the Scholarship is awarded for one and a half (1.5) years, the participant will have a four (4) year service commitment to the NYCDOE.
Employment must be in a designated New York City Public School.
The awardee must commence employment with the New York City Department of Education upon possession of a New York State license to practice Physical Therapy.
An awardee who has failed to commence their service obligation will be required to repay the total year plus nine (9%) interest within two (2) years of the last award semester. A pro-rated repayment schedule will be established for any awardee that completes only a portion of their service obligation within the specified period.
Awardees must meet the standards of the college they attend and remain in good standing in their program.

Implementation of the Scholarship Program is contingent upon the availability of funding and the staffing needs of the NYC Public Schools.

APPLY HERE

If you require further information, please email JosePScholarship@schools.nyc.gov or call the Office of Scholarships, Incentives, and Pupil Personnel Services at (718) 935-2449. We look forward to receiving your application!