Why CSI?
1. SMALL CLASS SIZE
The program only accepts 20 students and maintains a 10:1 ratio of students to professor in lab courses. This small size creates a personalized learning experience for students which the faculty believe is essential for student learning in physical therapy.
2. TUITION
The College of Staten Island's tuition is among the lowest in the country for New York residents. For those out of state, tuition remains considerably less expensive than other area programs. Additionally, New York State allows students to establish residency after only 12 months of moving to New York.
3. HIGH RETENTION RATE
The College of Staten Island only accepts 20 students, and values all 20! Because of our small classes, we value each student, and our faculty pride ourselves on ensuring that all 20 graduate and become successful physical therapists. Students realize quickly that CSI is not a "weed out" program; this creates an atmosphere where students cooperatively work towards achieving their goals without competition or fear.
4. RESEARCH
The College of Staten Island Physical Therapy Faculty has world class researchers on staff who add to the richness of the curriculum. Dr. Knikou, Dr. Ahmed, Dr. Zhang, and Dr. Berteau all contribute not only to each student's learning, but to the literature of the field of Physical Therapy. The program is currently developing a PhD program for students with a DPT.
5. CLINICAL SITES
We affiliate with over 400 clinical sites with over 600 locations across the country. Students have significant input into the selection of their personal affiliation sites, and every effort is made to match the student with a site that matches their learning goals and location request. We do not require students to relocate for affiliations. If a student wishes to affiliate at a specific site that the program isn't contracted with, they should alert the department as soon as possible so that the legal process can begin which would allow the student to affiliate at the site in question.
6. CAPSTONE PROJECT
As Physical Therapy struggles to prove that its interventions are not only effective, but are the most cost effective, the Faculty at CSI believe that the completion of a Capstone project is essential in preparing clinicians to thrive in the profession. By working under the supervision of a faculty member, our DPT students develop and implement a complete research project. The final product of this is the preparation of a publishable manuscript before graduation. This project, which begins in the 2nd semester of the curriculum, becomes the method by which our students develop the research skills necessary to help progress the field of physical therapy into the future.
7. LOCATION
Located a short ferry ride from Manhattan, the College of Staten Island combines a traditional, suburban campus with easy access to the city. The spacious, 204-acre campus allows our students a peaceful atmosphere to pursue their studies and the opportunity to access the culture of NYC. Students looking to relocate will have a choice of on campus dorms and inexpensive off campus rentals.
8. EMG/NCV COURSE
CSI is one of the few PT programs in the country to offer students a full semester length course on EMG/NCS including lab instruction of those techniques. In fact, both the instructor and the lab assistant in PHT 885, Electroneuromyography & Motion Analysis, have achieved board certification in this area. There are currently less than 200 PTs in the country who have attained this distinction. Not only do students indicate that the concepts learned in this course help them in many areas of PT practice including orthopedics, neurology, and pediatrics, but many students have actually worked performing these tests after graduation.
9. INVESTMENT IN STUDENTS
The College of Staten Island values its students and supports them throughout the program. The program financially supports students on a yearly basis to attend conferences including Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) and the National Student Conclave (NSC). The program also pays for a review course for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).
10. INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
The department has international collaborations with University of Lyon (France), Imperial College London (UK) and also visiting scholars from University of technology of Hamburg (Germany) and University of technology of Compiegne, Paris (France).