After the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences recently raised grade point average requirements for its physical therapy program, some Sargent students have started seeing their GPAs and showing concern with the college’s demanding curriculum and stringent requirements. PT majors, who can receive a doctorate through a special six-year program at the college, now need to maintain a 3.0 for not only the first three years of the program, but all six. And many students are close to not making the cut – one Sargent sophomore, who recently dropped the program and requested anonymity, said she saw a startling number of students in danger of getting kicked out.

The program’s new GPA requirements are no doubt some of the highest in the university and could be seen as excessive, but Sargent students need to understand they get much more than the undergraduate degree with which most BU students will graduate. The completion of the six-year program means the students will receive a doctorate degree, better than the Master of Science in PT that students used to earn when the program had a 2.7 GPA requirement.

Students in the program also receive the reward or bonus of not having to apply to a graduate school – that’s already taken care of. Unlike their counterparts in the field, students will not be taking their GREs, since they entered the graduate program when they first matriculated at the university. Higher GPA requirements are reasonable because the program gives its graduates such benefits.

The new requirements also make sure employers and customers in the industry know how well trained students from Sargent and Boston University really are. By forcing students to maintain such a high average, employers – as well as those patients for which the PT students will be caring – are assured that program graduates received a comprehensive education and did not just coast by, shirking work and getting Cs in important classes.

Sargent should constantly review its programs and their requirements, especially after the recent GPA increase from 2.7 to 3.0. The school should take an objective look at the program – as well as similar ones across the country – and determine if 3.0 is a realistic goal for the majority of college students. It is great to keep the standards high, but if they put large percentages of students in danger of getting kicked out of the program, they may not be the best way to ensure that the program is successful.

Rather than tell seventh-semester seniors that they cannot graduate with their program class, Sargent should offer them the option of staying an additional semester and give them more chances to stay in the program. Students and administrators should have an open dialogue about the new requirements while the university and college review them to make sure they’re not only best for the students, but also best for the people they will ultimately serve once they get their degrees.