Pathway to Healthcare

UD students interested in advanced health care professions will have an additional pathway, starting with the entering undergraduate class in fall 2025.

UD’s Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Physician Assistant Practice programs will allow UD undergraduates to apply for and secure their place in the Flyer Commitment Pathway the summer before their third year.

Prospective students want this and will often inquire during college tours about such opportunities, said Lindsey Hammett Loonkishu, physician assistant education chair.

“UD’s pathway program will help attract high-achieving students and keep them at UD for grad school,” she said.

Students from all majors who have met the prerequisites are invited to apply. Applicants will be selected for acceptance into the pathway based on academic performance and an interview. Students must continue to meet academic and other standards to secure their place in their chosen graduate program.

Application by traditional timeline— before their senior year — is still available to all students. The pathway can help students reduce the time, money and stress of applying to multiple schools, said Mary Insana Fisher, physical therapy department chair. It will also mean more Flyers — and the Marianist educational values they’ve learned — will be part of graduate classrooms.

Said Fisher, “Our undergrads have had four years of Marianist education, and they bring that forward with them, including an understanding of how to use their skills and talents to give back to the world.”

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A version of this article appears in print in the Spring 2025 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 12. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE