Respiratory therapists are licensed health professionals who care for patients with cardiopulmonary disorders such as asthma, emphysema, prematurity, and trauma. Therapists work in various settings, including intensive care units, emergency departments, cardiopulmonary diagnostic and sleep disorder laboratories, community hospitals, clinics, and home care.  The program is nationally recognized for successful outcomes and includes approximately a thousand (1000) hours of supervised clinical practice in hospitals, nursing homes, and community agencies.

APPLICATION

The Respiratory Therapy application is available online and must be completed and submitted with all required supplemental documents, if applicable. Competitive applicants will be offered a personal interview.  Knowledge of the profession and personal career goals will be evaluated then.  The program will give individual consideration in the admission assessment to courses taken and applicant experiences. The Graduate and Professional Admissions Application Guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to start the online application. 

Deadline

The Respiratory Therapy program admits students once per year, with students beginning the program in the Autumn semester. The application deadline for Autumn 2026 is January 31, 2026. The professional program will begin on August 25, 2026.

GPA of 2.50 or higher

A minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA is required in all coursework taken at any accredited institution.

Prerequisite Courses

Before starting the professional program, all prerequisite courses or their equivalents must be completed with a grade of C- or higher. Ohio State course numbers are shown below.

First Year Prerequisites

Biology 1113.0x (Prereq or concur: Chem 1210)
Chemistry (CHEM) 1210
English 1110.0x
Mathematics (MATH) 1148 or higher
Medical Terminology for the Health Professions (HTHRHSC) 2500
Physics 1200
Psychology (PSYCH) 1100 

Second Year Prerequisites

Anatomy 2300, 3300.0x, or Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology (EEOB) 2510
Human Physiology (EEOB 2520 or PHYSIO 3200)
Microbiology (MICRBIO) 4000.0x
Statistics (STAT) 1450.0x

First-year students may apply to the Respiratory Therapy program, with priority given to those with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and who have completed at least half of the prerequisite courses with a grade of C- or higher by the end of the summer term of their first year.  If accepted through this pathway, students will complete the remaining prerequisites in their second year and start the professional program in their third year.

To graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Ohio State, students must meet the following key requirements:

Minimum Credit Hours:
Ohio State requires at least 120 total credit hours to graduate.
The Respiratory Therapy program specifically requires 134 credit hours (excluding HTHRHSC 1100).

Courses That Do Not Count Toward the 134 Credits:
English 1109
EDUTL 1001–1007, 1010
Math 1040, 1050, 1073, 1074, 1075

Additional Graduation Requirements:
At least 30 credit hours must be completed at Ohio State through regular course enrollment.
Students must be enrolled in regular courses during their final semester in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HRS).
Must have a minimum 2.0 Ohio State GPA overall and in the major.

A graduation application must be submitted by the posted deadline. Instructions and the application are available on the HRS Academic Support Services Site.

Planning Tools and Information:
Use your degree audit regularly to track progress and ensure completion of all degree components, including:
General Education (GE)
Program Prerequisites
Professional Curriculum

Students must enroll in courses for the semester in which they are admitted; failure to do so will result in revocation of admission.

This sample plan outlines how students entering as freshmen can complete the Respiratory Therapy program in nine (9) semesters, including one (1) summer term. Students who follow this plan and are admitted to the program will begin professional coursework in the autumn semester of their third year. During the first two years, students have flexibility in when they take courses. In contrast, years three and four follow a more structured curriculum with limited flexibility. Students may choose to complete non-professional, such as general education courses during summer terms.

It is strongly recommended that all General Education (GE) courses be completed before entering the professional portion of the program. The professional curriculum must be taken in sequence and cannot be completed part-time or through evening-only classes. Students planning to transfer credits to Ohio State can use Transferology.com to see how their credits may transfer.

Ohio State academic programs are designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure and certification and state licensing board contact information for online programs and professional licensure & certification disclosures for on-campus programs.

Program Participation Requirements:

All applicants to the program must acknowledge and agree to meet the following requirements in order to successfully progress through and complete the curriculum:

Students must pass an annual background check for the duration of the program. Compliance with immunization and health screening protocols, as defined by the program, academic institution, and affiliated clinical partners, is also required. In addition, students must meet the technical standards essential for the professional discipline for which they are preparing.

A drug screening may be required, and successful completion is a condition of participation in clinical components of the program. Clinical education experiences are an integral part of the curriculum and may take place at off-campus sites. Students are responsible for securing and maintaining reliable transportation to and from these clinical locations and should anticipate associated costs related to travel and other clinical requirements.

Autumn, Year 1

Chemistry 1210 General Chemistry I (5 credits)
GE Foundation (3 credits)
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HTHRHSC) 1100 Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Survey (1 credit)
Mathematics 1148 College Algebra or higher (4-5 credits).  If placed into or lower than Mathematics 1148, substitute Chemistry 1210 with a GE course or another prerequisite during Autumn, Year 1
Psychology1100 Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
16-17 Credits Total 

Spring, Year 1

Biology 1113.0x Biological Sciences: Energy Transfer and Development (4 credits)
English 1110.0x First-Year English Composition (3 credits)
General Education (GENED) GE Launch Seminar 1201 (1 credit)
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HTHRHSC) 2500 Medical Terminology for the Health Professions (3 credits)
Physics 1200 Mechanics, Kinematics, Fluids, Waves (5 credits)
16 Credits Total    

Autumn, Year 2

Anatomy 2300, 3300.0x or Evol, Ecology and Organismal Bio (EEOB) 2510 (4-5 credits)
GE Foundation (3 credits)
GE Theme Citizenship for a Diverse and Just World theme course (4 credits)
Statistics 1450.0x Introduction to the Practice of Statistics (3 credits)
14-15 Credits Total  

Spring, Year 2

Evol, Ecology and Organismal Bio (EEOB) 2520 or Physiology and Cell Biology 3200 (3-5 credits)
GE Foundation (3 credits)
GE Theme Choice theme course (4 credits)
Microbiology 4000.0x Basic and Practical Microbiology (4 credits)
14-16 Credits Total

Begin Professional Coursework

Autumn, Year 3

Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4320 Components of Respiratory Health and Disease (4 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4400 Basic Respiratory Care (5 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4410 Introduction to Clinical Respiratory Care (4 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4430 Evaluation of Respiratory Function (5 credits)
18 Credits Total 

Spring, Year 3

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HTHRHSC) 5510 Pharmacological Aspects of Practice in HRS (2 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4475 Mechanical Ventilation (5 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4489 Clinical Experience Phase I (2 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4500 Respiratory Therapy for Special Populations (5 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4515 Intensive Respiratory Care (3 credits)
17 Credits Total

Summer, Year 3

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HTHRHSC) 5300 Management Principles and Human Resources for Health Care Professionals (3 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4589 Clinical Experience Phase II (8 credits)
11 Credits Total (below full-time status) 

Autumn, Year 4

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HTHRHSC) 4200 Health Sciences Research (3 credits)
Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HTHRHSC) 5500 Introduction to Pathophysiology (4 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4593 Individual Studies in Respiratory Therapy (2 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4689 Introduction to Advanced Clinical Practice Phase I (2 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4895 Seminar (1 credit)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 5525 Teaching and Learning Respiratory Therapy (2 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 5600 Fundamentals of Respiratory Care Research (2 credits)
16 Credits Total 

Spring, Year 4

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HTHRHSC) 4001 General Education Reflection Seminar in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (1 credit)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4593 Individual Studies in Respiratory Therapy (3 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 4789 Introduction to Advanced Clinical Practice Phase II (5 credits)
Respiratory Therapy (RESPTHR) 5520 Issues in Respiratory Care (2 credits)
11 Credits Total, (below full-time status)