Applicants must complete a bachelor's degree prior to starting the USA DPT program.
Regular Graduate Applicants
These applicants must hold a bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited college or university and complete all prerequisites for regular graduate admission as listed below with a GPA > 3.00 by the time they would start the DPT program.
Admissions rankings
Admissions rankings for all applicants are determined using the same criteria. Acceptance to the DPT program will be based on the student's academic ability and aptitude for a career as a physical therapist including GPA emphasizing Science prerequisites, GRE score, and interview score.
| Prerequisite Courses | Requirement |
|---|---|
| English Composition | 2 courses |
| Social Science | 3 courses - at least two of which must be Psychology |
| Precalculus Algebra / Trigonometry or Higher Mathematics | Either 1 course of Algebra/Trigonometry, 1 course of higher level mathematics (e.g. Calculus), or 2 courses to include Algebra and Trigonometry. |
| Statistics | 1 course |
| College Physics -with labs | 2 semester or 3 quarter sequence |
| General Chemistry for science majors -with labs | 2 semester or 3 quarter sequence |
| General or Cell Biology for science majors -with lab* | 2 semester or 3 quarter sequence |
| Human Physiology OR a course sequence in Anatomy and Physiology | Minimum 6 credits (Human physiology is the preferred sequence.) |
NOTE: For all prerequisite courses, credit older than ten years from the application deadline must be repeated or validated by examination or other appropriate mechanism.
*Botany may not be used to satisfy this prerequisite.
**Electives should be concentrated in a back-up major of the student's choice.
***Medical Terminology is required prior to matriculation into the DPT program. Students that have not
completed a Medical Terminology course prior to matriculation will be required to take an online course
during the summer prior to matriculation. There is no cost associated with the Medical Terminology
course taken in the summer through the department.
A number of courses are determined to be good preparation for certain components of the PT graduate program. Recommended courses include:
*Microbiology or Infectious Disease,
*Medical Terminology
* Kinesiology
* Exercise Physiology
* Motor Learning
* Upper Level Anatomy / Physiology
* Neuroscience
* Pathophysiology
* Abnormal Psychology
* General Psychology
* Developmental Psychology.
This schedule represents the admissions timeline in a typical year. In any given year, the schedule may have to be adjusted.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 1 - September 15 July 1 - November 1 | Priority Application period Hard/Final Application period |
In-person interviews
Hard/Final In-person interviews
October - December
February - March
Priority acceptance letters and alternate letters mailed, Deadline to
respond to offer and reserve your place is December 10.
For the Cumulative GPA, we now consider the cumulative GPA and GPA of the last 64 hours (including Graduate level coursework) and use the higher of the two GPA’s.
