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Doctor of Physical Therapy - Entry (DPT)
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View Requirements

The first step in the admissions process is to ensure you’re on track to complete both the course prerequisites and application requirements in time to apply for your preferred year of entry.  

Prerequisite Courses
Move your mouse over each prerequisite below to read details regarding the requirement.

Anatomy Qualifiers
  • May not be introductory
  • Must be human
  • Must be taken from the anatomy, physiology, anatomy & physiology, biology, or zoology department
  • Combined Anatomy & Physiology courses will only be considered if you take the full course sequence (e.g. 2 semesters or 2-3 quarters)
  • Must have been completed no more than 7 years prior to planned date of matriculation at WesternU 
Physiology Qualifiers
  • May not be introductory
  • Must be human
  • Must be taken from the anatomy, physiology, anatomy & physiology, biology, or zoology department
  • Combined Anatomy & Physiology courses will only be considered if you take the full course sequence (e.g. 2 semesters or 2 quarters)
  • Must have been completed no more than 7 years prior to planned date of matriculation at WesternU
General Chemistry Qualifiers
  • May not be introductory
  • Must be specified for science majors
  • Must have been completed no more than 7 years prior to planned date of matriculation at WesternU
Physics Qualifiers
  • May not be introductory
  • Must have been completed no more than 7 years prior to planned date of matriculation at WesternU
English Composition Qualifier
  • Contact your admissions counselor if your institution doesn’t offer this course
Psychology Qualifier
  • At least one of these courses must be taken from the psychology department
  • Each course must be 3 semester or 4 quarter units
  • Abnormal and/or Developmental Psychology highly recommended
Prerequisite
Semester
Units
Quarter
Units
  • All prerequisites must be completed at a
    regionally accredited U.S. institution
    (exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis) or its equivalent abroad
  • All prerequisites must be completed with a grade of “C” or better (a grade of “C-” or lower is not acceptable)
  • No more than one science (if semester-based course; two if the course is quarter-based) and one non-science prerequisite may be in progress after the Fall term prior to matriculation (e.g. Dec 31, 2011 for Fall 2012 entering class)
  • All prerequisites must be completed by the
    end of the spring term prior to matriculation (e.g. May/June 2012 for the Fall 2012 entering class) 
  • One prerequisite may be taken on an advanced-placement, pass/no pass or credit/no credit basis
  • Prerequisites completed in California must be University of California (UC) &/or Cal State University (CSU) transferable
  • For those entering after Fall 2011, labs must be on-campus and/or in class. Online labs will not be accepted to satisfy the prerequisite
  • All coursework taken from non-U.S. institutions (including Canada) must be submitted to an approved service for evaluation
Human Anatomy w/ lab
4
6
Human Physiology w/ lab
4
6
General Chemistry w/ lab
8
12
Physics w/ lab
8
12
Statistics
3
4
English Composition
3
4
Psychology
2 Courses
2 Courses

If you’d like to find out whether the courses you’ve taken or plan to take will satisfy WesternU’s DPT-Entry prerequisites you can:

  • search the prerequisite database by institution.
  • if your courses aren’t listed in the database and you have a few courses in question, you may submit a prerequisite verification form.
  • if your courses aren't listed in the database and you have numerous courses in question, or simply wish to lay out your coursework, you may instead print and submit an academic worksheet.
    • Note: academic worksheets are available April - August and will be reviewed during this time only

Admissions Requirements

Minimum GPA of 2.80
  • GPA must meet minimum requirement at the time of application and be maintained through admission into the program
  • The last 60 semester or 90 quarter units may be calculated if your overall GPA is less than 2.80
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) -Not required for those applying for Fall 2013 and later
  • Currently there are no minimum GRE score requirements
  • Only the GRE - General Exam scores are acceptable
  • GRE test results are valid for five (5) years
  • Send scores directly to PTCAS. Institution Code 7823
Bachelor's Degree
  • BA or BS from a regionally accredited U.S. institution in any field except Physical Therapy
  • Degree must be conferred by end of Spring term prior to matriculation
Letters of Recommendation
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation are required:
    • One (1) from a supervising physical therapist
    • One (1) from a college instructor
    • One (1) from either a licensed physical therapist or college instructor
  • Your letters of recommendation are part of the PTCAS application and will be submitted to the admissions office along with your PTCAS application
  • Recommendations from a family member will not be considered
Volunteer or Paid Work Experience
  • Minimum of 100 hours in two (2) or more physical therapy facilities and/or clinical settings
    • A minimum of 40 hours per facility or clinical setting is required
  • In-patient hours are HIGHLY recommended
    • In-patient settings include:
      • in-patient hospital (acute, sub-acute/transitional care or rehab)
      • skilled nursing facilities (SNF)
      • extended care facilities (ECF)
      • residential facilities (geriatric/pediatric)
  • Experience hours completed under the supervision of a family member will not be accepted
Access to a Computer Meeting Minimum Technical Standards
International Student Application (ISA) - If Required
  • The International Student Application (ISA) is required if:
    • You are an international applicant who is not a U.S. citizen and is currently living in the U.S.
    • You are an applicant who has applied for permanent residency, but have not been approved at the time of application.
  • The ISA needs to be included with your application packet
  • There is no fee for the ISA
Proof of Legal U.S. Residency - If Required
  • If you are an international applicant or any other applicant who is not a U.S. citizen and are living in the U.S., you should be prepared to provide proof of legal U.S. residency at the time of interview.
  • Proof of legal U.S. residency is required prior to any offer of acceptance.

Should you be accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy-Entry program, you will be required to provide proof of the required health screenings and immunizations. Additionally, your admission into the program will be contingent upon a satisfactory criminal background check, which is to be completed and submitted prior to orientation. The background check is required to verify that your history is consistent with the University's Standards of Professional Conduct, and to ensure that you will be qualified to participate in the required clinical education experiences. A satisfactory criminal background check indicates no criminal history or satisfactory review of a criminal conviction without limitation; both misdemeanor and felony charges will be reviewed. If your background check is not considered “satisfactory”, you may have limited clinical site selection, may not be eligible for licensure or may have difficulty finding employment upon graduation. Supplemental or additional background checks may be required during the course of the educational program to meet the requirements of clinical education sites. For more detail on these requirements, please review the DPT-Entry FAQ's page.

Make Yourself a Competitive Candidate
Admission to the DPT-Entry program is competitive so you should strive to not only meet, but exceed the minimum requirements. To get a feel for the competitiveness of the applicant pool we recommend that you review last years’ entering class statistics and read what the admissions committee recommends you do to make yourself a competitive candidate.

Students in labPreparing and Submitting Your Application
Applying to the Doctor of Physical Therapy-Entry program is a two-step process. You must submit both a primary application and a secondary application in order to be considered for admission.

The apply now page will provide you with step-by-step instructions as well as an application checklist. There are a number of supporting materials that make up your completed application and it is essential that you print and carefully follow the checklist to ensure that you properly submit these pieces by the deadline

We are happy to answer questions as you navigate the application process,
so please do not hesitate to contact us if we can help.

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