Professional Doctorate in Physical Therapy (D.P.T.)
Prerequisites
Applicants to the Doctorate in Physical Therapy degree should hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or university abroad which is recognized by the Ministry of Education in the home country.
The following courses are required prior to application:
- Biology * (one semester)
- Chemistry * (two semesters)
- Exercise Physiology (one semester)
- Anatomy * (one semester)
- Physiology * (one semester)
- Physics * (two semesters)
- Psychology(two semesters)
- Statistics(one semester)
* with labs
All courses must have been completed within ten years prior to the application deadline. These prerequisite courses must have been graded and may not have been completed on a pass/fail or audited basis. CLEP and AP (Advanced Placement) scores are not accepted in lieu of these courses. Combined courses in Anatomy and Physiology (A/P) are acceptable. Two semesters are required. Only two prerequisites can be outstanding at the time of application(January 15,2014 for entry to summer 2014). For example, if a student is completing two prereqs in the fall semester or one prereq in the fall and one prereq in the following spring, he/she is eligible to apply. If however, a student is taking more than two prereqs in the fall or spring terms,that person is ineligible to apply. A mimimum of two prereqs may have been retaken once,regardless of grades earned and whether or not the course was re-taken at the same or different institution. Course titles may differ but if the content is the same, it is considered a repeat. For example, if a student took Chemistry I(Inorganic Chemistry content)and then took a course titled Inorganic Chemistry and repeated Anatomy,that is the limit in order to be able to apply. If this same student also re-took Physiology,he/she would not be able to apply. Repeated or failed courses will be included in GPA calculations. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the science prerequisite courses and an overall grade point average of 3.0 are required for application review. Students enrolled in quarter or trimester systems may need to complete/submit grades for multiple terms to equate to a semester. Students should not apply with GPAs less than 3.0 in either category.
If applicants have questions about whether a particular course meets our requirements, they should contact the Office of Admissions at the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, 617-521-2605.
If admitted, a student must submit official final transcript(s) for all courses taken at the time of application as soon as possible and before the end of June. The transcripts sent to PTCAS remain with that organization and thus the School of Nursing & Health Sciences needs offical final transcripts on file to finalize enrollment.Transcripts for students taking courses or graduating in May may not arrive at Simmons until July. Thus, to expedite enrollment, students should send a copy of their grade reports or a statement on letterhead stationery from each professor indicating the grade earned. Final official transcripts will be required in order to finalize the admissions process.
At least 30 hours of physical therapy experience is required. Students may be completing these required hours at the time of application.
All candidates whose first language is not English, regardless of language of schooling or citizenship, must submit official scores of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) taken within the past two years. The required minimum TOEFL score is 570 (paper test), 230 (computer test), or 88 (internet test). TOEFL does not replace GRE. SNHS is unable to accept electronic scores at this time.
GRE scores taken within 5 years prior to the application deadline must also be submitted. SNHS is unable to accept electronic scores although PTCAS does. All official paper score reports must be sent to the Office of Admission of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. For the former GRE scoring scheme, a 450 in verbal;500 in quantitative and 4.0 in analytical writing are required. For the new GRE scoring requirements,
a 150 in verbal;144 in quantitative; 4.0 in analytical writing are required.
It is extremely important that applicants plan and allow for ample time for SNHS to receive official standardized test scores as it takes 4 to 6 weeks for these materials to arrive at Simmons College.
