The University of Southern California (USC) offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree with coursework that typically takes six semesters and two summer courses to complete. Students must complete all DPT coursework with at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA. During the two years of coursework, three semesters will include two-week mid-semester clinical experiences. Both summer semesters include six-week clinical experiences. During the third year, students spend one semester getting three days of clinical experience per week and the other semester fulfilling a five-day-a-week clinical internship. Competitive applicants have combined GRE scores of at least 1160 and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.3. They can have a degree in any field, but must have eight semesters of coursework in any mammalian biological science and two semesters of chemistry, physics and psychology. Substantial clinical experience, whether volunteer or paid internship, is recommended. USC also offers two residency programs for practicing physical therapists who want to enhance their clinical skills.
University of Southern California
Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy
1540 Alcazar St., CHP 156
Los Angeles, CA 90089
323-442-2900
pt.usc.edu
The DPT degree at the University of Pittsburgh is fully integrated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Centers for Rehab Service so students can accumulate work experience in a variety of clinical settings, including sports medicine, pediatrics and geriatrics, as well as numerous clinical specialties, including women's health. The yearlong internship during the final third year comes with a monthly stipend. Three summers of coursework are Included in the three-year program, the first of which starts the summer before the first full academic year. Students must pass each course listed in the DPT plan of study with a grade of "C" or better. Failure to do so will require a year's delay because each course is only offered once a year. Applicants to the DPT degree must have completed an undergraduate program that included two semesters each of biology, chemistry and physics, each with labs, as well as a year's worth of psychology courses, and a semester in anatomy, physiology and statistics. Also required are a GRE score of 1000 or higher, either volunteer or paid work experience in a physical therapy setting and three letters of recommendation, two of which must come from licensed physical therapists.
University of Pittsburgh
School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
4020 Forbes Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
412-383-6558
pitt.edu
Washington University in St. Louis (WUST) offers a five-semester DPT program that takes three years to complete and includes 38 week of full-time clinical experience, broken up into four eight- to 12-week blocks that can be scheduled during summer and winter terms as well as during the regular academic school year. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree that included a semester of trigonometry and statistics as well as two semesters each of chemistry, physics, human physiology, psychology, writing and two other humanities or social science courses. WUST's Program in Physical Therapy wants DPT students who earned a bachelor's with a foundation in the liberal arts while they participated in a variety of non-academic activities that could have included community service or peer tutoring. Requirements for every application include official GRE scores, undergraduate transcripts and three letters of recommendation, two of which must be from a health care practitioner. The applicant base can change from year to year, but the class entering in 2007 had an average undergraduate GPA of 3.63 and a GRE score of 1160. WUST also offers a joint DPT/PhD degree. The PhD curriculum follows the DPT schedule.
Washington University in St. Louis
School of Medicine
Program in Physical Therapy
4444 Forest Park Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108
314-286-1400
physicaltherapy.wustl.edu