Students will need to meet the admission requirements of both programs. Applicants must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a field of engineering or closely related (e.g. physics, or applied mathematics, kinesiology). Applicants must demonstrate evidence of exposure to the field of PT through volunteer or work experience. Applicants must submit 4 letters of reference: one physical therapist with whom the student has volunteered or worked for, two academic advisors, and one work supervisor. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required but competitive applicants typically have a 3.5 GPA or greater. Reporting of GRE scores is optional; typically, admitted students have GRE scores greater than the 50th percentile.
Apply
Applications will need to be submitted through the PT Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) by December 2*. The application is reviewed by faculty in both departments.
*Before you submit your application, please email Patrick Sparto, co-director of the program, to get important information about the application.
For all steps in the PTCAS application process, it is your responsibility to follow all instructions and meet all deadlines. Failure to do so may result in your application being canceled. It is highly recommended that you apply early to ensure that all of your application materials are received by the specific deadlines.
Prerequisite Coursework
Minimum credit hours listed based on a semester system
- Chemistry I and II sequence with labs*, 8 credits
- Physics I and II sequence with labs*, 8 credits
- Biology I and II sequence with labs*, 8 credits
- Anatomy**, 3 credits
- Physiology**, 3 credits
- Introduction to Psychology, 3 credits
- Additional Psychology course, 3 credits
- Statistics, 3 credits
- English Writing, 3 credits
- Engineering Statics***, 3 credits
- Advanced Mathematics*** (e.g. Calculus), 3 credits
*Science courses must be for science majors or pre-med majors. Preparatory courses (i.e. any course preceding a 101-level course) leading up to Biology 101, Chem 101, Physics 101 will not fulfill the pre-requisite requirement
**A two course sequence of anatomy/physiology may meet the anatomy and physiology requirements as long as there are a total of 6 credits.
*** Enrollment in PhD portion of the program can be deferred until courses are completed.
Preparing to Complete the Application
We recommend that you review the application process completely before entering data or filling out forms so that you are aware of all the information you need to gather and how much time the entire process will take.
Review of Application
The application is reviewed by faculty in both departments. By Jan. 15, a joint meeting of the both admissions committee will be convened to review the applications and make the following determinations for each applicant:
- Student meets admissions criteria for both programs and would be an excellent candidate for the DPT-PhD program, and will be invited for an interview approximately the first week in March, coinciding with the Department of Bioengineering graduate applicant interviews
- Student meets admissions criteria for both programs, but may not be an ideal candidate for the DPT-PhD program. They will not be invited for an interview, but will be placed on a wait-list, and notified by letter
- Student does not meet admissions criteria for one or both programs. They will be notified by letter
After interviews are conducted, candidates will be notified by letter if they will be admitted into the program.