Prerequisites
Admission to the Physical Therapy Program:
Each entering physical therapy class begins the program in fall semester. You may apply for admission to the physical therapy program by January 5 prior to the fall semester that you wish to enter the program.
Admission Requirements:
Baccalaureate degree completed, or realistic plan of completion, before beginning of physical therapy classes. You may major in any field that maximizes your talents and interests; there is no preferred major.
Overall GPA of all baccalaureate work of 3.0 or better.
Completion of all prerequisite courses, or realistic plan of completion, before beginning of physical therapy classes if one or more prerequisite course(s) is incomplete at the time of application. Prerequisite courses include:
Fundamentals of Chemistry I, II (CHEM 110/111) or equivalent.
General College Physics (PHYS 111/112) or equivalent.
Human Anatomy and Physiology (EXSC 221/222) or equivalent. (At some universities human anatomy and physiology will be offered within the biology department. While human anatomy and physiology are preferred, students may substitute vertebrate or comparative anatomy and physiology.)
Elements of Applied Statistics (MATH 160) or equivalent.
One course in psychology or sociology emphasizing human behavior or disability. Puget Sound courses that fulfill the requirement include Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 101); Abnormal Psychology (PSYCH 295); Deviance and Social Control (CSOC 206); and Disability, Identity, and Power (CSOC 370).
All prerequisite courses must be taken for a grade, and you must earn at least a grade of C in each course. If your prerequisite courses have been completed more than 10 years prior to application, you should submit a letter describing how the prerequisite knowledge has been kept current. The grades from physics and anatomy courses must average to B or better with no single grade less than C.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (only the general test is required) that are not more than five years old.
Completion of application for each of two phases. Phase I, admission to the university, requires a $40 fee. Phase II, admission to the program, requires an additional $25 fee. The Phase II application requires completion of essay questions, which are evaluated for both content and writing ability, plus submission of recommendation forms. Both phases of the application may be completed online or by mail.
Exposure to practice of physical therapy (either volunteer or paid) under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. There is no minimum number of hours, but the applicant must demonstrate knowledge of the profession in writing submitted for the application.
Admission Criteria:
The physical therapy admission committee takes the overall application into account. Decisions are made based on a balance of academic performance in undergraduate work, GRE scores, demonstrated understanding of the nature of the profession, answers to essay questions on the application, writing ability as demonstrated on the GRE and on the essay questions, and information contained in the personal references. You must achieve all published minimum criteria in order to be considered for admission.
Profile of Recently Admitted Class:
Average overall GPA: 3.48 (range 3.0—4.0)
Average anatomy/physiology/physics GPA: 3.56 (range 3.0—4.0)
Average verbal GRE: 495 (range 350—720)
Average quantitative GRE: 619 (range 480—750)
Average GRE essay: 4.6 (range 3.0—6)
Average hours of exposure to practice: 616.5 (range 100—4,312)
