Physical Therapy - DPT

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for entry into the DPT degree program are described below.

The bachelor’s degree requirement for entry is based upon the CAPTE criterion that mandates that physical therapy programs are “built on a balance of course work in social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, which is appropriate in depth and breadth, to develop the ability in students to think independently, to weigh values, to understand fundamental theory, and to develop skill for clinical practice, including critical thinking and communication.”¹

The pathway requires the following prerequisite course work and admissions procedures. Students enter the graduate physical therapy program in the summer semester; the program is designed for full-time study during the day.

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution by the end of the spring semester prior to entry into the DPT program
2. Two semesters of anatomy and physiology for science majors with lab
3. Two semesters of physics for science majors with lab
4. Two semesters of chemistry for science majors with lab
5. Two semesters of psychology (including one semester of developmental psychology or child psychology).
6. One semester of mathematics (precalculus or college algebra and trigonometry)
7. One semester of statistics
8. One semester of English composition (expository writing)
9. The Graduate Record Examination must be completed and scores sent to the Graduate Admissions office at Hunter College (ID # 2301)
10. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certification by the American Heart Association or the Red Cross
11. An undergraduate grade point average (GPA), calculated from all college courses, of 3.0 or above
12. Documented clinical experience of at least 100 hours in the United States under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist, with a minimum of 50 hours in a hospital-based setting.
    
    Applicants may inquire at any hospital or other facility about volunteering in its physical therapy department as a means of gaining access to clinical experience. A Clinical Experience Form is available from our website. The completed documentation should be provided by the supervising physical therapist by the dead- line of December 1 prior to the  summer semester for which admission  is sought.
     
13. Filing of an online application through the Graduate Admissions office at Hunter College by the December 1st deadline
14. An interview may be required with faculty of the Hunter College Physical Therapy Program, which will include an essay as determined by the physical therapy program faculty
15. For applicants who have not studied in English-speaking countries, a score of at least 550 on the TOEFL examination
16. Students who have not completed up to 6 credits of prerequisites may be conditionally accepted for the incoming class, but all requirements must be met before the starting date of the program in the fall semester

The application process is self-managed. Applicants must file on line via a link from the Graduate Admissions Office of Hunter College. You do not need to submit official transcripts until we request them. However, you should submit electronically either a student copy of all college transcript(s) (or scan an official copy) and submit it electronically to the Hunter College Graduate Admissions Office.

Either you or the person supervising your clinical experience may submit your completed Clinical Experience Forms to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Hunter College, 425 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010.

Prepare a draft of your prerequisite checklist for input into the Graduate Application at the time you apply. Letters of reference (including letters [not clinical experience forms] from supervising physical therapists) will be uploaded by the person submitting the letter through the online application process.

Documents submitted by eligible applicants will be reviewed for clinical experience and other relevant experience in health care to identify those eligible for interviews. Subsequent to the interviews, a standardized scoring form will be used to evaluate each applicant, based on GPA, GRE and TOEFL scores, clinical experience, essay quality, and interview scores.

Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the program, which is based, by necessity, on the limitations of space and resources. The Hunter College Physical Therapy Program is dedicated to equal opportunity for all applicants who meet admission requirements.

¹ Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (1996). Evaluative Criteria for the Accreditation of Education Programs for the Preparation of Physical Therapists, Effective January, 1998. Alexandria, VA: American Physical Therapy Association.

Requirements for Graduation

The curriculum outlined below is effective with the class entering in 2013.

Specialization (Courses designated PT) 105 credits

Grading Policy

Academic and Clinical Education Grading Policy Summary

Students are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above to remain in good academic standing (refer to section on Academic Policies and Regulations  in this catalog). Students earning a grade below C in any required academic course in the physical therapy program will not be permitted to continue the sequence of physical therapy courses. A meeting with the faculty will be scheduled to discuss whether the student should take a leave of absence in order to retake the course and reapply for admission at least two months before the beginning of the semester in which the student plans to resume studies. The total time permitted for completion of the physical therapy program curriculum is five years (see section on Degree Requirements  in this catalog). This will not prevent the student from continuing at Hunter College in another major area.

If a student repeats a failed course, it is required that a grade of C be earned in the repeated course and that the student’s GPA remain above 3.0. If the student earns below a C grade in the repeated course, the student will be offered counseling toward another major area. Students are permitted to repeat only one course while enrolled in the Physical Therapy Program, and they are permitted to repeat that course only once. This policy also applies to clinical affiliation grades, which are credit/no credit (CR/NC). A student is limited to repeating one clinical affiliation throughout the entire curriculum sequence. If  a clinical affiliation is graded no credit (NC), the student is placed in one make-up clinical affiliation. This make-up clinical affiliation, and any and all remaining clinical affiliations, must be graded as credit (CR) for successful continuation and graduation from the program. The grade of credit (CR) or no credit (NC) does not influence the student’s GPA. If a student withdraws from any course, the Academic Policies and Regulations  as stated in the Hunter College Graduate Catalog will be followed.

The grading policy in courses which include a practical (laboratory) examination or checkout as part of the grade is determined by the faculty member teaching the course. Students must pass all practical examinations. The policy for the passing criteria is included in the course syllabus.