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Admission Requirements

The requirements for entry into the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program include the following:

Completion of a baccalaureate degree with the following courses completed with a “C” or higher:

  1. Chemistry – 1-year chemistry sequence for science majors (example: 6-8 semester hours) with laboratory experience
  2. Physics – 1-year physics sequence for science majors (example: 6-8 semester hours) with laboratory experience
  3. Biology/Zoology – 6-8 semester hours with content that includes an introduction to cell biology, biochemistry, and genetics
  4. Anatomy – 3-4 semester hours of vertebrate, mammalian, human, or comparative anatomy that includes a laboratory experience
  5. Physiology – 3-4 semester hours of vertebrate, mammalian, or human physiology (A two-semester sequence of combined anatomy and physiology will meet the anatomy and physiology requirement)
  6. Statistics – 3 semester hours of statistics

Please refer to the Course Requirements Clarification at the bottom of this page for additional details on each course.

OR Completion of a baccalaureate degree with a Health Science major from Bradley University with a “C” or higher in all required courses.

The following courses are highly recommended:

  1. Kinesiology, biomechanics, or additional courses in human anatomy
  2. Exercise physiology, pathophysiology, or additional courses in physiology
  3. Upper-division psychology and sociology courses
  4. Medical Terminology

In addition, an applicant should have:

  1. Minimum 3.0 grade point average in all required courses taken.
  2. Minimum 3.0 grade point average for all courses taken.
  3. Acceptable GRE verbal and quantitative scores. See the VITAL STATISTICS page for recent averages of accepted students.
  4. If applicable, a TOEFL score of 600 or higher, and an IELTS score of 7.0 or higher.
  5. Skills in computer literacy, communication (written and verbal), medical terminology, and teaching.

Other Requirements

Your submission of courses to PTCAS (verified by official transcripts) will be used to determine if you have required courses or course equivalents.

No grade lower than a C is acceptable in the required courses.

In order to begin the DPT program, the requirements for a baccalaureate degree must be met with verification of the Baccalaureate degree being awarded four weeks after the start of the class.

Submit your official GRE scores to code #7706 for the Bradley University Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

FORTY hours of specific observation hours in a physical therapy clinic are required, although having at least 100 hours of observation is highly recommended. It is understood that applicants will have had some exposure to physical therapy and health care. On your application, you will be asked about your exposure to PT. Applicants should spend time observing a variety of physical therapy settings to facilitate their career decision.

In addition to the University’s student health form requirement, and prior to enrollment in the first full-time physical therapy course that includes a clinical experience (second summer), each student must verify:

  1. Professional liability insurance (renewable annually)
  2. Immunity to rubella (measles) by one of the following: rubella (measles) immunization received in 1990 or later, or - written verification from a physician of having had the disease, or - birth date prior to 1957
  3. 3. Immunity to rubella (German measles) by one of the following: - written verification of having had the immunization, or - written verification of rubella titer greater than 1:10
  4. Written verification of immunity to Hepatitis B virus
  5. Written verification of tuberculin test results (renewable annually)
  6. CPR certification (renewable annually)
  7. Criminal background check, if required by clinical site.

Contact the DPT program at bradleydpt@fsmail.bradley.edu if you have any questions.

Admission is competitive for a limited number of spaces in the class.

Course Requirements Clarification

Biology

Acceptable courses to meet the Biology Requirement of 6-8 hours with content that includes an introduction to cell biology, biochemistry, and genetics:

  1. A two-semester sequence of introductory biology for science majors, preferably with a laboratory experience (typically 100-level biology courses - but must be for science or pre-health career majors) - OR
  2. One semester of an introductory biology course for science majors preferably with a laboratory experience that covers the required content (introduction to cell biology, biochemistry [biochemistry may be assumed in the discussion of cell metabolism and respiration], and genetics), PLUS an additional 2-4 hours in a related course (could be from another department than Biology). Example courses:
    • Microbiology
    • Comparative vertebrate anatomy
    • Animal Physiology
    • Genetics
    • Embryology
    • Histology
    • Cell Biology
    • Biochemistry
    • Neurobiology
    • Molecular Biology
    • Entomology
    • Immunology
    • Exercise physiology
    • Pathophysiology
    • Additional hours in anatomy and physiology beyond the requirement in anatomy and physiology. OR
  3. Separate courses in cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry. This sequence of courses may be required for certain biology majors or may be a sequence of introductory biology courses in institutions with trimesters.
  4. Courses that meet one requirement cannot be used for another requirement (example: a biology course in animal physiology cannot be used for both the biology requirement and the anatomy and physiology requirement).
  5. Courses NOT accepted to meet the Biology requirement would include specific courses (beyond the introductory courses) in Botany, Plant Biology, Environmental Biology, Evolution, Ecology, Natural History, Biology and Society/Technology, Readings in Biology and Biology courses for non-science majors.

Chemistry

Acceptable courses to meet the Chemistry requirement- 1-year chemistry sequence for science majors (example: 6-8 semester hours) with laboratory experience:

  1. These courses are typically offered as General Chemistry I and II, or College Chemistry I and II, or Inorganic Chemistry. These courses usually have a laboratory experience and are acceptable for science majors or pre-health career majors. OR
  2. One semester course of General Inorganic Chemistry and one semester course in Organic Chemistry will also be accepted if that is the sequence of chemistry the institution offers. This should also be for science majors or pre-health career majors and have a laboratory experience.

Physics

Acceptable courses to meet the Physics requirement-1-year physics sequence for science majors (example: 6-8 semester hours) with laboratory experience:

  1. These courses are typically offered as General Physics I and II, or College Physics I and II. This level of physics can be Algebra/Trigonometry-based and does not have to be Calculus based. These courses usually have a laboratory experience and are acceptable for science majors or pre-health career majors.
  2. Some institution offer two separate courses in physics based on their content areas without regard to sequence. In these two courses the following basic content should be covered: Newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, thermodynamics, sound, waves, electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetism, optics, atomic and nuclear physics. These courses should also be for science majors or pre-health career majors and have a laboratory experience.

Anatomy and Physiology

Acceptable courses to meet the Anatomy and Physiology Requirement of:

  • Anatomy - 3-4 semester hours of vertebrate, mammalian, human, or comparative anatomy that includes a laboratory experience
  • Physiology - 3-4 semester hours of vertebrate, mammalian, or human physiology (a two-semester sequence of combined anatomy and physiology will meet the anatomy and physiology requirement).
    1. As stated a separate course in anatomy and physiology is acceptable. A laboratory experience with anatomy dissection is preferred. Each course should cover all body systems.
    2. A two-semester sequence of combined human anatomy and physiology will meet the requirement. A laboratory experience with anatomy dissection is preferred.
    3. The anatomy and physiology courses do not have to be out of the Biology department but should be rigorous enough for a science major or pre-health career major.
    4. Generally, a 1 semester 3-4 credit hour course in anatomy and physiology is not acceptable to meet the requirement.
    5. Generally, a course in exercise physiology is NOT accepted for the physiology requirement, however, exercise physiology is recommended.
    6. Generally, a course that covers just the musculoskeletal anatomy is NOT accepted for the anatomy requirement.

Statistics

Acceptable courses to meet the requirement of 3 semester hours of statistics.

  1. The course should include principles and procedures for data interpretation, measures of central tendency and variability, probability, correlation and an introduction to inferential statistics.
  2. The course can come from any department, however, statistics courses from the behavioral sciences, such as Psychology, or general health sciences seem to better prepare students for the statistical reasoning in our graduate program.

Highly Recommended Courses

Certain course work, though not required, will give an applicant a slight advantage in the admission process and will serve as an excellent background for entering into the professional physical therapy program. The following courses are highly recommended:

  • Kinesiology, Biomechanics or additional courses in Anatomy
  • Exercise Physiology, Pathophysiology or additional courses in Physiology
  • Upper division Psychology or Sociology courses
  • Medical Terminology
    • Neuroanatomy, Neuroscience, Neurophysiology
    • Nutrition
    • Ethics, Philosophy
    • Issues in Health Care
    • Introduction to Business

Acceptance of Transfer Credits

On rare occasions, a student may matriculate into the DPT program after having completed coursework while enrolled in a DPT or related program at another institution. A student who is attempting to transfer into the DPT program from another institution must complete all steps of the application process. Once an applicant has been accepted into the DPT program, they may email the Admissions Committee Chair to make a written request. The student is responsible for providing an official transcript noting the course, a course description published in the institution's documents (i.e. catalog, website), and a course syllabus (hard copy or digital). The Admissions Committee Chair makes a preliminary recommendation to the Committee and the Committee then deliberates on the matter. The Committee may consult with and/or defer to the Curriculum Committee or the Core Faculty in determining the courses and amount of credit that will be counted toward their DPT degree. The student will be notified of the determination in writing.