The Kinesiology and Health Sciences major is the recommended major for all pre-physical therapy students, because it incorporates the pre-requisite courses into the major requirements and exposes students to the DPT faculty during their undergraduate experience. This is the required major for students who wish to be considered for Early Assurance (formerly known as Direct Admission) to Bradley’s DPT program.
The Kinesiology and Health Sciences major is recommended, but not required for admission to physical therapy schools. Bradley University offers a wide range of excellent majors, courses and opportunities which prepare students well for admission to physical therapy schools. Students should choose a major based on their personal interests and abilities, and then meet with both their Academic (within their major) and Pre-Health Advisor regularly to ensure that they are taking the necessary courses (and at the right time) to meet their major and graduation requirements, as well as required and recommended courses for admission to physical therapy schools. These pre-requisites can be taken as part of the major, Bradley Core, or free electives towards graduation, thus allowing students flexibility with their choice of major, and the ability to customize their pre-physical therapy plan.
Alternative Majors
Minors
Below are listed the most common pre-requisites for doctoral physical therapy programs and the Bradley courses which will satisfy them. Be aware that each DPT program may establish their own specific pre-requisites which may vary from this list, so it is your responsibility to carefully research the admission requirements for schools to which you plan to apply. Pre-requisite courses may be taken as part of a Bradley major, minor, Bradley Core or free electives. Work with your academic and pre-health advisors to plan the best timing and sequence for completing pre-requisites for physical therapy schools. All science courses should be taken with labs unless otherwise noted.
See PTCAS program directory for program-specific requirements.
*Additional PSY courses required or recommended for many PT programs:
Recommended Courses
Competitive applicants to physical therapy schools are well rounded and have pursued a wide range of experiences to develop not only their scientific background and skills, but also interpersonal, teamwork, and leadership skills, and professionalism.
Observation Hours & Internships
Most PT schools require students to observe physical therapists in a variety of settings and with a variety of patient populations: inpatient and outpatient, pediatrics to geriatrics. A minimum of 50-100 observation hours is recommended by the time of application, but requirements vary by program. The Smith Career Center maintains a contact list of Peoria area physical therapy clinics where students may observe.
Volunteering and community service, whether or not it is in a healthcare setting, demonstrates your commitment to serving others, as you will as a future physical therapist.
Get Involved
Becoming a leader in a student organization, job, etc. gives you experience working with teams, communicating, and working together to share responsibility for accomplishing shared goals. Consider joining organizations such as HSO or Alpha Epsilon Delta honor society, and working your way toward an executive board or other leadership role.
The GRE General Subject test is required by most (but not all) DPT programs. Competitive scores are usually at least at the 50th percentile or higher (minimum ~300 combined Verbal + Quantitative), but vary by program.
Some programs are now also requiring or recommending applicants to complete and submit scores for a situational judgment test (SJT) such as Casper, to assess your social skills, behaviors and professionalism. You are presented with a variety of scenarios and asked to think about what you might do in these situations. Casper does not require significant preparation and is taken on your own computer, but it must be taken in the year that you apply to PT schools. Be sure to check the requirements for EACH DPT program to which you are applying for their specific requirements and deadlines for Casper scores (if any).
Casper scores are NOT automatically posted to your PTCAS application. You must request scores to be sent to each specific school that you apply to that requires them.
GRE Prep
Although we do not offer a formal GRE prep course at Bradley, the Health Professions student clubs often hold a GRE Workshop and offer an on-campus practice test day to help students develop a personalized strategy, timeline, and study plan to meet their individual needs. There are many commercially available GRE prep materials and services. We do not endorse any one over the others, but can assist students in choosing products and services that fit their learning style, timeline, and budget.
GRE Testing Locations
The GRE is administered year round at Prometric Testing Centers. The closest testing centers to Bradley University are:
Sylvan Learning Center 7501 N University, STE 218 Peoria IL 61614
Sylvan Learning Center 2405 E Federal DR Decatur IL 62526
Sylvan Learning Center 1035 Lincoln Rd, STE 307 Bettendorf IA 52727
List of DPT programs and requirements
Application Service
While many students continue in Bradley’s DPT program, since 2013 Bradley graduates have also been accepted to and continued their physical therapy education and training at many DPT programs around the Midwest, and across the US. We are proud of the success and accomplishments of our alumni.
Physical Therapy Schools
Offers also received from: American International College, Bellarmine University, Briar Cliff University, Carroll University, Central Michigan University, Chapman University, Clarke University, College of St. Scholastica, Duke University, Grand Valley State University, Loma Linda University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Marquette University, New York Institute of Technology, North Arizona University, Northern Illinois University, Radford University, Shenandoah University, Simmons College, Southwest Baptist University, Spalding University, St. Catherine’s University, Touro University Nevada, University of Central Arkansas, University of Colorado, University of Findlay, University of Indianapolis, University of South Carolina, University of St. Augustine, University of St. Mary, University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio, University of the Incarnate Word, Wheeling Jesuit University, Wichita State University.
