Physical Therapy Admissions Information
Admission – Entry Level Program
The entry-level program is designed for individuals who want to become licensed physical therapists.
NOTE:
The physical Therapy Program is now using the national Physical Therapy Centralized Admissions Service (PTCAS). Click here to link to the PTCAS website. The application deadline for Fall Term enrollment is November 1.
Admission to the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) professional program occurs on an annual basis with Physical Therapy courses beginning in the Fall Term.
There are a limited number of spaces in the Physical Therapy program and admission is competitive. Completion of the admission requirements does not guarantee admission.
- The application deadline is on or around November 1 of each year for admission the following Fall Term.
- Students must also apply to the Wayne State Graduate School online. Click here to link to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Application Requirements
A Bachelor's degree is not required for enrollment in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. This is in keeping with the University mission to provide accessible and affordable quality graduate and professional education.
However, all students admitted to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program must have a minimum of 90 credit hours reflecting both a depth and breadth of educational experiences and must include the courses indicated in requirements 1 - 4.
Pre-professional course work taken at another accredited College or University is acceptable as long as the courses are equivalent to the required courses. Students may use the Transfer Credit Evaluation tool to check equivalency of courses.
A maximum of 60 credits may be transferred from a community college.
1. Science Pre-Requisite Courses (completed within the past 6 years at time of application) All science courses must be completed during the Fall Term prior to the application deadline. 40 credits
| BIO | 1510 | Basic Life Mechanisms | 4 cr | |
| BIO | 2879 | Anatomy and Physiology | 5 cr | |
| BIO | 3200 | Human Physiology | 3 cr | |
| MAT | 1800 | Elementary Functions | 4 cr | |
| CHM | 1220 | Chemical Structure, Bonding and Reactivity - Lecture | 4 cr | |
| CHM | 1230 | Chemical Structure, Bonding and Reactivity - Lab | 1 cr | |
| CHM | 1240 | Principles of General/Organic Chemistry - Lecture | 4 cr | |
| CHM | 1250 | Principles of General/Organic Chemistry - Lab | 1 cr | |
| KIN | 3570 | Physiology of Exercise 1 | 3 cr | |
| PHY | 2130 | General Physics (mechanics, thermal, waves, optic) - Lecture | 3 cr | |
| PHY | 2130 | General Physics - Lab | 1 cr. | |
| PHY | 2140 | General Physicls (electricity, magnetism) - Lecture | 3 cr | |
| PHY | 2141 | General Physics - Lab | 1 cr |
2. Non-Science Pre-Requisite Courses 19 credits
| ENG | 1020 | Introduction to College Writing | 4 cr |
| ENG | 3050 | Technical Writing | 3 cr |
| PSY | 1010 | Introductory Psychology | 4 cr |
| PSY | 2400 | Developmental Psychology | 4 cr |
| PSY | 3010 | Statistical Methods in Psychology | 4 cr |
3. Upper-Level Concentration 6 credits minimum
A minimum of 6 additional credits in upper division (3000 level or above) concentrated in ONE of the following areas:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Psychology
- Exercise Science
4. University General Education Requirements
Individuals who have completed a minimum of 90 credit hours and who will not have earned a baccalaureate degree must complete all University General Education requirements prior to enrolling in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
The University General Education requirements can be found at the following Wayne State University website: http://www.advising.wayne.edu/curr/gnd1.php.
Individuals who have earned a baccalaureate degree are not required to complete the General Education Requirements.
5. Minimum of a 3.00 GPA and no less than a “C” (2.0 on a 4.00 scale) in all pre-requisite courses
6. Complete all sections of the application on PTCAS. Please note: Wayne State requires a supplemental essay. This will become available to you when you designate Wayne State as a school you are applying to.
7. Two letters of recommendation using the form provided from PTCAS.
8. Written and Verbal Interviews (Notification of interview date is given after review of initial application. All applicants may not be invited to the interview process)