University of Pittsburgh

PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION

Administrator, PT Student Services
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Physical Therapy : ADMISSIONS
School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
6035 Forbes Tower
Pitttsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
Phone: 412.383.6942
Phone (alternate number):
Email: ptinfo@shrs.pitt.edu
Website: http://www.shrs.pitt.edu/PT

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Final PTCAS Application Deadline	Monday, November 03, 2008
Deadline Type	Soft Deadline
Program has rolling admissions process?	NO

Other deadlines (if any):

Early Decision: 15-Oct-08

Additional Deadline Information:

Preview Pitt PT Day--March 7th, 2009 - Admitted applicants are invited to "Preview Pitt Physical Therapy" on Saturday, March 7th, 2009. This will give the applicants the opportunity to visit and take a closer look at our program, facilities and our wonderful city. This event will include a continental breakfast, a welcome by the Chair of the Physical Therapy program, discussion sessions with current students and faculty, sample lectures, presentations by a financial aid officer, and tours of the physical therapy facilities, medical school campus, and various labs.

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites

Must applicants earn a Bachelor's degree prior to enrolling into the PT program? YES

For more information about course prerequisites, visit the program Web site: http://www.shrs.pitt.edu/PT

Course prerequisite fields will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

Course Prerequisite Name or Subject Area	Req, Rec, Crq*	SEM hrs	QTR hrs	Lab Required (Y/N)	Additional Program Information
Biology- 2 courses required	REQ	8	.	YES	Biology courses (with labs)for science majors are preferred
Chemistry-2 courses required	REQ	8	.	YES	Chemistry courses (with labs) for science majors are preferred
Physics-2 courses required	REQ	8	.	YES	Physics courses (with labs) for science majors are preferred
Anatomy	REQ	3	.	NO	*Combined A&P courses are acceptable for a total of 6 credits.
Physiology	REQ	3	.	NO	* Combined A&P courses are acceptable for a total of 6 credits.
General Psychology	REQ	3	.	NO	.
Child, Developmental, or Abnormal Psychology	REQ	3	.	NO	.
Statistics	REQ	3	.	NO	.
English Composition	REQ	3	.	NO	.

* “Req” = required course; “Rec” = recommended course; “Crq” = conditionally required course

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

GRE: Required
Last acceptable GRE test date( if applicable):
Oldest GRE score considered (if applicable): 5 years

GRE table below may contain blank fields if program data is not available or applicable.

GRE Section	Minimum GRE Score	Average GRE Score for Accepted Students
Verbal	500	.
Verbal Percentile	.	.
Quantitative	500	.
Quantitative Percentile	.	.
Analytical	3.5	.
Analytical Percentile	.	.
Writing	.	.
Writing Percentile	.	.

Additional information about program’s GRE requirements: Applicants must advise ETS to submit their official GRE scores to the University of Pittsburgh (Institution Code: 2927). The combined GRE score for the verbal and quantitative sections should be a minimum of 1000.

References

Total number of references required by program: 3 References

REFERENCE TYPE	Reference Type Is Required, Recommended, Accepted, Conditionally Required, NOT Accepted, or Other
Teaching Assistant	Accepted
Supervisor	Not Accepted
PTA	Not Accepted
Professor (Science)	Recommended
Professor (Math)	Recommended
Professor (Liberal Arts)	Recommended
Pre-Health Advisor	Accepted
Politician	Not Accepted
Physical Therapist (1)	Required
Physical Therapist (2)	Required
Health Care Provider	Not Accepted
Friend	Not Accepted
Family Member	Not Accepted
Faculty Advisor	Accepted
Employer	Not Accepted
Co-Worker	Not Accepted
Clergy	Not Accepted
OTHER	Not Accepted

Additional information about program’s reference requirements: Our program requires the following:

1 (One) Letter of Recommendation from a College/University level professor
2 (Two) Letters of Recommendation from a licensed Physical Therapist who has supervised the applicant's paid/volunteer experience.

Applications will not be reviewed unless the Reference letter types are ‘Required’, ‘Accepted’ or ‘Recommended’. The Letters of Recommendation should come from physical therapists with whom the applicant has spent considerable time in a clinical setting. The Admissions Committee does not look favorably upon Letters of Recommendation from personal acquaintances.

PT Observation Hours

Enter your PT observation hours on your PTCAS application. Login to the PTCAS application and print each customized PT Observation Hours form, if the program requires a physical therapist to verify your hours with a signature. Mail the signed form directly to the PT program, if required. Do not mail to PTCAS.

PT HOURS	PROGRAM REQUIREMENT
Description of Program’s PT Hours Requirement	PT hours are required - no verification by a physical therapist
Total Number of Hours REQUIRED	.
Total Number of Hours RECOMMENDED	.
DEADLINE for Completion of All PT Hours	3-Nov
PAID Experience	Accepted
VOLUNTEER Experience	Accepted
INPATIENT Experience	Accepted
OUTPATIENT Experience	Accepted
Number of hours in each PT specialty (if specified)	.
Number of hours in each PT setting (if specified)	.

Additional information about program’s PT hours requirement: Our program encourages applicants to get experience in more than one clinical PT setting.

GPA Requirement

GPAs will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

Name of GPA	Minimum GPA	Average GPA for Accepted Students
Overall Undergraduate Cumulative	3.00	3.60
Program-specific Prerequisite	3.00	3.65
Other GPA 1:	.	.
Other GPA 2:	.	.

Additional information about program’s GPA requirements (if any): If a course is repeated the applicant should enter the highest grade earned when calculating the GPA.

PTCAS Essay Instructions

You can customize your PTCAS essay for each designated PTCAS program. The PT program may require you to respond to specific essay questions. If program instructions below are blank, respond to 3 of the 5 essay questions on the PTCAS application form.

What personal characteristics do you have that make you suitable for the profession of physical therapy?
What is your motivation for pursuing a career in physical therapy?
How has your background and experience prepared you to interact effectively with individuals who are different from you in their social, cultural, or economic perspectives?
What types of patients have you observed with the greatest frequency, and what have you learned from them?
If you were to be accepted to two or more physical therapy education programs, what would help you make the decision regarding which program you should select?
REPEAT APPLICANTS If you have applied to a physical therapy program in the past five years, what have you done to improve upon, or enhance, your application for this current admissions cycle?

PROGRAM’S ESSAY REQUIREMENTS (If program instructions are blank, you must respond to 3 of the 5 essay questions on the PTCAS application form):

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

If supplemental materials are required, send items directly to the PT program.

ITEM	PROGRAM REQUIREMENT
Supplemental application required?	YES - For all complete PTCAS applicants
Supplemental deadline(s)	November 30th, 2008
Link to supplemental application or instructions	https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=up-hrsa
Supplemental FEE required?	NO
If yes, supplemental fee amount	$
Briefly describe requirements for supplemental materials (if applicable)	To Be Determined

Criminal Background Check

Are accepted applicants required to complete a criminal background check? NO
Description of criminal background check process (if applicable):

FOREIGN APPLICANTS AND TRANSCRIPTS

The program’s foreign (international) transcript policies do NOT apply to study abroad coursework that is itemized on a U.S. college or university transcript. Study abroad is processed in the same way as U.S. coursework.

POLICY	PROGRAM REQUIREMENT
Program’s citizenship requirements (individuals listed may be eligible for admission):	U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, Canadian citizens, Foreign (non-U.S.) citizens with a visa, Foreign (non-U.S.) citizens
Program requires non-native speakers to submit TOEFL scores?	YES
Program policy for submission of non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework:	Send foreign transcript evaluation to PTCAS.
Program policy for CANADIAN coursework:	Same as instructions for foreign transcripts above.

Additional information about program’s policy on foreign coursework: English translation required for original foreign transcripts. Foreign transcript evaluation must be completed by a professional certifying agency (e.g. International Consultants of Delaware, etc). Applicants must submit their official TOEFL scores to the University of Pittsburgh (Institution Code:2927)

PROGRAM INFORMATION

PT Degree Offered:	Program culminates in a doctoral (DPT) degree.
PT Program Start Date(s) For Entering Class:	6/1/2009
Dual-degree programs offered in conjunction with the PT degree (if any):	.

PROFILE OF MOST RECENT ENTERING CLASS

Items will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

PROFILE INFORMATION	PROGRAM DATA
Size of Most Recent Entering Class	67
Anticipated Size of Next Entering Class	65
Percent of IN-STATE applicants accepted	57
Percent of WICHE applicants accepted (if applicable):	.
Percent of OUT-OF-STATE (non-resident) applicants accepted	56
Percent of CANADIAN applicants accepted	.
Percent of INTERNATIONAL (non-U.S/non-Canadian) applicants accepted	0

Additional information about the class profile:

Institution's religious affiliation (if any):

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Department of Physical Therapy offers a three-year, full-time professional program leading to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. Ranked second in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, the University of Pittsburgh Department of Physical Therapy is a highly respected physical therapy program which educates practitioners who lead the way in helping people of all ages to overcome movement, function, and mobility challenges. The program is open to students who have already earned a bachelor's degree.

We offer a superior entry-level professional physical therapy program. Our rigorous curriculum includes a comprehensive array of course offerings in musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, integumentary, cardiopulmonary, geriatric, and pediatric physical therapy.

Our clinical education program is integrated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and its partner, the Centers for Rehab Services. We offer placements in various clinical settings, including acute care, pediatrics, geriatrics, short- and long-term rehabilitation, sports medicine, and orthopedics, as well as a variety of clinical specialties, including women's health, neuro rehab, industrial rehab, hand therapy, spine care, and balance and vestibular disorders. Students receive a monthly scholarship during the year-long internship.

Graduates of the University of Pittsburgh consistently achieve a near-perfect pass rate on licensing exams and enter the job market with significant internship and clinical experience that sets them apart from other applicants.

The DPT program at the University of Pittsburgh is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education Our most recent accreditation was awarded for a 10-year period beginning in April 2005.