The University of South Dakota

This page is intended for college transfer students and graduates ONLY. High school students MUST contact the institution directly for information about the guaranteed freshman-entry program. Do not apply using PTCAS.

PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION (2010-11)

Tamara Olson
Senior Secretary
University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota
Doctor of Physical Therapy Department
414 E. Clark Street
Vermillion, South Dakota 57069
Phone: 605-677-5000
Phone (alternate number):
Email: Tamara.Olson@usd.edu
Website: http://www.usd.edu/pt

APPLICATION DEADLINE for 2011 ENTERING CLASS

PTCAS Application Deadline	Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Deadline Type	FIRM Deadline
Application Close Date (for soft deadlines only)
Program Has Rolling Admissions Process?	NO
Important Dates (if any): Early admission deadline is September 15, 2010.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

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

Supplemental APPLICATION required?	YES
Supplemental MATERIALS required?	NO
If yes, list of items
Supplemental FEE required?	YES
If yes, amount	$35
Supplemental deadline(s) YYYY-MM-DD	2010-12-01
Link to supplemental forms or instructions	http://www.usd.edu/health-sciences/physical-therapy/usd-graduate-school-application-and-fee.cfm
Program-specific questions on the PTCAS application
I agree to submit to a Criminal Background Check. Please answer yes or no.
Have you ever been convicted, pled guilty or no contest, or been granted a deferred judgment or sentence with respect to a petty offense, misdemeanor or felony, other than minor traffic violations? Be sure to include any drug and/or alcohol violations. Please answer yes or no and include an explanation for a yes response.
Are there any pending criminal prosecutions against you? Please answer yes or no and provide an explanation for a yes answer.
Have you even had privileges revoked, reduced, or otherwise restricted at any hospital or other healthcare provider entity? Please answer yes or no and provide an explanation for a yes response.
Have you even been treated for abuse or misuse of any alcohol or chemical substance? Please answer yes or no and provide an explanation for a yes response.
Have you experienced a physical, emotional, or mental condition that has endangered the health or safety stipulated, place on probation, or otherwise subject to any type of disciplinary action? Please answer yes or no and provide an explanation for a yes response.
I have read and understand the following: The University of South Dakota requires criminal background checks as part of conditional admission to all health professions programs. Background checks will be performed only after the applicant has received notice of provisional admission. Felony convictions may result in denial of acceptance to the program and/or eligibility of licensure. Drug screening checks may be required for licensure and/or clinical placement. The School of Health Sciences reserve the right to deny admission based on the best interest of the profession. Please answer yes or no.
Have you retaken any identical courses and received a higher grade? If yes, list the course names below. You can direct any questions about courses you have retaken to Tamara.Olson@usd.edu.
Have you previously applied to the USD Physical Therapy Program? If yes, please list the year(s) you have applied.
Please list the city and state where you went to high school.

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.usd.edu/health-sciences/physical-therapy/prerequisite-courses.cfm

#	COURSE SUBJECT	COURSE LEVEL	4-YR *	LAB **	SEM HRS	ACCEPTABLE COURSES	COURSE DESCRIPTION
1	Anatomy	General or College	NO	NO	3	A&P: SEPARATE courses A&P: COMBINED courses A&P: Animal A&P: Comparative A&P: Human A&P: Mammalian A&P: Vertebrate	.
2	Physiology	General or College	NO	REQ	3		.
3	Biology I	General or College	NO	REQ	4	Biology: Cell Biology: Embryology Biology: GENERAL Biology: Genetics Biology: Histology Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular	Biology must be at the level for majors.
4	Biology II	General or College	NO	REQ	4
5	Chemistry I	General or College	NO	REQ	4	Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic	Chemistry must be at the level for majors.
6	Chemistry II	General or College	NO	REQ	4	Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic	.
7	Physics I	General or College	NO	REQ	4	.	.
8	Physics II	General or College	NO	REQ	4	.	.
9	Psychology	General or College	NO	NO	9	Psychology: Abnormal Psychology: Adolescent Psychology: Child Psychology: Developmental Psychology: GENERAL Psychology: Growth & Dev. Psychology: Life Span Dev.	9 credits that cover General, Developmental and Abnormal Psychology.
10	Statistics	Introductory	NO	N/A	3	Biology: Biostatistics Business: Statistics Psychology: Statistics	.

* YES=course must be completed in a 4-year college/university and NOT in a community college.
** REQ=required lab; Rec=recommended lab; NO=lab not required; N/A=not applicable

Additional information about program’s course requirements:

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Is the GRE required?	Required
Program’s GRE College Code	6881
Last acceptable GRE test date – YYYY-MM-DD (if applicable)	2010-11-01
Oldest GRE score considered – YYYY-MM-DD (if applicable)	2005-11-01

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		458
Verbal Percentile
Quantitative		648
Quantitative Percentile
Analytical Writing		4.30
Analytical Writing Percentile
Additional information about program’s GRE requirements	General Applicants have no minimum GRE requirement. For early admissions applicants minimum GRE (combined verbal and quantitative) must be 1060. (Verbal 440, Quantitative 620, Analytical Writing 4.00)

References

Number of references required by program: 3 References

EVALUATOR TYPE	Applicant must send one reference from this SPECIFIC type of evaluator	Applicant must send a reference from one or more evaluators in this category to fulfill program's requirements	Evaluator Type ACCEPTED	Evaluator Type NOT Accepted
Physical Therapist-1	X
Physical Therapist-2			X
Professor in Major			X
Professor			X
Academic			X
Supervisor/Employer			X
Teaching Assistant			X
PTA			X
Pre-PT Advisor			X
Politician/Elected Official			X
Health Care Professional			X
Friend				X
Family Member				X
Co-worker			X
Clergy			X
OTHER			X

Additional information about program’s reference requirements: At least one reference must be from a physical therapist. It is recommended that the other two be from an instructor/professor, employer/supervisor, or a second physical therapist.

PT Observation Hours

Enter your PT observation hours on your PTCAS application. Print the PT Observation Hours form from the PTCAS application or use online PT Hours signature process, if the program requires you to have your hours verified by a physical therapist. Send signed forms 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 PT Hours REQUIRED	50
Total Number of PT Hours RECOMMENDED
DEADLINE for Completion of All PT Hours YYYY-MM-DD	Deadline for observation hours is upon application.
PAID Experience	Accepted
VOLUNTEER Experience	Accepted
INPATIENT Experience	Accepted
OUTPATIENT Experience	Accepted
Additional information about program’s PT hours requirement	PT observation hours due on application deadline. Applicants are encouraged to observe in a variety of settings with particular attention to rural settings.

GPA Requirement

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

GPA	Minimum GPA	Average GPA for Accepted Students
Overall Undergraduate Cumulative	3.00	3.79
Program-specific Prerequisite	3.00	3.72
Additional information about program’s GPA requirements (if any)	For early admission applicants the minimum overall GPA is 3.70 and the prerequisite GPA are 3.60.

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.

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 Other non-citizens (e.g., refugees)
Program requires non-native speakers to submit TOEFL scores?	Yes
Program policy for submission of non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework	Send an original foreign transcript directly to the PT program.
Program policy for CANADIAN coursework	Send original CANADIAN transcript directly to program
Additional information about program’s policy on foreign coursework

PROGRAM INFORMATION

PT Degree Offered	Program culminates in a doctoral (DPT) degree.
PT Program Start Date(s) For Entering Class YYYY-MM-DD	2011-07-25
Dual-degree programs offered in conjunction with the PT degree (if any)	.
Institution's religious affiliation (if any)	.

Profile of Most Recent Entering Class

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

Size of Most Recent Entering Class	26
Anticipated Size of Next Entering Class	26
Percent of IN-STATE students in most recent entering class	81%
Percent of WICHE students in most recent entering class (if applicable)	.
Percent of OUT-OF-STATE (non-resident) students in most recent entering class	19%
Percent of CANADIAN students in most recent entering class	.
Percent of INTERNATIONAL (non-U.S/non-Canadian) students in most recent entering class	.
Additional information about the class profile	.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The University of South Dakota offers a full-time 3-year DPT program with competitive tuition rates. Our program is designed to prepare general practitioners for physical therapy practice in rural settings. We are pleased to provide a small class size with a 3:1 student to faculty ratio. Our students participate in 38 weeks of full-time clinical education experiences in 5 different settings as well as a 1 week clinical experience during the first year and several 1 day clinical experiences during the second year of the program. We are proud to have excellent graduation rates, first time passage rates on the National Physical Therapy Exam, and post graduation employment rates. Please visit our website at http://www.usd.edu/pt for more information on our program.

(Page last updated 7/2/2010)