University of Southern California

PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION (2011-12)

Virginia Orcasitas
Admissions Coordinator
Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
USC Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy
1540 Alcazar Street, CHP-155
Los Angeles, CA 90089-9006
Phone: 323-442-2890
Phone (alternate number): 323-442-2900
Email: vorcas@usc.edu
Website: http://pt.usc.edu

APPLICATION DEADLINE for 2012 ENTERING CLASS

PTCAS Application Deadline	December 1, 2011
Deadline Type	FIRM Deadline
Application Close Date (for soft deadlines only)
Program Has Rolling Admissions Process?	OTHER
Important Dates (if any): The Admissions Committee typically begins to review applicant files in November/December. Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete their PTCAS application as far in advance of this time as possible. An Open House is held each year for all interested applicants and their guests. This event typically occurs around the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday in January each year. A Spring Preview day is held each year for accepted students and their guests. This event typically occurs around the Memorial Day Holiday in May each year. Information sessions are held from August to January for all interested applicants and their guests. Appointments can be made with the Admissions Coordinator, Virginia Orcasitas (323-442-2890 or vorcas@usc.edu).

EARLY DECISION

Program participates in the PTCAS Early Decision Applicants MUST apply and submit all materials to PTCAS by AUGUST 15.	YES
If yes, special eligibility requirements and instructions for early decision candidates to program

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	Please send the materials identified below to: University of Southern California Admission Center 3601 South Flower Street Room 112 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0915 OFFICIAL transcripts from all colleges and universities attended and OFFICIAL GRE scores from ETS. PLEASE NOTE: You do NOT need to upload a statment of purpose/career statement or letters of recommendation to the USC Graduate Application form. The Admissions Committee will gather this information directly from the PTCAS application form. IMPORTANT: When filling out the Graduate Application form, choose INDEPENDENT HEALTH PROFESSIONS for the "school or college to which you are applying" and DPT/DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY for the "intended program of study."
Supplemental FEE required?	YES
If yes, amount	$45
Supplemental deadline(s) DD-MM-YYYY	15-Jan-2012
Link to supplemental forms or instructions	http://www.usc.edu/admission/graduate/applyonline/
Custom (program-specific) questions on the PTCAS application

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://pt.usc.edu/sublayout.aspx?menu_id=52&id=70&ekmensel=568fab5c_52_0_70_2

#	COURSE SUBJECT	COURSE LEVEL	4-YR *	LAB **	SEM HRS	ACCEPTABLE COURSES	COURSE DESCRIPTION
1	Anatomy	General or College	Varies	REQ	4	A&P: SEPARATE courses A&P: COMBINED courses A&P: Animal A&P: Comparative A&P: Human A&P: Mammalian A&P: Vertebrate	If a COMBINED Human Anatomy & Physiology course is taken, two semesters (8 semester hours) are required.
2	Physiology	General or College	Varies	REQ	4
3	Biology I	General or College	Varies	REQ	4	Biology: Cell Biology: Embryology Biology: GENERAL Biology: Genetics Biology: Histology Biology: Immunology Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology	.
4	Biology II	General or College	Varies	REQ	4		.
5	Chemistry I	General or College	Varies	REQ	4	Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry: Organic	.
6	Chemistry II	General or College	Varies	REQ	4		.
7	Physics I	General or College	Varies	REQ	4	.	.
8	Physics II	General or College	Varies	REQ	4	.	.
9	Psychology	General or College	Varies	NO	4	Psychology: Abnormal Psychology: Adolescent Psychology: Child Psychology: Death & Dying Psychology: Developmental Psychology: GENERAL Psychology: Human Behavior Psychology: Growth & Dev. Psychology: Life Span Dev. Psychology: Rehabilitation Psychology: Social Psychology: Sports	.
10	Psychology (specialized)	General or College	Varies	NO	4		.
11	Statistics	General or College	Varies	NO	4	Biostatistics Math: 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: If an applicant is enrolled in a 4-year institution that offers the prerequisite courses, the admissions committee prefers that the courses be taken at that institution. However, if there are extenuating or compelling circumstances, the committee will consider prerequisite coursework taken at a community college on a case by case basis.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

For 2011-12 Cycle: Due to changes in the GRE, programs may require or prefer that you take the exam early and before the "GRE® revised General Test" is introduced on August 1. Early Decision candidates in PTCAS must take the GRE and request scores to be sent by no later than July 31.

GRE General Test = Testing on or before July 31, 2011
GRE REVISED General Test = Testing on or after August 1, 2011

Is the GRE required?	Required
Program’s GRE College Code for 2011-12 Cycle	# 7601 (new)
GRE Accepted by Program for 2011-12 Cycle	GRE® General Test and GRE® REVISED General Test accepted
Last acceptable GRE test date – DD-MM-YYYY (if applicable)	01-Dec-2011
Oldest GRE score considered – DD-MM-YYYY (if applicable)	01-Dec-2006

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	500/150
Verbal Percentile
Quantitative	500/150
Quantitative Percentile
Analytical Writing
Analytical Writing Percentile
Additional information about program’s GRE requirements	The Graduate School and the Divisional admissions committee prefer that applicants have a minimum composite GRE score of 1000 (or 300 if taking the Revised General Test on or after 01-Aug-2011). However, the committee will consider for admission applicants who have a composite GRE score < 1000 in light of all other academic and professional credentials. The mean cumulative GRE score for the entering class of 2011 was 1190.

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:

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 highly recommended
Total Number of PT Hours REQUIRED
Total Number of PT Hours RECOMMENDED
DEADLINE for Completion of All PT Hours DD-MM-YYYY
PAID Experience	Accepted
VOLUNTEER Experience	Accepted
INPATIENT Experience	Accepted
OUTPATIENT Experience	Accepted
Additional information about program’s PT hours requirement	A substantial number of PT hours is highly recommended by USC

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	3.50 - 3.60
Program-specific Prerequisite
Additional information about program’s GPA requirements (if any)	The Graduate School and the Divisional admissions committee prefer that applicants have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0. However, the admissions committee will consider for admission applicants who have a cumulative GPA < 3.0 in light of all academic and professional credentials.

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
Program requires non-native speakers to submit TOEFL scores?	Yes
Program policy for submission of non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework	Send FOREIGN EVALUATION AND OFFICIAL FOREIGN TRANSCRIPTS to USC Graduate Admissions at: University of Southern California Admission Center 615 Childs Way Los Angeles, California 90089-0911
Program policy for CANADIAN coursework	Send original Canadian transcript AND foreign transcript evaluation of Canadian courses to PTCAS.
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 DD-MM-YYYY	27-Aug-2012
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	95
Anticipated Size of Next Entering Class	93
Percent of IN-STATE students in most recent entering class
Percent of WICHE students in most recent entering class (if applicable)
Percent of OUT-OF-STATE (non-resident) students in most recent entering class
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 Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T) program at the University of Southern California (USC) provides the required educational preparation for a professional career as a physical therapist. Program graduates are knowledgeable, self-assured, adaptable, reflective, and service-oriented practitioners who by virtue of critical thinking and ethical values render informed and independent judgments concerning patient/client needs, promote the health and quality of life of the client, and enhance the professional foundations for practice. Graduates are prepared to become autonomous practitioners, capable of evaluating and treating patients without the need for referral from another practitioner, but ready to work in collaboration with other health professionals. These practitioners contribute to society and the profession through practice, teaching, administration, and the discovery and application of new knowledge about physical therapy. The educational philosophy of the program is to maximally challenge each student and facilitate his or her development of skills for life-long learning, professional development, and leadership.

The three-year program consists of nine semesters (including two summers) and 115 graduate credits. The first two years are focused on academic and clinical coursework, including a total of 18 weeks of clinical rotations in 5 practice settings. The curriculum during the first two years is systems-based, with whole semesters focused on musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, and neurologic physical therapy. The third year is intended to be integrative, reinforcing and building upon concepts introduced in the first two years. It consists of a 16-week full-time clinical rotation in one semester and a three day per week clinical rotation during the other. During the latter semester, students spend Tuesdays and Thursdays in a unique case-based curriculum with a team-based approach intended to help students integrate across different practice areas. Commencement is in May immediately following the university's commencement ceremony. USC was the second program in the nation to graduate doctorally prepared students and in 2011 it graduated it's 14th DPT class. The Division has three faculty practices, one hospital-based and two outpatient, and offers two residency programs for specialized training in Orthopedic and Neurologic Physical Therapy. It also offers the MS and PhD degrees for advanced research training.

The physical therapy program at USC is one of the premier programs in the country. This distinction derives from a mission that includes the advancement of physical therapy education, practice, and research. Because of this, students in our program benefit from a dynamic learning environment where patient care and research are actively integrated. Faculty are national and international leaders engaged in teaching and research with a focus on increasing the quality and understanding of physical therapy practice and science.

(Page last updated 10/11/2011)