Virginia Commonwealth University

PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION

Laura Spittle
Admissions Coordinator
Virginia Commonwealth University
Department of Physical Therapy
Box 980224
Department of Physical Therapy
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia 23298
Phone: 804-828-0245
Phone (alternate number):
Email: lspittle@vcu.edu
Website: http://www.vcu.edu/pt/index.html

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Final PTCAS Application Deadline	Friday, November 14, 2008
Deadline Type	Firm Deadline
Program has rolling admissions process?	YES

Other deadlines (if any):

Additional Deadline Information: Accepted students will be invited to an Open House in late February or early March.

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.vcu.edu/pt/prospectivestudents/dpt_prerequisites.html

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
Chemistry	REQ	8	.	YES	.
Physics	REQ	8	.	YES	.
Math	REQ	3	.	NO	Must be pre-calculus or above.
Statistics	REQ	3	.	NO	.
General Psychology	REQ	3	.	NO	.
Abnormal Psychology	REQ	3	.	NO	Additional courses from the Department of Psychology may be substituted.
Anatomy and Physiology	REQ	8	.	YES	Must be taken in the Biology department. Can be taken as individual courses or as Anatomy and Physiology I and II.
Biology	REQ	4	.	YES	.

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

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

GRE: Required
Last acceptable GRE test date( if applicable): 10/25/2008
Oldest GRE score considered (if applicable): 10/1/1998

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	.	485
Verbal Percentile	.	.
Quantitative	.	636
Quantitative Percentile	.	.
Analytical	.	.
Analytical Percentile	.	.
Writing	.	.
Writing Percentile	.	.

Additional information about program’s GRE requirements:
Have your GRE scores reported to Virginia Commonwealth University using the PT code.

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	Accepted
PTA	Accepted
Professor (Science)	Accepted
Professor (Math)	Accepted
Professor (Liberal Arts)	Accepted
Pre-Health Advisor	Accepted
Politician	Accepted
Physical Therapist (1)	Required
Physical Therapist (2)	Accepted
Health Care Provider	Accepted
Friend	Not Accepted
Family Member	Not Accepted
Faculty Advisor	Accepted
Employer	Accepted
Co-Worker	Accepted
Clergy	Accepted
OTHER	N/A

Additional information about program’s reference requirements:

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	100
Total Number of Hours RECOMMENDED	.
DEADLINE for Completion of All PT Hours	1-May-09
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 DPT program requires 100 hours of paid or volunteer observation under the direct supervision of a licensed physical therapist. These hours should be in two distinctly different settings.

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	2.70	3.50
Program-specific Prerequisite	.	.
Other GPA 1: Math/Science	2.70	3.29
Other GPA 2:	.	.

Additional information about program’s GPA requirements (if any): If courses are repeated, both grades are used in the Total GPA and Math/Science GPA calculations.

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)	14-Nov-08
Link to supplemental application or instructions	http://www.vcu.edu/pt/application_instructions
Supplemental FEE required?	YES
If yes, supplemental fee amount	$50
Briefly describe requirements for supplemental materials (if applicable)	.

Criminal Background Check

Are accepted applicants required to complete a criminal background check? YES
Description of criminal background check process (if applicable): Criminal background check must be completed before the student particpates in clinical education experiences.

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
Program requires non-native speakers to submit TOEFL scores?	Other (describe) We require the TOEFL scores for non-native speakers unless the applicant has completed all their undergraduate work at an accredited US university or college.
Program policy for submission of non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework:	Send original foreign transcript to program AND 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:

PROGRAM INFORMATION

PT Degree Offered:	Program culminates in a doctoral (DPT) degree.
PT Program Start Date(s) For Entering Class:	6/15/09
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	54
Anticipated Size of Next Entering Class	54
Percent of IN-STATE applicants accepted	40
Percent of WICHE applicants accepted (if applicable):	.
Percent of OUT-OF-STATE (non-resident) applicants accepted	21
Percent of CANADIAN applicants accepted	0
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

Virginia Commonwealth University offers one of the premier Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs in the country. Located in the heart of Richmond's VCU Medical Center, the program provides students with easy access to state-of-the-art clinical and research facilities. The VCU Department of Physical Therapy was established in 1945 and was the first accredited physical therapy program in the commonwealth of Virginia and one of the first programs in the country.

The Department of Physical Therapy includes 13 full-time faculty members, more than 20 adjunct faculty members and four staff members. Our full-time faculty members are actively involved in teaching, clinical practice and research across a wide spectrum of clinically relevant topics. Visit the VCU Department of Physical Therapy web pages (www.vcu.edu/pt) to learn more about each full-time faculty member's research and area of expertise.

VCU's DPT Program prepares students for entry into the profession by teaching them to evaluate and manage patients with physical therapy problems effectively and in accordance with ethical principles. The department maintains clinical internship contracts with more than 230 facilities across the United States. DPT students at VCU complete a total of 36 weeks in full-time clinical education experiences. The program provides students with strategies to continually define and meet their own educational needs in order to keep skills and knowledge current throughout their professional careers.