Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Application Requirements

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, offered at our Suwanee, Georgia location, emphasizes a “whole person” approach to patient management while preparing individuals to demonstrate excellence in the practice of physical therapy.

APPLY ONLINE

Application Requirements

A completed application and $75 application fee
A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university
Official transcript(s) of all undergraduate and graduate course work. We accept transcripts via mail, eScript and/or Parchment Services. We are unable to accept documents from the National Student Clearinghouse at this time.
Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a licensed physical therapist. The two remaining letters are preferred to be from any of the following sources:
Official score report from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE - General Test)

Application Process

All inquiries about admission to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program should be directed to PCOM’s Office of Admissions.

The physical therapy program participates in the centralized online application service for physical therapy (PTCAS). Visit ptcas.org for additional information.

The Faculty Committee on Admissions utilizes a rolling admissions policy. Therefore, applications will be considered throughout the year as received until the desired enrollment of 40 new students has been achieved. However, those applications completed prior to December 1 will be given priority.

Please forward relevant application materials (defined below) to:

Georgia Campus - Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Office of Admissions
625 Old Peachtree Road NW
Suwanee, GA 30024

Email: GAAdmissions@pcom.edu

Baccalaureate Degree Requirement

For matriculation into this program, an applicant must have completed a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited institution.

Prerequisite Coursework

Prior to matriculation, an applicant must have successfully completed the following:

General/introductory biology: two-course sequence for science majors (8 semester-hours credit), must include labs; OR two-course sequence in anatomy and physiology (8 semester-hours credit), must include labs;
Anatomy, physiology or biology course must include lab (4 semester-hour credits);
General/introductory physics: two-course sequence for science majors (8 semester-hours credit), must include labs (sequence should include content related to mechanics, electricity, magnetism, and light);
General/introductory chemistry: two-course sequence for science majors (8 semester-hours credit), must include labs;
Statistics or biostatistics: one course (3 semester-credit hours);
Psychology: one course (3 semester-credit hours); and
Sociology/anthropology: one course (3 semester-credit hours).

If all prerequisite courses identified above and all coursework required for the baccalaureate degree have not been completed, a document specifying when these requirements will be met must be supplied. The document should provide specific information as to when the courses will be completed. Note that the requirements for the baccalaureate and all prerequisite courses must be completed prior to matriculation. At least six of the ten required prerequisite courses must be completed before an application will be considered.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a licensed physical therapist. The two remaining letters are preferred to be from any of the following sources:

College professor
Employer/Supervisor
Pre-Health Professions Advisor
Other healthcare professional

To the extent appropriate, each letter should address the applicant's character, leadership abilities, commitment to service, ability to be self-directed, communication skills, and ability to work as a member of a team. Recommendation letters must be on letterhead and preferably signed and submitted electronically in PDF format to recommend@pcom.edu.

Standardized Test Scores

Along with a completed application, letters of recommendation and transcripts, candidates to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program must submit an official score report from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE - General Test) to be considered for admission. The PCOM institutional code for the GRE is 4281.

Healthcare Experience Requirements

There are no specific requirements for health care experiences to be eligible for enrollment. Applicants should, however, be able to demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge about the practice of physical therapy through meaningful exposures as demonstrated through a completed application for admission. Any volunteer work or paid work in a clinical setting wherein candidates are either providing hands-on care or witnessing care first hand is valued. Health care shadowing experiences are also highly recommended.

Assessing Applicants for Interview Consideration

On receipt of a completed application, each applicant will be screened to determine if they are to be invited for an on-campus interview. The following will be considered during the screening process:

Academic ability based on GPA (overall, prerequisite, and last 60 hours of coursework) and GRE scores. Please note that although we do not require a minimum GPA or minimum GRE scores, admission to PCOM’s PT program is very competitive and selective. Higher GPAs and GRE scores will enhance your chances of being selected for an interview. The average undergraduate GPA for applicants accepted to physical therapy programs nationally during the 2015 - 2016 admissions cycle was 3.59/4.00. The average unofficial GRE percentile scores for the same admissions cycle ranged from 50.95 percent on the Quantitative scale to 56.2 percent on the Analytical scale.
Major and minor areas of undergraduate study
Observation/experience in physical therapy (quantity and variety)
Leadership
Interest in underserved populations
Personal interests

All applicants selected for an interview will be contacted in writing, via e-mail, with a proposed date, time and location of the interview. Please note, although all applicants who are eventually accepted must be interviewed, the granting of an interview does not guarantee acceptance into the program. On the day of the interview, applicants may have an opportunity to meet with a student ambassador, sit in on classes and tour the campus. The interviews are conducted by a panel consisting of one or more of the physical therapy program faculty members and/or a local clinician.

Following the completion of the admissions process, each applicant is notified of the Admission Committee's decision in writing, including any conditions that must be satisfied prior to enrollment in the program.

Enrollment Requirements

Accepted applicants are asked to send a $500 non-refundable deposit by January 15. An additional deposit of $1,000 is required by April 16 from all confirmed students. This fee is non-refundable and, along with the initial deposit, will be credited to the student’s tuition account.

The accepted candidate is also asked to review and acknowledge PCOM's Technical Standards for Admission and Matriculation by sending the completed/signed forms to TechStandardsGA@pcom.edu.

In effort to foster the safety and well-being of the entire campus community, as well as to ensure that students accepted to PCOM will be permitted to perform clerkships/internships required to successfully complete their degree requirements, PCOM requires all first year students to complete a criminal background check prior to matriculation. All students must have their criminal background checks processed through a PCOM vendor of choice. The Admissions Office will send notification of the process after confirmation of enrollment and must have this information on file prior to orientation; students will not be allowed to start classes without this information.

Policy on Transfer of Credits

The Department of Physical Therapy does not routinely accept transfer students; however, a transfer application may be considered under extenuating circumstances and depending on the availability of places within the class. In order to be considered, a prospective student must provide documentation of the circumstances necessitating the transfer and must be in good standing in a CAPTE-accredited program of physical therapy. The applicant must be able to demonstrate equivalency of courses undertaken with courses within the Doctor of Physical Therapy curriculum. Credit will only be granted for courses that “match” courses within the DPT curriculum and for which a grade of B or higher was achieved. A minimum of two years must be completed at PCOM for a student to be eligible to receive the DPT degree.