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Doctorate of Physical Therapy Traditional Entry Program

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Traditional entry involves a 4+3 model in which the student completes an undergraduate degree in 4 years prior to entry into the graduate program in physical therapy. Students can complete their undergraduate degree from Walsh University or other accredited institutions and submit application materials for review.

Traditional Entry Requirements for Admission 

  • B.S. or B.A. degree with an undergraduate overall GPA of 3.0 or greater from an accredited institution
    Students who are in their senior year of completing their undergraduate degree are eligible to apply for admission
  • Application to PTCAS.org
    Our program utilizes the Physical Therapy Centralized Application System (PTCAS), endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
  • Completion of course prerequisites with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the following:
    Biology (2 semesters, plus lab) • 8 semester hours
    Chemistry (2 semesters, plus lab) • 8 semester hours
    Physics (2 semesters, plus lab) • 8 semester hours
    Anatomy and Physiology (2 semesters) • 8 semester hours
    Psychology (2 semesters) • 6 semester hours
    Statistics (1 semester) • 3 semester hours
    Exercise Physiology (1 semester) • 3 semester hours
  • Transcripts from all former institutions attended must be submitted
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken with scores reported (quantitative, verbal, analytical writing)
  • Three letters of recommendation (one academic; one professional; one may be professional, academic or an athletic coach). Supplemental recommendation forms can be accessed here.
  • Exposure to the field of physical therapy and completion of 30 observation hours from 2 different settings, 1 inpatient and 1 outpatient, for a total of 30 hours (minimum 10 hours in each setting).
  • On-Site Interview (by invitation only)
  • TOEFL score (international students only)
  • Additional Health Requirements

Additional Prerequisite Course Information

An applicant may major in any undergraduate area, but must successfully complete course prerequisites with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Prerequisite courses must be a grade of C or higher to be accepted. Click here for a description of appropriate prerequisites.


We evaluate prerequisite courses taken at other institutions through review of course syllabi. The requirements listed above represent semester credit hours. If your course work was designated as quarter credit hours, convert your quarter credits to semester credits to ensure that your preparation meets these requirements. In order to convert quarter hours to semester hours, divide the quarter hours by 1.5. (Example: 4 QH/1.5 = 2.6 semester hours).

To begin the application process, review our admissions process and then refer to PTCAS.org to begin.

Please contact Mona McAuliffe, Associate Director of Graduate Admissions, regarding traditional entry and any other questions about the admissions process at 330-490-7406 or [email protected].