A Bachelor’s Degree (or expect to graduate prior to enrollment)

Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or expect to graduate prior to enrolling in the DPT program. Credit hours must have been earned in colleges or universities whose names appear in the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs as compiled by the U.S. Department of Education. The bachelor’s degree may be in any field. No preference is given to applicants majoring in the sciences versus those with non-science majors.

Minimum GPA Requirements for Eligibility

• Program-specific Prerequisite GPA: 3.0 minimum

Prerequisite Courses

Prospective students may submit an application while enrolled in pre-requisite courses, but all courses must be completed prior to starting the DPT program. Grades of C- (C minus) and below cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for admission. Where possible, we will accept spring and summer 2020 coursework that is graded on a Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis to fulfill a prerequisite course requirement, particularly if the applicant was not given the choice to take the course on this basis. We may, however, require proof from applicants that they were not offered the choice of receiving a letter grade, or that the choice to move to a Pass/Fail grading basis was made prior to seeing the final letter grade in the course.

Credit hours must have been earned in colleges or universities whose names appear on the current list of Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education as compiled by the American Council on Education, One Dupont Circle NW, Washington, DC 20036. Students who have completed coursework in Maryland may review transfer courses at ARTSYS – Articulation System for Maryland Colleges and Universities. This is an online evaluation system that enables students to determine how courses taken at any two-year college in Maryland transfer to any four-year college or university in Maryland. The following courses, or equivalent, are required:

• Anatomy (or) Anatomy & Physiology I,
  Minimum Credit - 4.00; Lab Component Required
  4-Credit Lecture/Lab (or) 3-Credit Lecture + 1-Credit Lab
  Course content: Must include skeletal and muscular systems of the human body; Must be Human Anatomy; Plant and Animal Anatomy will not be accepted.

• Physiology (or) Anatomy & Physiology II
  Minimum Credit - 4.00; Lab Component Required
  4-Credit Lecture/Lab (or) 3-Credit Lecture + 1-Credit Lab
  Course content: Must cover various systems including: cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, etc.; Exercise Physiology will not be accepted.

• Biology
  Minimum Credit - 4.00; Lab Component Required
  4-Credit Lecture/Lab (or) 3-Credit Lecture + 1-Credit Lab
  Course content: Any biology course taken in addition to Anatomy and Physiology; Botany and Zoology will not be accepted.

• Chemistry - Level I
  Minimum Credit - 4.00; Lab Component Required
  4-Credit Lecture/Lab (or) 3-Credit Lecture + 1-Credit Lab
  Course content: Any introductory chemistry course that covers atomic and molecular structure; Acceptable topics include Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, etc.

• Chemistry - Level II
  Minimum Credit - 4.00; Lab Component Required
  4-Credit Lecture/Lab (or) 3-Credit Lecture + 1-Credit Lab
  Course content: Any advanced chemistry course taken in addition to the course satisfying the Chemistry I prerequisite; Acceptable topics include Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, etc.

• Physics I
  Minimum Credit - 4.00; Lab Component Required
  4-Credit Lecture/Lab (or) 3-Credit Lecture + 1-Credit
  Lab Course content: Both calculus-based and noncalculus-based courses are acceptable.

• Physics II
  Minimum Credit - 4.00; Lab Component Required
  4-Credit Lecture/Lab (or) 3-Credit Lecture + 1-Credit Lab
  Course content: Both calculus-based and noncalculus-based courses are acceptable.

• Psychology
  Minimum Credits: 3.00
  Course content: Abnormal or Developmental Psychology is recommended. Advance Placement Psychology also accepted.

• Social/Behavioral Science
  Minimum Credits: 3.00
  Course content: Any Sociology, Anthropology, etc., course with a core focus on human behavior from an individual or societal perspective; alternatively, any Psychology course taken in addition to the course satisfying the Psychology prerequisite.

• Statistics
  Minimum Credits: 3.00
  Course content: Must include mean, median, mode, standard deviation, t-tests, etc.

Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits may be used. AP or CLEP credits must appear in PTCAS. If used to fulfill prerequisite courses, the official scores must be mailed to PTRS.
AP SCORE CODE: 7784

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

• More information on GRE testing is available on the Educational Testing Service (ETS) website.
• Official score reports must be sent directly from the ETS website.
• PTRS Department Code: 1089

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

A TOEFL score is required as part of the application process for individuals who do not speak English as their first or native language and/or for individuals who have lived less than five years in the United States. The minimum required TOEFL score for admission into the DPT program is 213 for the computer-based exam and 80 for the internet-based exam.

TOEFL scores are valid for two years.

• University of Maryland Institution Code: 5848
• PTRS Department Code: 48

Letters of Recommendation

• One recommendation from a U.S. licensed physical therapist you have observed.
• One recommendation from PT-related, non PT-related, participation in college and university groups that provide service, cultural and faith-based groups, and national, regional, state, or local organizations.
• One recommendation from an academic source. The academic recommendation must be completed by a college or university faculty member who has served as your instructor and has personally observed you in the classroom environment.

Physical Therapy Observation

A minimum of 50 hours is required at time of matriculation.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete observation of physical therapy practice in at least two to three different clinical settings (acute care, inpatient rehabilitation and/or outpatient practice) and with different patient populations (i.e. across the lifespan, varied clinical conditions) to ensure exposure to a broad scope of physical therapy practice.

Current CPR Certification

• Certifications must be valid on the first day of class and must remain active throughout your enrollment in the DPT program.
• CPR certification must include infant, child and adult resuscitation.
• Courses delivered solely via a web-based format are not acceptable.
• Hybrid format courses are acceptable: on-line instruction and in-person skills practice and testing.
• Students are required to provide documentation of their current CPR certification.

The following are considered acceptable CPR certification programs:

• AHA Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers or Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support for Healthcare Providers
  please visit the American Heart Association website for more information

When to Apply

The application for the current 2024-2025 admissions cycle is accessible through PTCAS. The deadline to submit your application to be reviewed for admission to the program for May 2025 is November 1st.

Offers of admissions will begin mid-November and continue until the class is full. All applicants will receive a final decision (acceptance, denial or waitlist) by January 15th.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply and submit ALL required documents well in advance of the November 1 deadline.

Right to Appeal

All applicants have the right to appeal an admissions decision. Your appeal should be in writing and addressed to the following:

University of Maryland School of Medicine
Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science
Attention: Director for Academic Affairs for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program
100 Penn Street, Suite 115
Baltimore, MD 21201