Doctor of Physical Therapy

The graduate entry-level program in Physical Therapy is a professional entry-level program designed to prepare students for licensure to practice as physical therapists. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association. The Doctor of Physical Therapy program (DPT) was granted re-accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) in May 2016. Prospective students having questions about the program's accreditation status should contact:

Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education

accreditation@apta.org
(703)684-2782 or (703)706-3245

Admission Requirements

All DPT Program applications are submitted through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application System (PTCAS) system.  See our Admission Requirements webpage for details. The student must also apply to and meet all criteria for admission to the Idaho State Graduate School. In addition, the following conditions must be met:

1. Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited in the United States or its equivalent from a school in another country (must complete degree before onset of classes in PT Program of the Fall Semester in year of acceptance).
2. A minimum 3.0 GPA in the last 60 credits of undergraduate/graduate course work is required. GPA is calculated on upper-division courses only.

3. A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in prerequisite coursework is required; however to be competitive, a 3.5 GPA is recommended. A minimum “C” grade or higher in all prerequisite courses  is required.  (“C-“ will not be accepted) Please contact the Department of Physical Therapy for clarification.

4. Applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

   1. GRE must meet the following requirements to be competitive: A total combined score of at least 295 in the verbal and quantitative portions. Verbal must be at least a 148. Minimum of 4.0 on the analytical portion. 
   2. Applicants whose first language is not English need to meet the following TOEFL requirements for Classified admission (We do not accept the IEI or ELS in lieu of the TOEFL.): i) Internet-based test (iBT): a total score of 80 with a score of at least 20 on each Section (graduate assistants who teach courses must score 23 or above on the Speaking Section) on the iBT; or ii) Computer-based test: a total score of 213 with a score of at least 21 on Section 1 (Listening Comprehension) on the computer test; or iii) Paper-based test: a total score of 550 with a score of at least 55 on Section l (Listening Comprehension) on the paper test or a score of 84 on the MTELP, or a score of 6 on the IELTS.
   3. The scores of the GRE/MAT/TOEFL must be received by the Graduate School and PTCAS by the application deadline (October 1) for an application to be considered. The ISU code for these three tests is 4355.
5. At least 80 hours of salaried or voluntary experience in two or more physical therapy practice settings. Experience must be supervised and documented by licensed physical therapists. This experience must have occurred within the last five years.
6. Three letters of recommendation. Two letters must be from licensed physical therapists under whom the student has obtained hours of experience. One letter must be from a professor.

The admissions committee reviews all applicants on a competitive case-by-case basis during any admissions cycle. Qualified applicants may be invited for an online asynchronous interview with physical therapy admissions committee. Prospective applicants should contact the department for specific descriptions of the above general requirements. Meeting entry-level requirements for admission does not guarantee a seat in the program. Admission is on a competitive basis, and a majority of the seats are offered to Idaho residents. Please contact the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training for details or visit the program website at: https://www.isu.edu/pt/.

General Requirements

The curriculum is 3 years in duration and includes 4 clinical affiliations. There are 6 semesters and 2 full-time summer sessions encompassing a total of 106 credits. The clinical affiliations mandate student travel and housing with the associated living expenses borne by the student. Out-of-state travel for at least one affiliation is required.

*Note - Biology students taking this cross-listed course (BIOL 4460/5560) are not required to take a lab for this course.

**Note -- DPT students must 2 credit hours worth of electives.  PT 6648, Graduate Special Topics, can be taken for a total of 2 credit hours or students may complete other electives if approved by the program director. 

Degree and Licensure Requirements

Students receiving the degree of Doctor of Physical Therapy must satisfactorily complete all courses in the curriculum, prepare and present study papers on a regular basis, prepare and present a case report, attend and successfully complete all clinical affiliations, and pass a comprehensive written departmental examination. For state licensure, students must have met the degree requirements and pass the National Physical Therapy Examination administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.

NOTE: Admitted students should be aware that some required external clinical rotation sites will require criminal background and drug checks. In addition, students who have a record of criminal activity may have difficulty procuring a license to practice in some states after completing the program.

Grade Requirements

The Graduate School and the Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy require that an overall GPA of 3.0 be maintained in all graduate course work and all clinical affiliations must be completed with an S (satisfactory) grade. In addition, the Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy will terminate the graduate program of any student who has received grades of “B- or lower” in more than 6 credits or a maximum of two program courses. Students should consult specific departmental grading policies for specific information.