Doctor of Physical Therapy, DPT
Jill Jumper, PhD, DPT, PT
Program Director/Associate Professor
Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy
Hardin-Simmons University is pleased to offer a seven-semester Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. This entry-level professional degree prepares the graduate to be eligible for licensure and entry into the profession as a physical therapist. It is not necessary for applicants to hold a master’s degree to pursue the DPT. Applications are generally accepted a year in advance by applying to PTCAS (Physical Therapy Central Application System: www.ptcas.org) beginning around July 1. A new Doctor of Physical Therapy class begins each fall semester. There are two options for admission to the physical therapy program at Hardin-Simmons University: 1) Early Admission Option; and 2) Freshman Admission Option.
Accreditation
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Hardin-Simmons University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://capteonline.org. If you need to contact the program/institution directly, please call 325-670-5860 or email ptoffice@hsutx.edu.
Early Admission Option
This option is available to students entering HSU as freshman and pursuing a degree in biology. HSU also offers this option to a few select private schools in Texas pursing a degree in biology or kinesiology. Call the PT office if you are interested in the other schools who participate in this option.
HSU students in the early admission option complete most of their requirements for a degree in biology as specified by the biology department. These requirements include courses needed for the major in biology, a minor in an area of the student’s choice, and university core/general education/liberal arts requirements, and prerequisites needed for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. All prerequisite science/statistic courses must be completed at HSU. Electives for the biology degree can be fulfilled by completing the first semester of the Physical Therapy program. Accepted students are awarded the bachelor’s degree following the first semester of the DPT program, and two years later, the DPT degree will be awarded.
Prior to application for the DPT program, students must also complete the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) & Physical Therapy observation/shadowing hours. Students make application to the Physical Therapy program through PTCAS a year before they wish to enter the DPT program. This program does not guarantee admission to the DPT program but provides an early admission option which allows the first semester of the DPT program to serve as the last semester of the bachelor’s program. Students not pursuing the early admission option are still eligible to complete the bachelor’s degree and apply to the DPT Program.
Freshman Admission
This program allows interested Freshman a guaranteed seat in the HSU DPT Class after graduation with a bachelor’s degree if the following criteria are met:
1. Enter HSU with a Composite SAT Score (Evidence-based reading & writing and math) of >1260 (~80th%); OR ACT score > 26 (~82nd %)
2. Pursue a major of the student’s preference at HSU.
3. Maintain 3.6 Cumulative GPA.
4. Maintain a 3.5 prerequisite GPA with all prerequisite courses taken at HSU.
5. Enroll in Pre-PT course (BIOL 2101).
6. Service/volunteer as an undergraduate > 250 hours.
7. Demonstrate involvement in one leadership role during undergraduate work.
8. Interview at time of application and receive an “accept” interview score.
Other criteria:
- Complete two human psychology courses
- Take the GRE and obtain minimum scores of 148/148/3.5 (verbal, quantitative, writing)
- Obtain two PT letters of recommendation from shadowing/volunteering/working in PT clinics. -Suggested: a total of 80 hours of observation consisting of a minimum of 40 hours in 2 different practice settings under 2 different PTs OR a minimum of 100 hours in 1 setting.
- One Letter of Recommendation from an instructor in your major.
- 5 of 7 Science/Stats prereqs completed at time of application
Students not pursuing the Freshman Admission option are still eligible to complete the bachelor's degree and apply to the DPT Program.
Transfer Credit
Due to the curricular design (cohort) and financial structure of the DPT program (price/semester), it is extremely challenging to transfer into this program. Individuals will be considered on a case- by case basis if the following conditions can be met: 1) graduate work from a accredited institution of higher education; 2) an official transcript of the work is on file in the Office of Admission; 3) the work was completed during the last 10 years; 4) approval by the Program Director; 5) an open seat exists in the class the prospective student wishes to join. In general, the transfer student would likely sit through all courses in the curriculum, although some may not need to be retaken for credit. Tuition would remain the same no matter how many courses were being taken for credit. A maximum of one-third of the total hours required in physical therapy may be transferred provided the student did not compete the previous degree and that the transferring course work is approved by the Program Director.
General Requirements for Early Admission & Post Baccalaureate Option Plans
Letter grades are required in all prerequisite courses. Pass/fail or credit/no credit grades are not acceptable. Online courses may be acceptable for non-science pre-requisite courses but must be approved by the PT Director of Admissions. Prerequisite courses completed 10 years or more prior to the time of application are not acceptable. Applicants are encouraged to complete their science pre-requisites at a four-year university and limit the number of prerequisites completed at a community college.
Average prerequisite and cumulative GPAs of admitted students are >3.5/4.0
Required Prerequisite Courses
- A sequence of either Biology I & II OR Anatomy & Physiology I & II: two courses of general biology (including zoology) for science majors, with laboratory OR two courses of A&P (A&P I & A&P II)
- Chemistry: two courses of general chemistry for science majors, with laboratory.
- Physics: two courses, with laboratory. (Does not have to be calculus-based physics)
- Statistics: one course from any discipline.
- Psychology: Two courses; should be related to human psychology (Recommended: general psychology, life span (developmental) OR abnormal psychology.
- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: One upper level (300/400 level) human biology course. (Recommended: Advanced Human Anatomy/Comparative Anatomy or Human Physiology or Pathophysiology or Immunology, or Genetics, etc.
Note: Completion of prerequisite course work does not guarantee admission to the PT program at HSU. Five of seven prerequisite Science/Stat courses must be completed before a seat offer will be considered.
Additional Requirements
- GRE (Graduation Record Exam); Average score of those accepted: 152- Verbal; 152- Quantitative; 4- Writing
- Knowledge of the profession as demonstrated by two letters of recommendation from two different physical therapists under whom the student has shadowed. It is highly recommended the prospective student gain experience in a variety of PT settings.
- Transcripts from all universities where college courses have been taken.
- Demonstrated service and leadership.
Selected applicants are required to interview on campus. Medical terminology is required as a post-selection requirement.
Graduation Requirements
The program of study for the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree consists of 116-117 credit hours in a 28-month period over 7 consecutive semesters. Courses in basic sciences, physical therapy sciences, professional values, evidence-based practice and research, and 38 weeks of experiential professional activities (clinical rotations) are included.
Curriculum
Fall I
Spring I
Summer I
| PHYT 7133 | Diagnostic Imaging, Pharmacology II | 1 |
| PHYT 7243 | Professional Seminar II | 1-4 |
| PHYT 7326 | Clinical Diagnosis and Management III: Neurological I | 3 |
| PHYT 7371 | Experiential Professional Activity I | 3 |
| PHYT 7423 | Clinical Diagnosis and Management I: Musculoskeletal I | 4 |
| PHYT 7425 | Clinical Diagnosis & Management II: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17-18 |
Fall II
| PHYT 7134 | Pharmacology, Pharmacology II | 1 |
| PHYT 7184 | Professional Project I | 1 |
| PHYT 7208 | Neuroscience II | 2 |
| PHYT 7229 | Clinical Diagnosis & Management VI:, Integumentary | 2 |
| PHYT 7244 | Professional Seminar III | 2 |
| PHYT 7324 | Clinical Diagnosis & Management IV: Musculoskeletal II | 3 |
| PHYT 7334 | Clinical Diagnosis & Management VII:, Pediatrics & Geriatrics | 3 |
| PHYT 7427 | Clinical Diagnosis and Management V: Neurological II | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 18 |
Spring II
| PHYT 7120 | Therapeutic Exercise Prescription and Progression | 1 |
| PHYT 7170 | Experiential Professional Activity-, Campus Clinic | 1 |
| PHYT 7185 | Professional Project II | 1 |
| PHYT 7230 | Clinical Diagnosis & Management VIII:, Multiple Systems | 2 |
| PHYT 7283 | Critical Inquiry III | 2 |
| PHYT 7328 | Health Care Management | 3 |
| PHYT 7872 | Experiential Professional Activity II | 8 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 18 |
Summer II
| PHYT 7102 | Professional Development | 1 |
| PHYT 7873 | Experiential Professional Activity III | 8 |
| PHYT 7874 | Experiential Professional Activity IV | 8 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Fall III
| PHYT 7245 | Professional Seminar IV | 2 |
| PHYT 7875 | Experiential Professional Activity V | 10 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10 |
Total Credit Hours: 116-117