Eligibility Requirements

• Prerequisite Courses
• Course Equivalencies
• Eligibility Checklist

All prerequisite courses must be successfully completed prior to the start of the Program and no more than two course can be outstanding when applying for admission. After you have read through the requirements and assessed your eligibility status, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Physical Therapy Program Advisor, to discuss your preparation and answer questions concerning your application.

1. UW–Madison Admission. UW–Madison admission requirements include an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a cumulative 3.0 grade point average based on the last 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of undergraduate course work. Please contact the Program Admissions Advisor if you do not have this grade point.
   
   
2. Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Score. The GRE must be taken within 5 years prior to the application deadline date, and must include the verbal, analytical writing and quantitative portions. The minimum GRE scores for an applicant to be considered are: Verbal=340, Quantitative=450, Writing=3.5 Authorized persons will access the scores electronically for use by the Admissions Committee. (UW-Madison code 1846)
   
   
3. Completion of Prerequisite Courses. All prerequisite courses must be successfully completed prior to the start of the Program. No more than two prerequisite courses may be outstanding for an application to be considered. Official transcripts with grades posted for all completed prerequisite courses must be received by the admission deadline (UW-Madison transcripts do not need to be submitted). A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required for the science prerequisite courses. Please contact the Program Admissions Advisor if you do not have this grade point.
   
   
4. Evidence of Professional Behaviors. Applicants must provide evidence of professional behaviors required to participate effectively in the health care environment. The Physical Therapy Program Application, a personal statement, Letters of Recommendation, and the Patient Care Experience Forms will provide the basis for this assessment.
   
   
5. Direct Patient Care Experience. Applicants must satisfactorily complete 20 hours of volunteer or paid patient care experience in each of two different physical therapy settings, under the supervision of a physical therapist. The patient care experiences must be completed and the Patient Care Experience Forms received by the application deadline.
   
   
6. Caregiver Background Checks. The state of Wisconsin requires that all licensed caregivers and others associated with health and child-care facilities have criminal background checks. This law applies to students receiving clinical training. All students who enter the Program must grant authorization to conduct such a background check. A convicted criminal offense may not preclude you from admission into the Program; however, due to Wisconsin state law, you may be precluded from internships, licensure, or employment.
   
   
7. Fulfillment of International Applicant Requirements. In addition to all of the above requirements, international applicants must have: 1) a degree comparable to an approved U.S. bachelor’s degree; 2) quality of work high enough to warrant admission; and 3) evidence of adequate financial resources for the anticipated duration of the Program. Every applicant whose native language is not English and who has not completed all their undergraduate course work in English, must also provide: 4) a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score and 5) a Test of Spoken English (TSE) score, if spoken English was not included on the TOEFL. TOEFL and TSE scores must be current within the past 2 years.
   

Prerequisite Courses

All prerequisite courses must be successfully completed prior to the start of the Program but do not need to be completed to apply for admission. UW-Madison students please contact Reenie Euhardy, the Program Admissions Advisor, euhardy@pt.wisc.edu for guidance on scheduling prerequisite courses.

PSYCHOLOGY: 6 credits are required. Recommended courses, but not required, include Abnormal Psychology and Human Development.

Sciences, approximately 40 credits (UW–Madison courses that satisfy each requirement are listed in parentheses.)

1. General Biology with lab, one semester (Zoology 101 and 102, or Zoology 151, or Biocore curriculum)
   
2. General Chemistry with labs, two semesters (Chemistry 103 and 104), or one semester of advanced/accelerated general chemistry (Chemistry 109), or one semester of general chemistry and one semester of biochemistry
   
3. General Physics with labs, two semesters (Physics 103 and 104, or Physics 201 and 202)
   
4. Human Physiology with lab, one semester (Physiology 335) or two semesters of Anatomy and Physiology with lab
   
5. Human Anatomy, one semester (Anatomy 328 or Zoology 430 ) or two semesters of Anatomy and Physiology with labs
   
6. Introductory Biomechanics (Kinesiology 318 — Anatomy 328 is a prerequisite — or Biomedical Engineering 315)
   
7. Physiology of Exercise (Kinesiology 314)
   
8. Statistics through ANOVA and linear regression (either Statistics 201, 301, 371, Psychology 210)

[top of page]
 

Course Equivalencies

Students completing their prerequisite course work at other institutions should look for courses equivalent to UW–Madison courses. Courses should have similar names, with the exception of biomechanics which may be called kinesiology. If you question a course's equivalency, contact the Program Admissions Advisor, Reenie Euhardy at (608) 265-4815 or euhardy@pt.wisc.edu. Courses at many institutions have already been found to be equivalent.

[top of page]
 

Eligibility Checklist

1. Have you earned, or will you earn by June 2010, a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university?
   

   • Yes. Go to #2.
   • No. You are not eligible at this time.
     
     
     
     
2. Have you earned a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) based on the last 60 semester or 90 quarter undergraduate credits completed?
   
   
   • Yes. Go to #3.
   • No. You may not be eligible at this time. Please contact the Program Admissions Advisor.
     
     
     
     
3. Are your GRE (Graduate Record Exam) scores at least: Verbal = 340, Quantitative = 450, and Writing = 3.5?
   
   • Yes. Go to #4.
   • No. You are not eligible at this time.
     
     
     
     
4. Have you completed or will you complete all of the following science prerequisites, and earned a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in these courses, by June 2010? Have you completed or will you complete 6 credits of Psychology by June 2010? Will you have no more than two of these courses outstanding when you apply?
   
   
   • Yes. Go to #5.
   • No. You may not eligible at this time. Please contact the Program Admissions Advisor.
     
     

     Required Science Prerequisites

     General Biology: one semester with lab

     General Chemistry: two semesters with labs

     General Physics: two semesters with labs

     Human Anatomy: one semester

     Human Physiology: one semester with lab

     Exercise Physiology: one semester with lab activities

     Biomechanics: one semester with lab activities

     Statistics: one semester

5. Have you completed or will you complete before the time of application, a minimum of 20 hours of paid or volunteer patient care experience, in each of two distinctly different physical therpay settings (total of 40 hours)? Were these experiences supervised and evaluated by a physical therapist?
   

   • Yes. You are eligible to apply unless your native language is not English, then go to #6.
   • No. You are not eligible at this time.
     
     
     
     
6. If your native language is not English, have you taken the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE), if required, within the last 2 years?
   
   
   • Yes. You are eligible to apply to this program.
   • No. You are not eligible at this time.