University of Southern California

PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION (2009-10)

Virginia Orcasitas
Admissions Coordinator
University of Southern California
Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
1540 E. Alcazar St.
CHP-155
Los Angeles, California 90089
Phone: 323-442-2890
Phone (alternate number): 323-442-2900
Email: vorcas@usc.edu
Website: http://pt.usc.edu

APPLICATION DEADLINE for 2010 ENTERING CLASS

PTCAS Application Deadline	Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Deadline Type	SOFT Deadline
Application Close Date (for soft deadlines only)	Friday, January 15, 2010
Program Has Rolling Admissions Process?	No
Important Dates (if any): The Admissions Committee typically begins to review applicant files in December. Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete their PTCAS application as far in advance of this time as possible. An Open House is held each year for all interested applicants and their guests. This event typically occurs around the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday in January of each year. A Spring Preview day is held each year for accepted students and their guests. This event typically occurs around the Memorial Day Holiday in May each year. Information sessions are held from September to January for all interested applicants and their guests. Appointments can be made with the Admissions Coordinator.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

If supplemental materials are required, send items directly to the PT program.

Supplemental APPLICATION required?	YES
Supplemental MATERIALS required?	YES
If yes, list of items	Please send OFFICIAL transcripts from all colleges and universities attended and OFFICIAL GRE scores from ETS directly to USC Graduate Admissions. PLEASE NOTE: You do NOT need to submit a statment of purpose/career statement or letters of recommendation to USC Graduate Admissions.
Supplemental FEE required?	YES
If yes, amount	$45
Supplemental deadline(s) YYYY-MM-DD	2010-01-29
Link to supplemental forms or instructions	http://www.usc.edu/admission/graduate/applyonline/

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites

Must applicants earn a Bachelor's degree prior to enrolling into the PT program? YES
For more information about course prerequisites, visit the program Web site: http://pt.usc.edu/sublayout.aspx?menu_id=52&id=70&ekmensel=568fab5c_52_0_70_4

Course Prerequisite Name or Subject Area	Req, Rec, Crq*	SEM hrs	QTR hrs	Lab Required (Y/N)	Additional Program Information
Human or Vertebrate Anatomy	REQ	4	.	YES	If Anatomy and Physiology are taken in a combined course, 8 semester hours are required.
Human Physiology	REQ	4	.	YES	If Anatomy and Physiology are taken in a combined course, 8 semester hours are required.
Mammalian Biological Sciences	REQ	8	.	YES	These may include General Biology with Lab, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology with Lab, Microbiology with Lab
Chemistry	REQ	8	.	YES	These may include General Chemistry with Lab, Organic Chemistry with Lab, or Biochemistry
Physics	REQ	8	.	YES	General Physics with Lab
Psychology	REQ	8	.	NA	These may include General Psychology or Abnormal Psychology
Mathematics	REQ	4	.	NO	One college-level mathematics course

* “Req” = required course; “Rec” = recommended course; “Crq” = conditionally required course

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Is the GRE required?	Required
Program’s GRE College Code	# 4852
Last acceptable GRE test date – YYYY-MM-DD (if applicable)	2009-11-30
Oldest GRE score considered – YYYY-MM-DD (if applicable)	2004-11-01

GRE table below may contain blank fields if program data is not available or applicable.

GRE Section	Minimum GRE Score	Average GRE Score for Accepted Students
Verbal	500
Verbal Percentile
Quantitative	500
Quantitative Percentile
Analytical Writing
Analytical Writing Percentile
Composite (verbal & quantitative)	1000	1160-1180
Composite Percentile
Additional information about program’s GRE requirements

References

Number of references required by program: 3 References

EVALUATOR TYPE	Applicant must send one reference from this SPECIFIC type of evaluator	Applicant must send a reference from one or more evaluators in this category to fulfill program's requirements	Evaluator Type ACCEPTED	Evaluator Type NOT Accepted
Physical Therapist-1	X
Physical Therapist-2			X
Professor in Major			X
Professor	X
Academic			X
Supervisor/Employer			X
Teaching Assistant			X
PTA			X
Pre-PT Advisor			X
Politician/Elected Official				X
Health Care Professional			X
Friend				X
Family Member				X
Co-worker				X
Clergy				X
OTHER				X

Additional information about program’s reference requirements:

PT Observation Hours

Enter your PT observation hours on your PTCAS application. Print the PT Observation Hours form from the PTCAS application or use online PT Hours signature process, if the program requires you to have your hours verified by a physical therapist. Send signed forms to PTCAS.

PT HOURS	PROGRAM REQUIREMENT
Description of Program’s PT Hours Requirement	PT hours are highly recommended
Total Number of PT Hours REQUIRED
Total Number of PT Hours RECOMMENDED
DEADLINE for Completion of All PT Hours YYYY-MM-DD
PAID Experience	Accepted
VOLUNTEER Experience	Accepted
INPATIENT Experience	Accepted
OUTPATIENT Experience	Accepted
Additional information about program’s PT hours requirement

GPA Requirement

GPAs will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

GPA	Minimum GPA	Average GPA for Accepted Students
Overall Undergraduate Cumulative	3.00	3.40 - 3.50
Program-specific Prerequisite
Additional information about program’s GPA requirements (if any)	The Graduate School and the Divisional admissions committee prefer that applicants have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. However, the admissions committee will consider for admission applicants who have a GPA < 3.0 in light of all academic and professional credentials.

Program Essay Instructions

Some PTCAS programs require applicants to respond to a custom essay question in addition to the standard PTCAS essay question. The PTCAS application will automatically prompt you to respond to the custom essays for your designated programs. The custom essay question for this program is below.

(NONE)

FOREIGN APPLICANTS AND TRANSCRIPTS

The program’s foreign (international) transcript policies do NOT apply to study abroad coursework that is itemized on a U.S. college or university transcript. Study abroad is processed in the same way as U.S. coursework.

Program’s citizenship requirements (individuals listed may be eligible for admission)	U.S. citizens U.S. permanent residents Canadian citizens Foreign (non-U.S.) citizens with a visa
Program requires non-native speakers to submit TOEFL scores?	Yes
Program policy for submission of non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework	Send FOREIGN EVALUATION AND OFFICIAL FOREIGN TRANSCRIPTS to USC Graduate Admissions
Program policy for CANADIAN coursework	Send FOREIGN EVALUATION AND OFFICIAL CANADIAN TRANSCRIPTS to USC Graduate Admissions
Additional information about program’s policy on foreign coursework

PROGRAM INFORMATION

PT Degree Offered	Program culminates in a doctoral (DPT) degree.
PT Program Start Date(s) For Entering Class YYYY-MM-DD	2010-08-23
Dual-degree programs offered in conjunction with the PT degree (if any)
Institution's religious affiliation (if any)

Profile of Most Recent Entering Class

Items will be blank if program data is not available or applicable.

Size of Most Recent Entering Class	93
Anticipated Size of Next Entering Class	93
Percent of IN-STATE students in most recent entering class
Percent of WICHE students in most recent entering class (if applicable)
Percent of OUT-OF-STATE (non-resident) students in most recent entering class
Percent of CANADIAN students in most recent entering class
Percent of INTERNATIONAL (non-U.S/non-Canadian) students in most recent entering class
Additional information about the class profile

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T) program at the University of Southern California (USC) provides the required educational preparation for a professional career as a physical therapist. Program graduates are knowledgeable, self-assured, adaptable, reflective, and service-oriented practitioners who by virtue of critical thinking and ethical values render informed and independent judgments concerning patient/client needs, promote the health and quality of life of the client, and enhance the professional foundations for practice. Graduates are prepared to become autonomous practitioners, capable of evaluating and treating patients without the need for referral from another practitioner, but ready to work in collaboration with other health professionals. These practitioners contribute to society and the profession through practice, teaching, administration, and the discovery and application of new knowledge about physical therapy. The educational philosophy of the program is to maximally challenge each student and facilitate his or her development of skills for life-long learning, professional development, and leadership.

The three-year program consists of nine semesters (including two summers) and 115 graduate credits. The first two years are focused on academic and clinical coursework, including a total of 18 weeks of clinical rotations in 5 practice settings. The curriculum during the first two years is systems-based, with whole semesters focused on musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, and neurologic physical therapy. The third year is intended to be integrative, reinforcing and building upon concepts introduced in the first two years. It consists of a 16-week full-time clinical rotation in one semester and a three day per week clinical rotation during the other. During the latter semester, students spend Tuesdays and Thursdays in a unique case-based curriculum with a team-based approach intended to help students integrate across different practice areas. Commencement is in May immediately following the university's commencement ceremony. USC was the second program in the nation to graduate doctorally prepared students and in 2009, it graduated it's 12th DPT class. The Division has three faculty practices, one hospital-based and two outpatient, and offers two residency programs for specialized training in Orthopedic and Neurologic Physical Therapy. It also offers the MS and PhD degrees for advanced research training.

The physical therapy program at USC is one of the premier programs in the country. This distinction derives from a mission that includes the advancement of physical therapy education, practice, and research. Because of this, students in our program benefit from a dynamic learning environment where patient care and research are actively integrated. Faculty are national and international leaders engaged in teaching and research with a focus on increasing the quality and understanding of physical therapy practice and science.