Doctorate of Physical Therapy: DPT Program

Widener Pre-Physical Therapy Pathway

First-year students with exceptional high school transcripts who have demonstrated strong performance in science courses and on the SAT may be offered a reserved seat in the 3+3 or 4+3 DPT program. These undergraduates are students in the College of Arts & Sciences, selecting one of several degree paths that help to prepare them for graduate study in physical therapy.

• Students with a reserved seat will submit an application to the graduate program in the fall of their junior (3+3) or senior (4+3) year. They will need to provide two letters of recommendation (one from a licensed physical therapist and one from a professor in their major). There is no GRE requirement for DPT program admission.
• Throughout the time of undergraduate study, students must follow the prescribed program, maintaining an overall GPA of 3.3 or greater. All prerequisite courses for admission to the graduate physical therapy degree program must be completed with a minimum grade of B or better (B- is not accepted). All prerequisite coursework must be completed at Widener.
• Applicants must have 40 hours of volunteer or work experience in the field, preferably within both inpatient and outpatient clinical environments.

Enter with Bachelor's Degree

Applicants holding a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from Widener or another university may apply to the program under the entry-level DPT pathway. Students entering under this option usually include recent graduates and students seeking a career change.

Enter with a PTA Associate's Degree

Students who have earned an associate's degree in a physical therapy assistant program may transfer up to 60 credits to Widener University to complete their undergraduate degree in the Extended Learning divisions of the Office of Graduate Studies and Extended Learning. After completion of the undergraduate degree and all prerequisite courses, these students apply through the regular application process.

Enter through an Articulation Agreement with a partnering institution. 

View Articulation Agreements

• Complete online application and pay application fee through PTCAS.
• The Institute for Physical Therapy Education admits students who demonstrate the capacity for graduate-level studies through a satisfactory grade point average (GPA) at the undergraduate level and satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
  • The GPA for combined science courses is expected to be at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Competitive students will have a combined science GPA of 3.5 or greater.
• Transcripts must be sent to PTCAS.
• Applicants must have 40 hours of volunteer or work experience in the field, preferably within both inpatient and outpatient clinical environments.
• Three letters of recommendations should be submitted through PTCAS. At least one must be from a licensed physical therapist, at least one must be from a professor in your major, and one can be from another source. Acceptable 3rd recommendations may be from another licensed physical therapist, undergraduate professor, coach within the past 3 years, or clergy member. Recommendations from family and friends are not accepted

Students are encouraged to contact the program early to assess the need for completion of prerequisite coursework, which includes:

• Biology (3 semester hours)
• Human Anatomy & Physiology (6 semester hours, as separate or combined courses)
• Chemistry (8 semester hours)
• Physics (6 semester hours) Lab is recommended, but not required
• Humanities (9 semester hours, including 3 semester hours of English composition)
• Social Science (9 semester hours, including 6 semester hours of psychology)
• Statistics (3 semester hours)

Students must receive a C or better in prerequisite courses.  Students are strongly discouraged from taking these courses for non-letter grade such as Pass/Fail, Satisfactory, or similar.  

Students taking prerequisite courses in the summer prior to application should send transcripts to PTCAS after summer course grades have been recorded.  

For a detailed list of acceptable prerequisite courses, please visit APTA - Widener University.

All students outside the reserved seat program must apply through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) website. Upon completion and verification of the application, you may be asked to come for an interview day.

Widener University's doctor of physical therapy program maintains the following articulation agreements:

• Commonwealth University (formerly Bloomsburg University, Lockhaven University, and Mansfield University): 3+3 and 4+3
• Eastern University: 4+3
• East Stroudsburg University: 3+3 and 4+3
• Eastern University: 4+3
• Elizabethtown College: 3+3 and 4+3
• Immaculata University: 4+3
• Juniata College: 3+3 and 4+3
• Marywood University: 4+3
• Penn State University: 4+3
• University of Delaware: 4+3
• Wilkes University: 3+3 and 4+3