- Friday, January 10, 2025
- Saturday, January 11, 2025
- Friday, January 17, 2025
- Saturday, January 18, 2025
Doctor of Physical Therapy Admission Requirements
The application process for fall 2025 admission to the The OSU-Cascades Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program will open July 1, 2024. The DPT program at OSU-Cascades plans to participate in the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service, known as PTCAS, in the fall 2025 admissions cycle. Applicants applying to the OSU-Cascades physical therapist education program for the 2024 entering class will apply online using the PTCAS application beginning July 1, 2024. To learn more about PTCAS, visit www.ptcas.org. Applications will be due October 1, 2024. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents who currently and will continue to reside in the U.S. for the entirety of the program. They must also satisfy all requirements, which include:
Bachelor’s Degree
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university by the date of program enrollment, which is in September of each year.
Minimum Cumulative and Science GPAs of 3.0
The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.0 and the minimum prerequisite science GPA is 3.0 (the science GPA includes all prerequisite science and statistics courses). Higher GPAs will be more competitive within the applicant pool.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores
The GRE is not required for DPT applicants.
Résumé
You will be asked to upload your résumé as a part of the application. No template is required. We encourage you to be inclusive in adding your experiences.
Transcripts
Transcripts from each institution are required, including any graduate coursework or degrees completed.
Physical Therapy Observation Hours
A minimum of 40 hours of clinical experience in a physical therapy setting and under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist is recommended and applicants may be more competitive if they exceed this minimum. This requirement can be completed in a volunteer or paid capacity.
Observation in two or more different types of physical therapy settings is highly recommended. Examples of different settings are pediatric, acute rehab, sub-acute rehab, or outpatient orthopedic. Observation at two different orthopedic clinics would not fulfill this recommendation.
Essays
The application will include two essays: the standard PTCAS essay and an OSU-Cascades specific essay. Please make sure that you answer both essay questions.
Related Work/Volunteer Experience
Applicants will be required to list related work and volunteer experiences, via PTCAS, that they have had that are somehow related to physical therapy but not actually in physical therapy. Some examples are listed below:
- working as a caregiver
- working as a medical scribe
- coaching a youth sports team
- working as a personal trainer
- working at a retirement center
Prerequisite Courses and Other Recommended Courses
- All courses must be acceptable for science majors or for pre-health professions majors.
- Courses described as “survey” will not be accepted as prerequisites.
- Grades of “C” or better are required in all prerequisite courses, as outlined below.
- Prerequisite courses taken on a “pass/no pass” basis will not be accepted.
- All science coursework must have been completed within 7 years of the intended year of entry.
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Advanced Placement (AP) courses will not be accepted as prerequisites for Chemistry, Physics, or Anatomy & Physiology. One AP course can be applied to the statistics prerequisite course OR to one of the psychology prerequisite courses (only one AP course can be utilized).
Response to COVID-19: At the present time, Credit (from Credit/No credit classification) or Pass (from Pass/Fail classification) grades will be accepted in lieu of letter grades for Spring 2020 quarter/semester only. Credit or Pass grades will be credited as being completed but no grade value will be included in the final pre-requisite or overall GPA determination. Thus, provided the option to take a course for a letter grade, a letter grade would generally benefit the student’s pre-requisite GPA and overall application.
It is preferred that all prerequisite courses are completed at the time of application. All prerequisite coursework must be completed by the end of the summer term prior to commencing the program.
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Biological Sciences:
- A one-year anatomy & physiology series with labs OR one semester of anatomy (with lab) and one semester of physiology (with lab) designated for science majors or pre-health professions.
- At OSU-Cascades & OSU: BI 231 (Lab BI 241), BI 232 (Lab BI 242), B 233 (Lab BI 243) series
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Chemistry:
- A one-year general chemistry series with labs designated for science majors or pre-health professions.
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At OSU-Cascades & OSU:
- Preferred: CH 231 (Lab CH 261), CH 232 (Lab CH 262), CH 233 (Lab CH 263) series
- Adequate: CH 121 (lecture/lab), CH 122 (lecture/lab), CH 123 (lecture/lab) series
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Physics:
- A one-year general physics series with labs (calculus-based not required) designated for science majors or pre-health professions.
- At OSU-Cascades & OSU: PH 201 (lecture/lab), PH 202 (lecture/lab), PH 203 (lecture/lab) series; OR, PH 211 (lecture/lab), PH 212 (lecture/lab), PH 213 (lecture/lab) series
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Psychology: 3 quarter courses OR 2 semester courses
- Must include at least one general psychology course.
- At OSU-Cascades & OSU: PSY 201, PSY 202, PSY 381, KIN 370
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Statistics: one course (quarter or semester)
- One statistics course in any discipline is acceptable.
- At OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 490 or ST 351 or ST 201
These courses are not required but are recommended. Below is a list of recommended courses at OSU-Cascades and OSU but equivalent courses at other universities will fulfill this recommendation.
- Adult Development and Aging (OSU-Cascades & OSU: HDFS 314)
- Anatomical Kinesiology (OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 425)
- Biochemistry (OSU-Cascades & OSU: BB 450, BB 451)
- Biomechanics of Human Movement (OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 321)
- Exercise Physiology (OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 324)
- Infant and Child Development (OSU-Cascades & OSU: HDFS 311)
- Introduction to Adapted Physical Activity (OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 314)
- Motor Behavior (OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 311)
- Organic Chemistry (OSU-Cascades & OSU: CH 331, CH 332, CH 337)
- Physical Activity, Aging, and Chronic Disease (OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 437)
- Tissue Injury and Repair (OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 483)
- Therapeutic Exercise (OSU-Cascades & OSU: KIN 385)
Three Letters of Recommendation
Three confidential letters of recommendation from professionals attesting to the ability, scholarship, and aptitude of the candidate for a rigorous full-time DPT program.
- At least one letter must be from a licensed physical therapist with whom the applicant had a professional association and can thereby appropriately evaluate the applicant’s potential as a student in the physical therapy program.
- One letter must be from a professor for a course which the applicant completed.
- The third letter of recommendation can be from a licensed physical therapist, academic instructor for a course which the applicant completed, or an individual that the applicant worked, volunteered, served or participated with in a professional environment or setting.
Program Disclosure Form
Once your PTCAS application is submitted, verified, and received by OSU-Cascades, applicants will be sent an email notification from OSU-Cascades asking you to review and sign the Program Disclosure form.
Technical Standards Form
Once your PTCAS application is submitted, verified, and received by OSU-Cascades, applicants will be sent an email notification from OSU-Cascades asking you to review and sign the Technical Standards form.
Transfer Students
Unfortunately, we do not accept transfer students at this time.
Resources for Converting Documents to PDF:
Acceptance Rate, Matriculation Rate, and Student Outcomes
| Class of 2024 | Class of 2025 | Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | |
| Acceptance Rate (%) | 30 | 20 | 25 | 32 |
| Matriculation Rate (%) | 75 | 48 | 37 | 36 |
| Class of 2024 | |
| Graduation Rate (%) | 98% |
| First Time Licensure Pass Rate (%) | 96% |
| Ultimate Licensure Exam Pass Rate (%) | 96% |
Contact Us
Jordon Zardinejad | Academic Program Coordinator, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
541-322-3118 | jordon.zardinejad@osucascades.edu