Step One: Find out About the Career & Its Preparatory Education

Check out the information found on the web site of the American Physical Therapy Association, at http://www.apta.org/.   In particular, click on "PT Education".  In addition to an adequate GPA and (often) an adequate entrance exam score (such as the GRE), PT programs tend to require records of clinical experience for admission.  You need to find out from the programs well ahead of time what sorts of experience will "count", and work that into your schedule (perhaps during summer vacation?).

Step Two: Pick Some PT Schools You'd Go To If Admitted

There are many accredited PT programs in the United State.   To see an alphabetical list by state, visit http://www.apta.org/Education/schoollistings/pt_schools/acd_edu_prg_pt.

Step Three: Get the Scoop on the Admissions Policy of those PT Schools

Check carefully to find out your intended PT program's requirements. Key points:
1. Do you have the required prerequisite courses from your Bachelor's Degree?
2. Do you have the required prerequisite clinical experience?
3. What is the application deadline?
4. Does the admissions application require the General GRE entrance exam, the Subject GRE entrance exam, or both? (more on these below)
5. When must you take the required entrance exam in order to complete your application by the program's deadline?
6. If you aren't admitted the first time you apply, can you re-apply? What are the statistics on the success of second applications?

Currently, there are 5 PT schools in the state of Wisconsin.  All result in a professional Master's degree (MS-PT). Here is some of the key information you need to know about these PT schools:

• UW Madison: takes 2.5 years after your Bachelor's degree at UW Oshkosh.  To learn all about it, visit http://www.surgery.wisc.edu/pt/index.html.   Admission to this program requires a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). 
  • You need to have taken here at UWO the following courses: BIO 105, 230, 308 (if a BioMajor) or 211, 319 (if a BioMajor) or 212; PHYSICS 107 + 108; CHEM 105 + 106; MATH 201 (PSYCH 203 is O.K. too, but MATH 201 kills two birds with one stone); ENG 101; PHYS ED 348, 350, 352 (take these AFTER Bio 319 if a BioMajor); 3 semesters of humanities (lit, language, art, philosophy); and 3 semesters of social sciences (psych, soc, poli sci, antro, history). 
  • They also recommend CHEM 303 and 305 (which in turn require an additional year of organic chemistry CHEM 235 + 335).   It is quite possible to take just CHEM 305 here (spring, lecture only, 3 credits), but again, a year of OrgChem is needed.
• UW La Crosse:  takes 2.5 years.  To learn all about it, visit http://perth.uwlax.edu/pt/.
• Marquette University:  a 6-year program leading to both Bachelor's and MS-PT degrees.  To learn all about it, visit http://www.marquette.edu/chs/pt/index.html.   It appears that transfer students may be accepted.  Contact Marquette directly for more information.
• Concordia University: takes 3 years, including one summer.  To learn all about it, visit http://www.cuw.edu/mpt/default.htm.
• Carroll College: three degree paths all requiring the GRE to advance to the final phase:   (1) Direct Admission as a college freshman into a 6-year program leading to both Bachelor's and MS-PT degrees;  (2) Transfer Admission during the junior year of college, also resulting in two degrees; and (3) NonTraditional Admission with a Bachelor's degree from another institution, to a 2.5-year program leading to the MS-PT degree.  To learn all about it, visit http://carroll1.cc.edu/pt/.  
  • If you get a Bachelor's degree at UWO as part of your PrePT training, you are on Carroll's NonTrad track (3).   During your Bachelor's degree, you need (at the minimum) the following UWO courses: BIO 105, 230, 231, 308, 319, and 323; PHYS 107 + 108; CHEM 105 + 106; COMP SCI 115; MATH 201 (PSYCH 203 O.K. but the math class kills two birds with one stone); ENGL 101; 3 semesters of humanities (lit, language, art, philosophy); and 3 semesters of social sciences (psych, soc, poli sci, antro, history).  Admissions Director Jennifer Wells-Sperry writes: "Our program is a 2 1/2 year program that includes 3 clinical rotations in addition to time spent every week in our on-campus clinic, the teaching laboratory practice. Our last graduating class had a 96% first-time pass rate on the licensure examination. All graduates are employed full-time in PT and many students have several job offers prior to graduation. We continue to get calls from employers but have no students to place. Let me know if I might assist your students in the future."  Contact Ms. Wells-Sperry directly at jwells@cc.edu or (262) 524-7357. 

Important Update about PhyEd courses needed to qualify for PT school

In Spring 2003, the UW Oshkosh Physical Education & Health Promotion Department changed its curriculum somewhat, in particular those courses which pre-PT students usually take (see PHY ED courses in red ink above). 

Specifically, UW Madison's PT program requires that you take Phy Ed 348 Biomechanics to qualify for admission (other PT programs may require or recommend this course).  The UW Oshkosh Phy Ed Department is now linking the 3 credit Biomechanics 348 course to their PhyEd 375 course, which is called "Motor Skill Learning" (2 credits).  This new linking has important consequences for pre-PTs who must take 348 to qualify for application.  Let me pass on the advice to PTs from the courses's current instructor, Dr. Bob Weber, who is extremely familiar with the PT profession: 

Step Four: Find Out About Signing up for any Entrance Exam(s)

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required for admission to some PT programs.  There are two parts to the GRE:  (1) the General GRE test and (2) the Subject GRE test.   To find out about the GRE, go to http://www.gre.org.   You can sign up for the GRE by the web site. 

The General GRE test can be taken almost any day of the year through a computerized process, and you should have your General GRE test scores back in about 2 weeks. 

The Subject GRE tests are offered in November, December, and April, and those scores are reported some 4-6 weeks later.  There are two different Subject GRE tests that might be required for admission to a graduate program in Biology:  (1) the Biology GRE Subject test OR (2) the Biochemistry, Cell, & Molecular Biology GRE Subject test.   Be sure to register for the right one!   

Remember: you have TWO deadlines to think about: the deadline for signing up to take the GRE AND taking it early enough for your scores to be reported on time as part of your PT school application. 

Step Five: Arrange a "Shadow a PT" experience for yourself

All pre-health professions admissions committees like to see a record of actual experience with the profession. It may not be possible to be paid to get this experience, but you can volunteer.  Shadowing a PT will give you valuable inside information about the career and what makes a great PT.  It also can provide you with the most important letter of recommendation for your application!  You may wish to do your shadow during Spring Break, or one afternoon a week during a semester, or during the summer. It's up to you.  You may wish to repeatedly shadow the same PT, or shadow several different ones. It's up to you.