admission

Admission Requirements

Applications to the DPT program will be accepted during the fall semester of each year for enrollment in the program starting the following summer. (ECU no longer offers the MPT). Admission is competitive and limited to 30 students.

Applications that arrive on or before November 1 will be screened at that time. Qualified applicants will be interviewed and may be offered early acceptance into the program.

Deadline date for receipt of all applications is December 15. The top 60 applicants will be interviewed.

EARLY INTERVIEW DAY - December 7, 2011
REGULAR INTERVIEW DAY - January 30, 2012

Applicants are notified of their acceptance status 7-10 days following interviews. The program begins the 11-week summer session in May.

Applicants must apply separately to both the DPT program and Graduate School.
IMPORTANT! Do NOT submit applications through PTCAS (Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service).

In-State Residency

Tuition at East Carolina University is considerably less expensive for North Carolina residents. The Department of Physical Therapy is not able to make rulings on residency status. The Registrar at East Carolina University makes these decisions. Out-of-state students who wish to become residents of North Carolina should go to the ECU Registrar for details http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/registrar/Residency.cfm

Admission preference is given to North Carolina residents.

At the time of application to the program, students must:

be eligible for admission to the Graduate School. (Applicants must apply separately to both the DPT program and ECU Graduate School.)
have satisfactory Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores--verbal, quantitative and WRITING. Applicants must include all scores on the DPT application.
provide evidence of exposure to the practice of physical therapy. Must be supervised by a licensed physical therapist. A minimum of 100 hours is encouraged. A variety of clinical experiences is suggested including: in-patient, out-patient, rehabilitation, long-term care, geriatrics, and pediatrics.
have two of the three letters of reference (from the ECU Graduate School application or the DPT application) be completed by licensed PTs who supervised the applicant's PT experience.
present evidence that the required prerequisite course work will be completed and an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution conferred before the start of the program in the summer. Applicants should have no more than two prerequisite courses left to complete at the time of application.

Required undergraduate prerequisite courses:

• General chemistry, 8 semester hours with lab
(CHEM 1150,1151,1160,1161)
• General physics, 8 semester hours with lab
(PHYS 1250,1251,1260,1261)
• Biology, 12 semester hours to include:
• 8 hours of biology (BIOL 1100,1101,1200,1201) plus 1 semester of Human or Mammalian Physiology with lab OR 4 hours of biology (BIOL 1100, 1101) plus 2 semesters of Human Physiology & Anatomy with lab (BIOL 2140, 2141, 2150, 2151)
• College algebra or higher
• Statistics (Students must take the statistics course from the math department at their institution. Psychology or exercise science statistics courses are not acceptable.)
• Psychology (6 semester hours)

The above courses must be taken through their respective departments unless prior agreement has been made with the Department of Physical Therapy.

Prerequisite Course Numbers for Other North Carolina Universities

For more information regarding prerequisite courses, please contact Tracy Gilland gillandt@ecu.edu.

For application materials for the Graduate School, click here:
ECU Graduate School.

Information regarding application for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must be obtained by contacting:
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Services
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
609-771-7670
GRE Website

GRE® revised General Test score reports for tests administered between August and November 2011 will be released on a special reporting schedule as listed below.

Computer-based revised General Test Dates Approximate Score Report Mailing Dates

August 1, 2011-September 8, 2011	November 8, 2011
September 9, 2011-October 2, 2011	November 10, 2011
October 3, 2011-October 15, 2011	November 17, 2011
October 16, 2011-November 18, 2011	December 1, 2011
November 19, 2011-November 28, 2011	December 8, 2011
November 29, 2011 or later	10-15 days after the test date

Admission requirements are subject to change without prior notice.

Integrated Physical Therapy/Exercise Physiology (DPT/BS) Degree

In July, 2004, the Graduate School Administrative Board supported the concept of allowing highly qualified undergraduate students to complete the requirements for both the bachelors and graduate degree at an accelerated pace. This is achieved by counting up to 15 semester hours of the graduate degree towards the undergraduate degree. The following is a description of an integrated graduate degree in Physical Therapy (PT) made possible by a collaborative agreement between the Departments of Exercise and Sport Science and Physical Therapy. Students will enter ECU as freshmen and, by following a predetermined path of study, may earn a BS in Exercise Physiology and a DPT in a total of six years. Fifteen semester hours taken in the Physical Therapy curriculum will count towards the BS in Exercise Physiology.

Admission Standards

Sophomore Year

At the end of their sophomore year students may apply for provisional acceptance into the DPT program. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 to be eligible for provisional acceptance. Final approval for provisional acceptance to the DPT will be determined by the Physical Therapy faculty in consultation with EXSS faculty

Junior Year

In the Fall semester of their junior year students will submit a formal application to the DPT. At that time they must demonstrate:

1. Satisfactory GRE score (verbal/quantitative/writing)
2. Satisfactory interview with PT faculty
3. Completion of volunteer hours
4. Completion of all prerequisite requirements for the DPT.

Successful students will be granted admission into the DPT during the Spring semester of their junior year at ECU. The Physical Therapy curriculum begins with the 11-week summer session. Upon beginning the DPT the student will have:

1. Completed at least 96sh in their undergraduate program .
2. Maintained a GPA of 3.5.

Full admission to the Graduate School will be granted following completion of requirements for the undergraduate degree.

For more information, contact Mike McCammon, mccammonm@ecu.edu.

Early Assurance Admission Program

Students in the Honors College at East Carolina University are invited to apply for an Early Assured Admittance to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Up to two seats of the 30 seats available will be reserved four years in advance for qualified merit scholars who have entered ECU as freshmen.
All Honors College students will be sent information on the DPT program and an application for early-assured admission to the DPT program. A subcommittee of the PT Department Admissions Committee will review applications and all applicants will be invited for an interview during their orientation visit to the campus.
The Admissions Committee will priority rank all interviewed applicants and offer Early Assured Admission to up to two students.
Selected alternates will be encouraged to participate in program activities, as a means to be eligible for early admission should vacancies for early admission become available.

Accepted and selected alternate students must:

Maintain a minimum overall and prerequisite GPA of 3.5
Complete all DPT course prerequisites and clinical exposure requirements before the summer semester of their senior year.
Exhibit an acceptable level of commitment to the profession and personal deportment and maturity.
Participate in all PT program activities developed specifically for participants in the Early Assurance Admission Program.
- Establish a Doctor of Physical Therapy student mentor
- Participate in one of the ECU Department of Physical Therapy research laboratories
- Observe patient care in the ECU Department of Physical Therapy clinics

Students who remain eligible will apply to the DPT program and Graduate School the spring of their junior year. Qualified students will be exempt from the Graduate Record Exam requirement and the interview process. During the summer semester following their junior year, all early-assured admission students will receive a letter of acceptance with a 1-year deferment. All accepted students must maintain acceptable academic standards, graduate with a baccalaureate degree, and begin the DPT program the year designated in the acceptance letter. Though not legally binding, it is understood that students receiving an early acceptance will not apply to other PT schools. Accepted students who fail to meet early admission requirements will be discontinued from the program and are not eligible for early assured admission. They may apply during standard DPT application times if they choose to do so.