Would you like to be a physical therapist? To help people move better? Our pre-physical therapy program is an entry-level program that leads to a doctor of physical therapy degree. 

You’ll start on our campus. Your first step will be to complete a bachelor’s degree here. You can choose any major. The most common are biology, psychology and sports medicine. 

Once you have your bachelor’s degree, you will apply to the University of Pittsburgh’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

We have a special arrangement with the University of Pittsburgh that we call a Freshman Guarantee. It means that if you meet certain criteria, you will automatically be accepted into the doctoral program. You won’t have to compete for admission.

What you can do with a degree in Pre-Physical Therapy.

Any bachelor’s degree must include the following courses:

• INTRODUCTION TO BIODIVERSITY
• INTRODUCTION TO CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
• HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I
• HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II
• HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I LAB
• HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II LAB
• GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
• GENERAL CHEMISTRY II
• INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICS I
• INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICS II
• INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
• CHILD DEVELOPMENT or ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
• STATISTICAL METHODS or STATISTICS PSYCHOLOGY or STATISTICS MATHEMATICS
• ENGLISH COMPOSITION I

In addition to earning a bachelor's degree and completing the required courses listed above, you will need to:

• Earn a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 and a 3.0 GPA in the prerequisite courses.
• Score 1000 or better on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) verbal and quantitative sections (a minimum of 500 on each) and a minimum score of 3.5 on the analytical section.
• Have physical therapy experience in more than one setting.

If you do not meet the minimum requirements for admission, you may be admitted provisionally if you can provide strong supporting evidence of your ability to complete a graduate program.

To take advantage of this guarantee, you will need to:

• Indicate PREPT Pre-physical therapy on the admissions application and/or on first registration as freshman on our campus. 
• Rank in the top 10 percent of high school graduating class and achieve a 1350 SAT I (combined Critical Reading and Math) or 30 ACT score.
• Maintain a 3.5 or better science and overall grade point average (GPA) while enrolled in an undergraduate program at Pitt.
• Complete all prerequisite coursework required for admission to the DPT program.
• Achieve a combined score of 1000 or greater on the verbal and quantitative sections and a minimum score of 3.5 on the analytical section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
• Demonstrate evidence of adequate exposure to the field of physical therapy.
• Complete the PT Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) process as required.

Check with the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (admissions@shrs.pitt.edu) for its most current requirements for the Freshman Guarantee.