Physical Therapy, Doctor of

Saint Louis University's program in physical therapy offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree.

There are three paths of entry into the SLU program.

• Early-assurance, freshman-entry: The early-assurance pathway is a six-year curriculum, including two summers. Students admitted receive a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science - Physical Therapy (B.S.E.S.-P.T.) concentration after successfully completing the first four years of coursework and the D.P.T. degree after completing the additional two post-baccalaureate years. 

• Early-assurance, undergraduate transfer: The undergraduate transfer pathway allows students to transfer into the program as undergraduate students from within or outside of Saint Louis University. 

• Post-baccalaureate: The post-baccalaureate pathway allows students who have already earned an undergraduate bachelor's degree to enter as a professional-phase student for three years of graduate coursework, including two summers.

Physical therapists work with people across the lifespan to optimize movement and improve health. Physical therapists are responsible for examining and evaluating patients/clients, developing and implementing intervention programs, providing patient education, and supervising other health care practitioners. In addition to patient care, physical therapists may also serve as administrators, teachers, researchers and consultants.

Program Financial Fact Sheet

Program Highlights

Advantages of earning a D.P.T. at SLU include:

• Direct admission to the program as a freshman
  • Undergraduate transfer and post-baccalaureate transfer are both possible
• Opportunities to pursue additional curricular goals such as minors, including interprofessional education, certificates and study abroad programs
• Physical therapy pro bono clinic providing integrated curricular and volunteer opportunities for students while serving people from the local community
• Clinical education placements across diverse settings and geographic locations
• Highly qualified and accessible faculty
• State-of-the-art laboratories and clinical equipment

Curriculum Overview

SLU's PT early-assurance curriculum is divided into pre-professional and professional phases. Progression to the professional phase of the program provides a seamless entry from foundational coursework to practical labs and clinical experiences.

Once accepted into the program, a student progresses through the entire program without needing to reapply or take a graduate entrance exam, provided the student meets the program's academic and professional behavior standards.

During the professional phase, students enroll in coursework specific to the physical therapy profession and complete 38 weeks of full-time clinical experiences. Students begin their clinical experiences in the spring of year four with DPT 5290 Formation of Identity as a Physical Therapist (1 cr).

Students gain advanced knowledge and skills in specialty areas through elective courses in the physical therapy curriculum and clinical exposure. In addition to the PT curriculum, undergraduate students must complete a minor of their choosing before transitioning to the professional phase. Students will additionally earn a second minor in interprofessional education (IPE) upon completion of their bachelor's degree. 

Upon graduation, students must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination to obtain a license to practice physical therapy.

Clinical and Research Opportunities

SLU's physical therapy program is affiliated with more than 250 clinical sites locally, nationally and internationally.

The faculty and clinical staff provide clinical services at a variety of locations, including the pro bono clinics, Saint Louis University Physical Therapy Clinic at Student Health, SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, consultative services for senior Jesuits and the SLUCare Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Clinic.

Careers

Graduates from SLU's PT program enjoy employment in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, long-term rehabilitation facilities, collegiate and professional sports, schools, patient homes and fitness centers.

Physical therapists typically work in full-time positions and receive benefits. The 2024 median annual wage of physical therapists was $101,020 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Specific salary depends on location and experience level.

Graduates of our Doctor of Physical Therapy program report a 100% employment rate within the profession within one year of graduation.

Tuition 

*The Doctor of Physical Therapy program tuition does not include undergraduate tuition.

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

Information on Tuition and Fees

Miscellaneous Fees

Information on Summer Tuition

Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:

• Scholarships: Awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need. In addition to SLU scholarships, the Doisy College of Health Sciences offers scholarships to sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students.
• Financial Aid: Provided in the form of grants and loans, some of which require repayment.

For priority consideration of merit-based scholarships, applicants should apply for admission by Dec. 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by Feb. 1.

For more information, visit the Office of Student Financial Services.

Accreditation

The Program in Physical Therapy at Saint Louis University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy (CAPTE).

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy (CAPTE)
3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100
Alexandria, VA 22305-3085
703-706-3245
accreditation@apta.org
capteonline.org

If you need to contact SLU's program directly, please call 314-977-8505 or email sluptat@health.slu.edu.

For more information about the SLU physical therapy program's outcomes, matriculation rate, graduate rate, employment rate, NPTE pass rates and technical standards, please see the additional accreditation information (PDF).

View Additional Accreditation Information (PDF)

Complaint Policy and Instructions (PDF)

Technical Standards (PDF)

1. Graduates will be able to serve others by advocating for the health of society.
2. Graduates will be able to communicate in a way that optimizes patient-centered care.
3. Graduates will be able to apply principles of evidence-based practice in patient care.
4. Graduates will be able to evaluate typical versus atypical physical movement.

Admission Requirements

Freshman Applicants

Every application to the program in Physical Therapy for admission is reviewed on an individual basis.  

For the freshman-entry admission, the best qualified high school seniors are selected from the application pool with a required minimum high school GPA of 3.2 on a 4.00 scale, with an emphasis on math and science.

The following high school courses are required for admission:

• One year of biology and one year of chemistry
• College prep courses equivalent to algebra, geometry, advanced algebra and/or trigonometry

Strong applicants will have:

• Four years of math, including a course equivalent to pre-calculus
• Four years of science, including physics and anatomy/physiology
• Activities demonstrating leadership and community service
• An interest in the profession of physical therapy as demonstrated through observation, school activities, or personal experience

Meeting admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.

The deadline for completed physical therapy applications and financial aid consideration for all freshmen applicants is Dec. 1.

Transfer Applicants

General Information

Students may enter the Doctor of Physical Therapy program as internal change major (enrolled in another program at SLU) or external (enrolled at another college or university) transfer students.

Admission Requirements

• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
• A grade of C or better is required for science coursework
• At the time of application, completion of a minimum of 1 required science course/sequence is required. The list of science courses (and credits) is below:
  • BIOL 1240 General Biology: Information Flow and Evolution (3 cr) and BIOL 1245 Principles of Biology I Laboratory (1 cr)
  • BIOL 1260 General Biology: Transformations of Energy and Matter (3 cr) and BIOL 1265 Principles of Biology II Laboratory (1 cr)
  • CHEM 1080 Principles of Chemistry 1 Lecture (3 cr) and CHEM 1085 Principles of Chemistry 1 Lab (1 cr)
  • CHEM 1480 Principles of Chemistry 2 Lecture (3 cr) and CHEM 1485 Principles of Chemistry 2 Lab (1 cr)
  • PHYS 1310 College Physics I (3 cr) and PHYS 1320 College Physics I Laboratory (1 cr)
  • PHYS 1330 College Physics II (3 cr) and PHYS 1340 College Physics II Laboratory (1 cr)
  • ANAT 1000 Basic Human Anatomy (3 cr)
  • PPY 2540 Human Physiology (4 cr)
  • EXSC 3230 Exercise Physiology (3 cr)
• Internal transfer students who are academically eligible meet with the physical therapy academic advisor to review applicant qualifications and the application process. Qualified applicants who submit paperwork to change their major prior to the deadline will be reviewed by the program in Physical Therapy admissions committee.
• External transfer students can review course equivalency information here. 

Meeting admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.

Post-Baccalaureate Applicants

General Information

Students may enter the Doctor of Physical Therapy program as a post-baccalaureate student for classes beginning in Late-May.

Application process

• Applicants must apply through PTCAS
• Only verified applications are reviewed
• The priority deadline is October 15 
• The application close date is January 15
• It is highly recommended that applicants apply early
• Application review is on a rolling basis starting in October
• Waiting to apply closer to the January deadline is not recommended

Application Requirements

• Completion of an undergraduate degree prior to the start of classes
• Official transcript(s) must be received prior to the start of classes
• Personal statement describing interest in physical therapy as a profession
• Service and leadership experiences
• Recommendation letter
• While observation hours are not required, these hours will help you write the required personal statement

Admission Requirements

• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
• A grade of C or better is required for prerequisite courses
• At the time of application, no more than 2 prerequisite courses may be outstanding. The list of prerequisites (and credits) is below:

o General Biology with a lab or Animal Biology with a lab (4) Not Botany
o Chemistry I with lab (4)
o Chemistry II with lab (4)
o Physics I with lab (4)
o Physics II with lab (4)
o Human Anatomy (3)
o Human Physiology (4)
o Exercise Physiology (3)
o General Psychology (3)
o Second Psychology (3)
o Statistics (3)

NOTE: Anatomy and Physiology I & II can be taken in place of Human Physiology and Basic Human Anatomy.

Meeting admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.

International Applicants

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students, along with the following:

• You must demonstrate English Language proficiency.
• Proof of financial support must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding your time at Saint Louis University.
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of your study at the University.
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Program Requirements

†

Direct entry freshmen program courses taken in the Senior Year.

Continuation Standards

Students must earn a C or better in all required courses with a DPT, EXSC, ANAT and IPE prefix/subject code and all required science courses in the pre-professional phase with a BIOL, CHEM, ANAT, PPY, PHYS, EXSC prefix/subject. For clinical education courses in the professional phase, students must earn an S (satisfactory) grade. First semester in both the pre-professional and professional phases, students must earn a term/semester GPA of 2.00 or better. Every semester following in both the preprofessional and professional phases, students must earn a term/semester GPA of 2.70 or better. Early-assurance, freshman-entry and undergraduate transfer students, must earn a 3.00 cumulative GPA or better and complete a minor to enter the professional phase. For a complete list of academic and professional behavior continuation standards, see the Program in Physical Therapy Student Handbook. 

Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science Requirements 

This roadmap is just one example of a semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. There are other plans students can and do take. The plan of study for each particular student is established in consultation with each student’s academic advisor; this roadmap does not replace academic advising appointments.

Roadmap notes:

• This Roadmap assumes full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.
• Courses/Milestones marked with an “!” are critical and must be completed in the semester listed in the Roadmap to ensure a timely graduation.
• Course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Program Notes

The six-year curriculum is divided into the preprofessional (years one through three) and the professional phase (years four through six). Year four represents the final year of the baccalaureate degree for freshman-entry or preprofessional-phase transfer students and first year of the professional phase for the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Progression to the professional phase of the program provides a seamless entry from foundational coursework to practical labs and clinical experiences. The post-baccalaureate curriculum is the coursework outlined in years four through six. 

Apply for Admission

Contact Doisy College of Health Sciences
Recruitment specialist
314-977-2570
dchs@health.slu.edu