In conjunction with Thomas Jefferson University's College of Health Professions, Villanova University offers students considering a career in Physical Therapy the possibility of completing both the Bachelor of Science in Biology and Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree in a six-years.

Students in this program will spend three years at Villanova, completing the majority of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Biology or in Psychology. They must complete the Core Curriculum of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the major requirements; for a sample program, check the following sites:  Biology, Psychology.  They must maintain a 3.0 GPA and acheive a grade of C or better in all prerequisite coursework while at Villanova. They will then transfer to Thomas Jefferson for the next three years where they will complete the Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) portion of the program.  Credits from the program at Jefferson will be used to complete the bachelor’s degree requirements at Villanova; the degree will be granted after the first year at Jefferson.  The Doctorate in Physical Therapy degree will be granted after the third year at Jefferson.

The American Physical Therapy Association states that the rationale for awarding the DPT is based on at least four factors, among others:

• The level of practice inherent to the patient/client management model in the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice requires considerable breadth and depth in educational preparation, a breadth and depth not easily acquired within the time constraints of the typical MPT program.
• Societal expectations that the fully autonomous healthcare practitioner with a scope of practice consistent with the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice be a clinical doctor.
• The realization of the profession's goals in the coming decades, including direct access, "physician status" for reimbursement purposes, and clinical competence consistent with the preferred outcomes of evidence-based practice, will require that practitioners possess the clinical doctorate (consistent with medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, and podiatry).
• Many existing professional (entry-level) MPT programs already meet the requirements for the clinical doctorate; in such cases, the graduate of a professional (entry-level) MPT program is denied the degree most appropriate to the program of study.

The DPT program is a post-baccalaureate program.  The combined degree program will allow a student to enter the DPT program after three years of undergraduate work, enabling the student to enter the profession after only six years.

Criteria to be Considered

• have an SAT I score of 1320 or better on the Critical Reading and Math components (a specific score on the Writing component will not be used at this time)
• or ACT score of 30 or better and include the writing portion
• rank in the top 10% of their high school class where class rank is reported
• and have a GPA of at least 3.7 (unweighted) on a 4.0 scale
• high school Physics is not required but encouraged

Application and Admission Requirements

• the candidate’s Common Application with the Villanova Supplement (November 1)
• application fee
• official high school transcript
• all SAT or ACT scores sent directly from the College Board and/or ACT
• Common Application School Report and recommendation
• Villanova essay
• Common Application essay

Complete the Common Application with the Villanova Supplement and submit by November 1. In the Villanova Supplement Major Section you should choose the health affiliation to which you are applying. Next, choose an alternate major that you would pursue as an undergraduate in the event you are not selected as a final candidate for the Health Affiliation Program.

Applicants will be notified approximately January 15 if they have advanced to the second stage of the process. If so, they will be contacted to arrange for an interview. Students who are not selected for the second stage are notified by Villanova approximately January 15 and will be evaluated through the regular admission process for the major listed on their application.

For more information, contact the Health Professions Advisor at 610-519-4833 or hpa@villanova.edu.