DPT Frequently Asked Questions

Stefani Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

Have questions about the Stefani Doctor of Physical Therapy program at USM? We've answered many common questions below. If you still need assistance, please feel free to contact us at dpt@stmary.edu or 913-758-4398.

All applicants to the DPT program at USM must apply through the PTCAS system website at .

The Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) is a service of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). PTCAS allows applicants to use a single application and one set of materials to apply to multiple PT programs. Instructions for applying are available at PTCAS. PTCAS usually begins taking applications on July 1. More information can be found on the PTCAS website at

You must go to the PTCAS website at , create a user account, review the application instructions and checklists carefully, and complete the online application. After your application is complete, it will be forwarded to the school(s) you have designated. We recommend that you apply well in advance of the deadline. In addition to fees you pay to PTCAS, USM requires an application fee in the amount of $35 paid directly to the 花椒直播, paid after you first apply through PTCAS.

Highly competitive applicants will be invited for an on-campus interview and for other onsite activities to be held between Fall and Spring semesters. Admission into the USM DPT Program is competitive. Completion of the listed prerequisites does not guarantee admission into the program.

Our summarized admission requirements are as follows: You must have a baccalaureate degree, must take our prerequisite courses, must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and if you are ranked high enough in our ranking system, you must participate in an onsite interview between the Fall and Spring semesters.

After you submit your PTCAS application, the staff will verify your coursework and other application details. This means that this program will receive your application 3-5 weeks after you submit it to PTCAS. Once we receive your application, we review it to make sure you meet our minimum admissions criteria. The admissions committee will meet during the fall semester to consider applicants who will be invited to an interview in January.

PTCAS charges application fees based on the number of schools to which you apply. Typically, fees start at $155 and increase by $60 for each additional school to which to apply. Please refer to the PTCAS website at for more information on these fees as fees will change over time. In addition, USM charges a $35 application fee that you after you have applied through PTCAS.

First review our list of prerequisite courses. Notice that the right hand column identifies the types of courses that are preferred. If you are still unsure after reading the types of courses we prefer, you can compare the course descriptions of the courses we list in the center column (see our academic catalog) and if these descriptions are a good match with the courses you have taken, it is likely that your course will be accepted. If you are still unsure, email us (dpt@stmary.edu) the course description and course syllabus of the course you want us to evaluate.

No, the GRE is not required for admission to the 花椒直播 Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Last year, we had approximately three to four qualified applications for each available seat in the class. A qualified applicant is someone who has successfully met all the listed admissions requirements and submitted his/her materials before the posted deadline.

We do not use a preference system. We use a system based on qualifications and personal characteristics.

We require a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 but recommend a GPA near 3.5 to be competitive. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 are not considered.

Yes, as long as you will meet all admissions requirements by May of the year of entry. Your GPA will be calculated without grades from the classes you have not yet taken.

Start by visiting and reading through our website and read all about physical therapy at

The number of applicants changes from year to year. Three hundred or more is typical.

Your chances of acceptance depends on several factors such as the total number of applicants, the total number of highly qualified applicants, your personal position among the applicants (ranking due to GPA), how well you write, and the quality of your interpersonal skills.

Most students are notified of acceptance by the end of February/beginning of March. Some students may be given an option to be on an alternate list for notification if a seat becomes available.

Yes, you can call the program at 913-758-4398 where you will reach our administrative assistants. They can transfer a call to a faculty member or you can leave a message to be called by a faculty member later if faculty members are not available when you call. You can schedule a visit by .

You can also request more info on the program by completing our .

Yes. Re-applicants are welcome and are often stronger candidates the second year. However, we recommend that you do everything you can to strengthen your application the second time around. It is useful to increase your GPA, become a better writer and thinker, learn what service to humanity means to you, and work on becoming an excellent interpersonal communicator. To reapply you must repeat the application process.

No, but it must be possible for you to complete all course work before the start date of the program and we must have your transcript information from those courses in time to include you in our applicant analysis. This might mean that you will not be evaluated soon enough to be a competitive applicant because, if we do not have your grade data, we cannot include you in our full analysis.

Whether to repeat courses depends on your overall record. It generally won鈥檛 work to repeat classes to try to inch your GPA up because the impact of a few courses on your overall GPA is small once you have over 100 hours of classwork. If you have generally good overall grades but you had a bad semester and earned a C in a key class such as Anatomy, Physiology or Physics, then re-taking that class could make sense.

Cumulative GPA is calculated to include ALL academic coursework reported to PTCAS, including both initial and subsequent grades of any courses repeated.

Your undergraduate degree may have been completed at any time. However, prerequisite courses generally should be completed within the last 10 years. This is especially needed for prerequisite courses whose information is essential to your ability to perform well in DPT school. For example: Anatomy and Physiology.

Observation hours are not required or considered for application. However, for personal preparation, 40 hours is recommended. We suggest viewing several settings, so you understand all the options in physical therapy, like acute care (hospital), rehabilitation (transitional or day rehabilitation), short- or long-term care (nursing homes or assisted living), pediatric clinics, outpatient clinics, wound care specialty care centers, or home health.

The Program begins with orientation near the end of May and class begins on the first Monday in June. Students are not admitted into the curriculum at any other time. The Program is made up of highly structured course sequences, which are integrated into a summer semester, fall semester, and spring semester in each of three consecutive years. Graduation is in December of the last (8th) semester, typically on the Saturday following finals week.

Some health care providers are willing to support students while they are in school on the condition that the students then work for the provider upon graduation. Students are required to sign a contract in this type of circumstance. Be sure that you understand what will be expected of you upon graduation. A sponsorship can be a big help financing your education if you are certain that the facility in question has the desired characteristics for initial employment as a professional.

Visit our Cost and Financial Aid page to review program costs, as well as financial aid and payment plan options.

We are not in favor of any student working while in school. Academic standards are high, you have much to learn and master, and the consequences of poor academic performance can include dismissal from the program.

No. The program at the 花椒直播 is designed for the full-time student and is currently designed to be completed in 2.5 years as a full-time student.

We have four clinical internships and each one is 8 weeks in duration. They occur during semesters 6, 7, and 8.

It is strongly recommended to have one available for traveling to clinical sites.

Many students live in apartments in the area surrounding the university. Many students live in Kansas City, a 30-minute drive from Leavenworth. Occasionally, a student requests to live in the campus dorms. We send information about housing to students who are accepted. Students who are already on campus in the second year of the physical therapy program can sometimes help beginning students with information about housing. Students who live in Kansas City often carpool to save money on transportation.

Student clinical placements assignments are made by the Director of Clinical Education (DCE) after allowing students to submit placement requests. The Director of Clinical Education may also consult with the faculty, the clinical sites, as well as with the students before making a final decision. There are times when you may get your first choice and it is possible that on occasion you may not get any of your choices.

Admitted physical therapy students will be placed in a communication group together where those seeking roommates can chose to share their name and contact information with others in the group who are interested in roommates.

The amount of assistance offered by various clinical sites varies considerably. Students are expected to assume responsibility for living expenses associated with their clinical education, including finding appropriate housing for their distant clinical internships. Although we cannot guarantee that clinics will be able to assist you in finding a place to live, in practice clinical sites are often the best place to start when obtaining information about places to stay.

We have many sites in the general vicinity of Kansas City, Leavenworth, and in surrounding cities. The majority of sites are clustered in the Midwest but we have internships across the United States. Students are welcome to provide the names of clinical sites to the program to investigate as potentially appropriate sites to add to the clinical sites we already have.

Yes. All states require that physical therapists be licensed in order to practice. Students must graduate from an accredited physical therapy school in order to be eligible to sit for the licensure examination. The licensure examination is a national examination used by all states and is administered on a computer. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy () administers the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).

Yes. The program director should be notified immediately about any concerns and complaints (Jamie.Dehan@stmary.edu; 913-758-6106). If the issue is restricted to clinical education the Director of Clinical Education Heather Green (Heather.Green@stmary.edu) can be notified in addition to the program director. If the program director has not adequately addressed a situation that requires further attention, the provost of the university and/or campus security can be contacted. Anyone can report a concern to campus security using a form at stmary.edu/reporting.

In the event that the issue remains unresolved, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education can be contacted at 703-706-3245 or at accreditation@apta.org, but please realize that CAPTE has guidelines in place to handle complaints as described on

University employees will not retaliate against those who file a complaint. Should retaliation actually occur, such act shall be considered a serious violation of university policy and will be dealt with accordingly. Encouraging others to retaliate is also a violation of this policy. Those who file fraudulent or bad faith complaints pursuant to this policy may be subject to disciplinary and/or legal action.

Have Questions? Contact Us.

Jamie Dehan, PT, PhD, DPT, MS
Director, Stefani Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
dpt@stmary.edu
913-758-4398

Admissions Questions? Contact:

Rachel Estinvil
Health Care Admissions Recruiter
Rachel.Estinvil@stmary.edu
913-758-6328

Already ? You can pay your $35 application fee by clicking the link below

(Please note: Do not attempt to pay the fee unless you've already .)

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