3 + 3 Accelerated Pre-Baccalaureate Admissions Option

The Program

The Temple University 3+3 Baccalaureate/Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program provides outstanding students admission to the Temple University DPT program prior to the completion of an undergraduate degree.

While applicants to the DPT program typically complete an undergraduate major in the life sciences, health professions, social sciences, humanities, the arts, or any of Temple's other undergraduate programs, a select number of undergraduate departments at Temple University have joined with the Department of Physical Therapy to provide a 3+3 Accelerated Pre-baccalaureate Admissions Option.  The 3 + 3 Accelerated Pre-baccalaureate Admissions option enables select applicants to apply to the DPT program during their junior year of their undergraduate studies and thereby enable the students to receive both their undergraduate degree and a DPT graduate degree in six years rather than seven years, provided they comply with Temple University academic requirements and all entrance requirements of the Department of Physical Therapy.

The Options

Option #1:

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the College of Science & Technology (CST) and the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from the College of Health Professions (CHP).

The departments in the CST that have identified curricular plans to articulate with the DPT degree include the:

• Department of Biology

• Department of Chemistry

• Department of Computer Science

• Department of Earth and Environmental Science

• Department of Information Science & Technology

• Department of Mathematics

• Department of Natural Sciences

• Department of Physics

In the case of each of these departments, the joint program will consist of a minimum of 90 semester hours of undergraduate course work toward completion of a BA degree in the CST at Temple University and the three-year graduate professional DPT curriculum of the CHP at Temple University.

Option #2:

The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from the CHP and the DPT degree from the CHP.

The department of Kinesiology in the CHP has identified a curricular plan to articulate with the DPT degree:

• Department of Kinesiology

In the case of this department, the joint program will consist of a minimum of 97 semester hours of undergraduate course work toward completion of a BS degree in the CHP at Temple University and the three-year graduate professional DPT curriculum of the CHP at Temple University.

A suggested plan of sequenced undergraduate study will be available in the not to distance futurefor each of the above articulation options can be located in the links on the right in the blue box.

The Application Process

The Temple University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is highly competitive.  To be accepted to the program, every Temple University undergraduate candidate who avails him or herself to the 3 + 3 Accelerated Pre-baccalaureate Admissions Option has the following course work requirements:

• Students must meet the Temple University General Education requirements by the end of their undergraduate junior year.

• Students must meet the undergraduate degree requirements within the suggested course of study for each respective department by the end of their undergraduate junior year.

• Student must meet Department of Physical Therapy pre-requisite course work requirements by the end of their undergraduate junior year.*

*Please Note: Temple University students who complete their General Education requirements by the end of the undergraduate junior year can substitute General Education requirements for the Department of Physical Therapy pre-requisite coursework of psychology, behavioral science, and statistics provided the student has taken the Quantitative Literacy General Education course in lieu of statistics.

All of the above academic requirements have been built into the respective suggested plans of sequenced undergraduate study that will be available in the near future for each of the above articulations located in the links on the right in the blue box.

A formal interview is required as part of the application process to the DPT program and an automatic invitation for interview will be granted if Temple University undergraduate applicants meet the following criteria:

• Overall Temple University Undergraduate GPA ≥ 3.5 (A = 4.0)

• Department of Physical Therapy Pre-requisite GPA ≥ 3.4 (A = 4.0)

In addition, applicants will have to take the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) no later than October of the junior year and earned minimum scores as determined by the Department of Physical Therapy.  Students will submit applications through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) during the fall of their junior year.

Students must provide an academic letter of reference from a full-time Temple University Faculty member and a professional letter of reference from a licensed practicing physical therapist.  Students who apply from a CST undergraduate department must receive a favorable letter of recommendation from the Temple University, Pre-Health Studies Evaluation Committee, whereas students applying from the Department of Kinesiology must receive a letter of recommendation from the Department of Kinesiology.

The application deadline is January 1 of the junior year of undergraduate studies.