General Questions

1. What is the D.P.T. Program?
   

   The Doctorate in Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) is a clinical doctorate, not a research doctorate like the Ph.D. It is a professional degree for physical therapy practice.

2. I have completed the bachelor's or master's degree in physical therapy, but I would like to consider the doctorate. Is your program right for me?
   

   If you have a bachelor's or master's degree in physical therapy and are a U.S.-licensed physical therapist who has practiced within the last three years, you would be interested in our D.P.T. Bridge program.

3. Is your program accredited?
   

   The degree program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association.  

4. How do I apply?
   

   Visit the APTA web site (www.apta.org ) to learn about the PTCAS application process,which the School of Health Sciences has subscribed to for the entry term summer 2009. Carefully follow the directions and submit the required materials to the vendor ; send the School of Health Sciences Supplemental Application to the Office of Admission, School of Health Sciences, Simmons College.The Supplemental Application can be found here. The application deadine is December 1,2008.

5. Are interviews required?
   

   Selected applicants will be invited by the Physical Therapy faculty Admission Committee for interviews. The Physical Therapy department will contact individuals to schedule such interviews on campus. In rare occasions, telephone interviews will be conducted for applicants who reside at a distance from Simmons.

6. When will I learn about my admission status?
   

   All admission decisions for each program will be mailed as a group after the application deadline date.

7. How many students are in the program?
   

   There are approximately 30 students per class year. Our educational philosophy focuses on small class sizes and small student-to-faculty ratios.

8. When is the application deadline?
   

   The deadline is December 1.

9. When does the program start?
   

   The program begins on or slightly before July 1, depending on the July 4th holiday schedule. All new students take the Applied Human Anatomy course that meets daily through mid-August at Harvard Medical School, a short walk from our campus.

10. Is the program available on a part-time basis?
    

    No. This is a full-time, three-year program.

11. How many credits are required to complete the program? What is the cost of the program?
    

    The program is 99 credits. You can find the current cost per credit hour on our tuition and financial aid page.

12. Are scholarships and assistantships available?
    

    There are a limited number of merit scholarships and assistantships available each year. These scholarships cover only part of the tuition. All applicants are automatically considered for scholarships at the time of application review. Students do not need to submit a special application for scholarships. Accepted students will be notified of such scholarships in the letter of admission or shortly thereafter. Teaching and research assistantships are awarded to students who have been enrolled for a period of time and demonstrate outstanding academic achievement.

13. Do you require a minimum GRE score?
    

    We expect GRE scores above 500 for the verbal and quantitative portions and 4.0 or better in the analytical portion.

14. Do you require a minimum GPA (grade point average)?
    

    A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the science prerequisite courses and an overall grade point average of 3.0 is required for application review.

15. What is the minimum number of hours required for volunteer or paid health care experience?
    

    At least 30 hours of documented work experience in a health-related environment is required. The experience must be documented and signed by a supervisor on official letterhead stationery. Timesheets or pay stubs are not acceptable.

16. How do I get volunteer or paid physical therapy experience?
    If you are completing your undergraduate degree, check on internship opportunities through you school. If you know a physical therapist, ask her/him if you can "shadow" for a short period of time. Call physical therapy departments or volunteer offices in a variety of practice settings and offer your services. Physical therapy practice settings include tertiary care hospitals, community hospitals, visiting nurse associations, nursing homes, retirement communities, private practices, and sports medicine facilities.  
     
17. I am working on completing my experience requirements but I will not have 30 hours by the application deadline. What can I do?
    

    You may obtain a letter from your internship site indicating that while you have not completed the 30 hours, they are in progress. You would need to submit documentation of completion before enrollment in the program in July.

18. What is the approach to teaching and learning?
    The curriculum includes periods of full time academic work alternating with full time clinical education. The academic portion of the curriculum comprises a mix of lectures, hands-on laboratory practice, small-group case discussions and clinical practice. The curriculum is designed to suit many different learning styles.
19. What is the cost of this program?
    

    Tuition and fees are determined by the Board of Trustees each academic year. Students are billed for each semester based on the number of credit hours taken that semester. For information about current costs see the tuition and financial aid page.

20. If I am a student with English as my second language, should I take the TOEFL?
    

    Yes, the TOEFL is required if English is your second language. You must also take the GREs. The minimum required TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score is 570 (paper) or 230 (computer) or 88 (internet)

About Prerequisite Courses

1. What are the prerequisites?
   

   Two semesters each of Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Biology, One semester each of Exercise Physiology, Physiology, Anatomy, and Statistics. Combined courses in Anatomy and Physiology (A/P) are acceptable; however, two semesters are required. All science courses, except Exercise Physiology, must include a lab. All courses must have been completed in the past ten years. These prerequisite courses must be graded and may not be completed on a pass/fail basis or audited. AP(Advanced Placement),IB and CLEP scores are not acceptable. For more information, please see our prerequisites page.

2. How can I determine if a specific course I have completed meets your requirements?
   

   If you are unsure about the applicability of a course as a Simmons prerequisite, send us a syllabus, not a course description, for evaluation. Our fax number is 617-521-3137. Please indicate the institution where this course was taught, your name, telephone number, and email address and allow at least ten business days for a reply.

3. What if the prerequisite science course my school offered did not have a lab when I took it. Must I retake the course?
   

   Labs are required. If you believe you have encountered unusual circumstances precluding you from having a lab component for a required course, please contact us to discuss your options.

4. How many prerequisites can be outstanding by the application deadline?
   

   Two prerequisite courses may be incomplete by the application deadline. If you wish to discuss an exception, please contact us. Because the program starts in July, all missing prerequisites must be completed before that time.

5. Which prerequisite courses are included in the prerequisite GPA calculation?
   

   The prerequisite science GPA includes eight semesters of science courses: two semesters of biology, one semester of exercise physiology (no lab required), two semesters of chemistry, two semesters of physics, one semester of human anatomy and one semester of human physiology (or, two semesters of combined human anatomy/physiology) . Any courses that are specified as biology or chemistry may be counted toward the prerequisites in those areas. All these prerequistes must have been completed within the ten years prior to the application deadline. Only graded courses are acceptable ;no pass/fail or audit classes are accepted.  AP(Advanced Placement,IB, and CLEP scores are also not acceptable.

6. What if I have taken prerequisite courses on the quarter system?
   

   We assume that a quarter-system credit equals .75 (3/4ths) of a semester-system credit. Thus, if you took two 3-credit hour courses on the quarter system (6 credits x 0.75), they would only be equal to 4.5 semester hours; therefore, you would need to complete an additional quarter hour course to equal at least six semester hours.

7. Does it matter where I take prerequisite courses?
   

   Courses must be taken at any accredited U.S. college or university or an overseas institution which is recognized by the Ministry of Education in the home country. For your benefit, try to make sure that the laboratory facilities and faculty expertise will provide you with a strong academic experience. Remember that all science prerequisites, with the exception of exercise physiology, need to have a laboratory component. If the laboratory is not clearly described on the transcript, please provide a syllabus.