What Sets UM-Flint's Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program Apart?

Focus:

• The DPT program at UM-Flint employs a life-span approach, which encourages you to value and respect diversity of gender, race, culture and disability, regardless of age. As a result, you will:

- Be competent to treat persons from infancy through the elder years

- Develop your abilities as a critical thinker, recognizing the value of scientific literature to make sound clinical judgments

- Understand the scope of physical therapy practice, recognizing when a patient needs medical management in substitution for, or in addition to, physical therapy

• UM-Flint’s DPT degree program places great emphasis on clinical education.

• UM-Flint’s DPT degree program has a Service Learning requirement, where students apply their learning to projects that benefit the community.

• The DPT is a 119 credit, three-year, full time program (part-time also available).

Flexibility:

• Students participate in a selection process for clinical internships which allows greater flexibility to choose specific internships of student interest or locations that are convenient to the student.

• Students are involved in scheduling of course times and final examination schedules.

Resources:

• You will benefit from outstanding faculty, whose consistent record of scholarship and service at the state, regional, and national levels of the profession helps to mentor you in leadership and service, both to the profession and the community.

• The DPT faculty consists of members recognized for clinical specialization, which enhances the clinical aspects of your physical therapy curriculum.

• UM-Flint's DPT program provides a great value as compared to most other DPT programs in the state of Michigan.

Results:

• UM-Flint’s DPT program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

• The Physical Therapy department at UM-Flint prepares you to become a physical therapist who is a professional, competent practitioner for the rapidly changing health care industry of the 21st century

Admissions Eligibility

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

• GPA minimums:

- 3.0 GPA or higher in the undergraduate degree

- 3.0 undergraduate GPA in all prerequisite courses (items below noted with “*”)

- 2.75 undergraduate GPA in all science prerequisite courses (items below noted with “#”)

• Completion of prerequisite courses from an accredited institution with an equivalent grade of ‘C’ or better in each course:

- 8 credits Biology with at least two labs (no Botany) # *

- 8 credits Chemistry with at least two labs # *

- 8 credits Physics with at least two labs # *

- 4 credits Human Anatomy with lab # *

- 4 credits Human Physiology with lab (if a 5-6 credit combination Anatomy and Physiology class is taken, then course content needs review) # *

- 3 credits Exercise Physiology with lab # *

- 3 credits Statistics *

- 3 credits College Algebra and Trigonometry or Pre-calculus *

- 6 credits Psychology (general and developmental across life span) *

- 1 credit Medical Terminology *

Prerequisite courses should be completed within 7 years of applying to the program; prerequisite courses taken more than 7 years prior will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Current CPR (Adult, Child, and Infant) and First Aid certification: First Aid certification must be acquired through the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.

Applicants admitted to the DPT program must demonstrate that they possess the attributes necessary to succeed in a challenging curriculum as well as perform in the practice of physical therapy.  Essential and Technical Standards are the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physical abilities required for satisfactory completion of the DPT curriculum and development of professional attributes required of all students at graduation.

While an applicant is not required to disclose the specifics of any disability, it is the applicant's responsibility to request reasonable accommodation if they cannot demonstrate these Essential and Technical Standards without accommodation.

The Fall 2012 entering class GPA average was 3.44.

Guaranteed Admission

The University of Michigan-Flint DPT program currently has articulation agreements with the following institutions and/or programs guaranteeing admission to highly qualified applicants:

-Albion College
-Michigan State University Department of Kinesiology
-Saginaw Valley State University
-University of Michigan School of Kinesiology
-University of Michigan-Flint Department of Biology and Department of Public Health and Health Sciences

If you attend one of these institutions and are interested in obtaining more information on the articulation agreement, please contact DptAdmissions@umflint.edu.

Application Process

For the Fall 2014 admission period, the University of Michigan-Flint will use the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). The application will be available July 2-December 2, 2013. 

Submit the following to PTCAS by December 2:

• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended in the United States (foreign transcripts are to be sent to the Office of Graduate Programs, not PTCAS)

• Two letters of reference submitted to PTCAS. At least one reference must be from a physical therapist who has observed you within the last five years in a clinical setting. The second reference may be from another physical therapist or a university professor who has instructed you in a course within the last five years, or who has acted as your academic advisor.

• Observation of Physical Therapist Hours:  Arrange for a  licensed physical therapist to review and confirm your PT observation hours.

-60 or more hours
-Two or more different types of clinical settings required
-125 or more hours in four or more settings recommended

• Essay Questions specific to the DPT program at UM-Flint (part of the application you complete through PTCAS)

Submit the following directly to UM-Flint by December 2:

• $55 UM-Flint Supplemental Application Fee (paid online)

• GRE scores (general test) sent to UM-Flint Institutional Code #7737

-Verbal: Minimum score of 146
-Quantitative: Minimum score of 141
-Competitive scores are in the range of 150 Verbal and 144 Quantitative
-Must be completed before application will be considered for admission

• Foreign transcripts and diplomas or certificates of graduation from any colleges and universities you have attended from outside the United States (do not send to PTCAS)

• Additional Documentation if your native language is not English or you are an international student seeking a student visa. Visit www.umflint.edu/graduateprograms/admissions/international-students.page for details.

Within 4-6 weeks of receiving your completed application from PTCAS and your supplemental UM-Flint application and fee (it can take up to six weeks for PTCAS to send UM-Flint all of your documents after you have submitted them to PTCAS), we will inform you of your status via email.  Your status will be one of the following:

• Admission Decision Pending:  This is a common result.  You have submitted a competitive application but one that does not yet meet requirements for standard or conditional admission.  Your file will be reevaluated after the December 2 application deadline; from this pool of applicants, you will have one of the following decisions:  admitted (standard or conditional), denied, or placed on the alternate list.   A decision on your application will be made no later than the end of February 2014 at our final admissions meeting; you will be notified of this decision via email.
• Standard Admission:  You have met all the admission requirements.  This is unusual, as most applicants are still taking classes at the time of application and cannot be considered for standard admission until those courses are complete. 

• Conditional Admission:  You are conditionally admitted, pending completion of final undergraduate coursework (including bachelor’s degree and/or prerequisite courses). This is uncommon and indicates that you have exceptional undergraduate preparation, high GRE scores, strong recommendations and extensive volunteer experience.  You have also conveyed all the information in your application in such a way that the admissions committee has no questions for clarification. 

• Deny:  You have submitted an application that is not consistent with one that will lead to selection for the upcoming class.

Application Deadlines

Students are admitted in the fall semester only. The UM- Flint Physical Therapy program operates on a Rolling Admissions basis; we encourage you to apply early.  The deadline to submit all your documents to PTCAS is December 2 to ensure full consideration of your application. It can take up to six weeks for PTCAS to send UM-Flint all of your documents after you have submitted them to PTCAS.  If you do not submit all PTCAS materials to PTCAS by December 2, the materials may arrive to UM-Flint late and could take your application out of consideration.

Catalog Description:

Nichole Chakur

Graduation Year: 2013

Hometown: Center Line, MI

The quality of education that I am receiving as a part of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program is top-notch.  The program will not only prepare me to be a physical therapist, but to be a leader and advocate in my profession. The curriculum is designed so that you get hands on experience in the clinic; you are able to practice what you learn in the classroom and apply it to different clinical settings.   The DPT faculty is phenomenal. They are diverse and have experience and specialties in many different areas. The program uses the collegial model, in which the faculty and staff treat you as if you have already entered the profession of physical therapy. There are many different opportunities to get involved in the community and profession, from conferences, guest speakers and lectures, and volunteering in the community.  This program gives you the experience you need to be successful in the physical therapy profession.