Applying to the Residential Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

What makes a competitive applicant?

The program takes a holistic approach to admissions. That means we consider a combination of GPA, relevant work experience, experience in physical therapy, strong letters of reference, volunteer or service activities, leadership activities, and honors and awards.

Applicants should demonstrate strong academic backgrounds and life experiences to be competitive. These may include additional PT volunteer work over and above the minimum 40 hours, volunteering in a community setting other than PT, significant leadership experience, research activity, scholarship history, and significant academic or community volunteer awards.

Admissions Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required.
  • Clemson University students who are on the Accelerated Pathway track must provide signed verification of Clemson general education requirements validated by the Clemson Registrar’s Office by time of matriculation into MUSC.
  • Coastal Carolina University students who are on the Accelerated Pathway track must provide signed verification of CCU general education requirements validated by the CCU Registrar’s Office by time of matriculation into MUSC.
  *Note: this program calculates cumulative GPA without forgiveness. All courses will be counted. If you took a course more than once, all grades will be counted.
• Submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score.  Applicants should strive for GRE scores in the 60th percentile or above on each section. We use the highest score on each section across all GRE test attempts so it usually benefits the applicant to take the test more than once. All official scores are to be received on or before the deadline in order to be considered. Our PTCAS GRE school code is 7338.
• Complete 39 hours of prerequisite coursework at a regionally accredited college or university.. A minimum of 31 hours need to be completed by the application deadline. The remaining hours must be completed by matriculation. In-person and online courses from regionally accredited institutions are accepted (see course list below).
• Two references from individuals who know you and your abilities.: One from a physical therapist who supervised you in the clinic and a second from a professor or advisor familiar with your academic ability and accomplishments or from an employer if you have been out of school for several years. No personal references will be accepted.
• Complete a minimum of 40 hours of experience directly related to physical therapy. Clinical observation in physical therapy either as a volunteer or paid employee must also be with a minimum of two different patient populations, for example, pediatrics, adults, sports rehabilitation, or older adults.  At least 10 observation hours are required with the second patient population.  Experience in multiple settings is recommended. Settings may include, but are not limited to, home health, acute care, rehabilitation, and outpatient. Read our FAQs for more information.
• Complete an application through the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS).
• Complete the MUSC application.
• Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers and First Aid certification through the American Heart Association is required. Students have the option of completing the certifications no more than 45 days prior to the start of the program. 
• Accepted students must be able to meet both the MUSC Minimum Abilities and DPT Essential Functions (page 20) Requirements and sign a form indicating that they meet the minimum skills when upon matriculation. 
• Submit a resume and personal statement through PTCAS.

Prerequisite Courses

Basic science courses identified with an *.

Prerequisite Special Notes:

For a guide of Frequently Approved Prerequisites, click here.

• To speak with an admissions specialist about your coursework or request an unofficial transcript evaluation, please call 843-792-2536 or email oesadmis@musc.edu. The Office of Enrollment Management offers unofficial transcript evaluations between March 1st - 12pm on June 30th. 
• Basic science courses must be courses for science majors. Basic science courses identified in chart above with an *.
• Biology: Prerequisite courses must be offered through the Department of Biology or a Basic Science Department. In addition to Biology I and Biology II, acceptable courses include genetics, cell biology, zoology, human biology and disease and similar courses. Unacceptable courses include botany, exercise physiology taken in Exercise Science and Physical Education departments, and human physiology when used as the physiology prerequisite.
• Human Anatomy and Physiology including the labs: Anatomy and Physiology may be taken separately or may be combined and taken as two, four-hour courses. However, if you start a two-part course sequence, you must complete both parts (Anatomy and Physiology I & II). If only a 3-semester credit hour course in anatomy is offered, a comparative anatomy or kinesiology course is recommended in addition to the human anatomy course. Also, Vertebrate Anatomy is accepted if Human Anatomy is not offered. Exercise physiology will not meet the Human Physiology requirement.
• Introductory Statistics: This course should include parametric and nonparametric statistics. 
• **Psychology: Includes 3 semester credits hours of Introductory Psychology and 3 semester credit hours of an upper-level psychology such as Human Growth and Development, Child Development, or Abnormal Psychology. 
• Dual enrollment courses are accepted for prerequisite courses so long as the course appears on your college transcripts.
• Advanced placement credits are accepted for prerequisite courses. Submit your official scores report demonstrating a score of 3 or higher.
• We do not accept transfer of credit, or credit for experiential learning. Applicants do not receive credit for previous coursework and/or experience.

Application Process

• Complete the MUSC Application. Opens July 1, 2024.
• Complete the PTCAS Application. Opens June 17, 2024. The following application items are submitted via PTCAS.
  • Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended for all college credit courses.
  • GRE Scores.
  • Resume.
  • Two references: One physical therapist and one professor or advisor (see above).
  • Personal statement.
  • Log of physical therapy experience.

All above information must be received on or before the application deadline to be considered for admission to the program. It is the applicant's responsibility to review the progress of his/her application by viewing the Applicant Progress Portal and ensure that all application materials (including reference forms, and all official transcripts are received by the application deadline).

Admissions Timeline:

June 17 PTCAS Application Opens

July 1 MUSC Application Opens

December 1 Applications & Materials Due Date

Rolling Admissions Offers Made

Late August Orientation & Classes Start

Use of Marijuana and/or CBD Products

Marijuana is a Schedule 1 drug and is illegal to purchase in South Carolina. Apart from a narrow and limited scope of codified/documented medical exceptions, it is illegal for individuals to use marijuana/tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in South Carolina. Although cannabidiol (CBD) products may be purchased and used in South Carolina, please be aware that CBD products may contain higher levels of THC than represented on packaging and use of CBD products can result in a positive drug screen for THC/marijuana. Be aware that current drug testing methods cannot accurately ascertain the origins of THC metabolites (i.e., whether from marijuana or CBD products). Your academic program has the authority to conduct random and/or scheduled drug testing; if your test result is reported as positive for THC metabolites (even if you only used a CBD product), your ability to be accepted into the program, progress in the program, and/or successfully complete the program may be negatively impacted.

Scholarship Eligibility

MUSC offers scholarships for which you may be eligible. Some are awarded based on academic achievement; others are awarded based on community service, for example. However, the majority of scholarships awarded at MUSC are based on financial need. This means those scholarships are only awarded to students who need some financial assistance to cover the cost of tuition and fees. If you would like to be considered for a financial need-based scholarship, you must have an up-to-date Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file. Make sure you list Medical University of South Carolina on your FAFSA form, along with MUSC’s code: 003438. We encourage you to submit the FAFSA as early as possible. It is recommended to submit the FAFSA in January if you plan to enroll in the Fall.

Application Deadlines