Admission Requirements

• A completed baccalaureate degree from an institution that is accredited by a nationally recognized regional accrediting association, or an approved dual-degree plan for completing the baccalaureate degree during the DPT program. No specific baccalaureate major is required.
• Undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
• Applicants MUST complete the following prerequisite course work:
  • Biology/Zoology (8 semester/12 quarter credits). A general biology/zoology sequence is preferred. The following courses will be considered in descending order of preference: general biology I, II, III, vertebrate zoology, invertebrate zoology, cell biology, genetics, microbiology. These courses must be from a biology, zoology or physiology department.
  • Human or Vertebrate Anatomy (4 semester/4-5 quarter credits). Courses in order of preference are: human anatomy (often first half of combined anatomy and physiology sequence), mammalian/vertebrate anatomy, comparative anatomy. These credits must be from an anatomy, biology, zoology, physiology or kinesiology department and must cover individual muscle function.
  • Human or Mammalian Physiology (4 semester/4-5 quarter credits). Courses in order of preference are: human physiology (often second half of combined anatomy and physiology sequence), mammalian physiology, exercise physiology. These credits must be from a biology, zoology or physiology department.
  • Chemistry with lab (8 semester/12 quarter credits). A chemistry sequence for science or health-science majors is preferred at a level beyond high school remedial.
  • Physics with lab (8 semester/12 quarter credits). A physics sequence for science or health-science majors is preferred at a level beyond high school remedial.
  • Psychology (6 semester/9 quarter credits). Courses in descending order of preference include: general psychology I and II/introduction to psychology I and II, developmental psychology/lifespan developmental psychology, abnormal psychology.
  • Statistics (3 semester/4-5 quarter credits). Course content should include: reliability, validity, experimental control and design, statistical inference and comparison of group means, correlation and regression. These credits must be from a math, psychology or statistics department.
  • Mathematics (4 semester/4-5 quarter credits). These credits must be at the level of trigonometry or higher (i.e., precalculus or calculus I). If a course is not titled “trigonometry” or "calculus" a photocopy of the course syllabus and course topic schedule must be submitted, to verify that the content included vectors and trigonometry functions.
  • Medical Terminology (one course).

• The goal of the admission process is to compare all applicants on the same course work, as much as possible. The Admission Committee uses the basic level courses in each prerequisite field, which all applicants are likely to have taken. Not all courses taken in a prerequisite field are used to compute the prerequisite GPA. Only enough credits to satisfy the minimum requirement are counted in the prerequisite GPA. High level electives may be used to meet credit requirements, but they are not necessarily used in the prerequisite GPA calculation, since the Admission Committee has no information about how other applicants would perform in those courses. It is recognized that an applicant may have performed better in elective courses than in the basic course sequence. These elective grades will improve the applicant’s overall GPA. However, if an applicant wants to improve her/his prerequisite GPA, it is recommended that she/he repeat the basic course sequence, rather than taking new electives.

• All prerequisite courses must be taken for a letter grade. If prerequisites are retaken, only the grade received in the most recent course is calculated into the prerequisite GPA. Pass/Fail courses are not used in the prerequisite GPA calculation. Prerequisites may be in progress at the time of application, but must be completed prior to enrollment in the DPT program. Applicants are allowed to complete NO MORE than 4 semester/5 quarter credits of prerequisite course work, plus a medical terminology course, during the summer prior to Fall enrollment. All other prerequisite course work must be completed by the end of winter/spring term. If an applicant appears to be “short” the required number of credits in several prerequisite areas, the Admission Committee has the authority to deem the applicant ineligible to continue in the review process.
  

• The College of St. Catherine does not accept course work from technical colleges unless the course work was taken after the technical college merged with an accredited community college.

• Applicants must have a minimum of 100 hours of physical therapy or other healthcare clinical experience during the three years prior to applying to the DPT program. It is strongly recommended that these experiences be in two or more settings. These experiences may be as a paid employee or volunteer, or a combination of both.

Application Instructions

Deadlines: The priority deadline is January 20.

**We are no longer accepting applications for the 2008-2009 school year.**

Submit all materials to:

The College of St. Catherine
Graduate Admission, #4027
2004 Randolph Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure her or his application is completed by the application deadline. Completed application packets received prior to the January 20 priority deadline will be considered on a rolling basis. Applications received after January 20 will be reviewed on a space-available basis.

• Application Form
  Complete all sections of the application form. You may use the online application or you may request a paper application to be mailed to you.

• Application Fee
  Submit a $25 non-refundable application fee; make check or money order payable to the College of St. Catherine. This fee is waived for St. Catherine current students and alumnae.

• Personal Statement
  Prepare a personal essay that demonstrates written communication skills and clarifies your purpose in pursuing a graduate degree in physical therapy. Do not exceed two typed, double-spaced pages. Handwritten statements will not be accepted. Please address the following questions:
  
  1. How has your healthcare-related experience enhanced your knowledge of physical therapy?
  
  2. Why will you make an excellent physical therapist?
  
  If your cumulative GPA is below 3.0, please include an additional statement addressing why you should still be considered for the DPT program.
  Personal statements should be mailed to the Office of Graduate Admission at the address listed above. Applicants who wish to submit their statements via e-mail should send the completed attachment to: graduate_study@stkate.edu (Subject line should read: DPT Personal Statement). Please include your full name at the top of the statement.

• Recommendations
  Two clinical experience reference forms must be completed by individuals who can verify the applicant's healthcare experiences. One reference must be from a physical therapist. If an applicant is unable to obtain two references verifying healthcare experiences, she/he may substitute one academic reference or one non-healthcare employment reference. Submit two references only; additional references will not be considered in the review process. Click here to download the Recommendation Form. These are confidential recommendations and must be sent directly from the references to the Office of Graduate Admission at the address listed above. Original documents must be sent to our office. Applicants who wish to view a copy of the completed forms are responsible for making the appropriate arrangements with their references.

• Transcripts
  Official transcripts are required from each post-secondary institution attended, even if courses are recorded on another transcript and regardless of the number of credits earned. Transcripts should be mailed directly from the Registrar of each institution to the Office of Graduate Admission at the College of St. Catherine.

• GRE Scores
  Official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admission from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The test date must be within five calendar years prior to the term of intended enrollment.

• TOEFL / MELAB Scores
  Applicants whose native language is not English are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 600 or better on the paper and pencil test, 100 on the iBT or 250 on the computerized test, or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) with a score of 90 or better. This requirement is waived for students who have completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in the United States.

• Credential Evaluation
  Applicants with a college or university degree completed outside of the United States must submit an official evaluation from a NACES-approved evaluation service (such as World Education Services), as well as original transcripts and official translations of all documents not in English. All costs related to document translation and evaluation are the applicant's responsibility.

• International Application
  Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must submit an International Student Application and Certification of Finances, in addition to the program application. No additional application fee is required.