CONTACT

Physical Therapy Program

Health Science Building – PT Wing
9200 University Blvd., Charleston, SC 29406
P843-863-7355
Edpt@csuniv.edu

The Department of Physical Therapy at Charleston Southern participates in the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service, known as PTCAS. The application for the 2025 entering class opened on June 15th, 2024 and closes on March 1st, 2025.

The DPT Program utilizes a rolling admission process. A total of 48 students will be admitted to the DPT Program each year.

Continuing your path to obtaining a DPT can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. The Charleston Southern University DPT program is here to help you through your journey by fostering your dedication to studies and academic success. Students will be provided with an engaging learning environment and the tools necessary for fostering relationships with peers, faculty, staff and clinical partners.

Admissions Process

Step 1 : Review Application Requirements

Applicants must meet these minimum requirements to be considered for admission to the Physical Therapy program. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. All applicants and admitted students to the DPT program must certify, in writing, that they are able to perform certain essential functions in order to participate and complete program requirements. Review the application requirements below.

Step 2 : Apply

Students will apply directly to PTCAS. For additional questions email dpt@csuniv.edu.

Application Opens:

June 15, 2024

Application Deadline:

March 1, 2025

Classes Begin:

May 27, 2025

Step 3 : On-Campus or Virtual Information Session

Information sessions will be held on select dates from August to January and can be accessed here. Family and friends are encouraged to attend.

Step 4 : Acceptance Requirements

For the accepted applicant, the program requires a response by the date established at the time of the offer. A nonrefundable payment to the CSU Office of Enrollment Services is required to reserve the seat in the program and will be applied to your first semester’s tuition. Instructions for payment will be provided with the acceptance letter.

If an applicant commits to another program, we request the professional courtesy of notifying the CSU DPT program so that other candidates may be considered.

Candidates offered a position will be required to complete the following prior to enrollment:

  • Official Transcripts from all Colleges and Universities for courses.
  • Proof of Health Insurance (must be maintained throughout the program)
  • Criminal Background Check
  • Permission to Release Information Form

Immunization records and drug screening will be required during the Fall of Year One in preparation for clinicals.

Detailed instructions on how to complete the above requirements will be communicated to candidates.

Selection Process

The Charleston Southern University Doctor of Physical Therapy program encourages everyone to apply and supports an inclusive admission criterion while we reserve the right to give preference to CSU graduates. Applicants will be considered diverse should they have one or more of the following criteria: 1) racial and/or ethnic minority group, 2) foreign language proficiency, 3) advanced degree, 4) veteran status and 5) first-generation college graduate.

Applicants will be notified of their admission status after committee review. This includes either a seat in the upcoming cohort, a place on the waitlist, or denial of admission to the program.

DPT Admission Requirements

The Department of Physical Therapy accepts students based of their academic qualifications, character, and evidence of potential to benefit from the university experience. In addition to a Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, in any major/discipline, the following criteria must be met prior to beginning the DPT program at CSU. Please note that interviews will incorporated into the admissions process starting with the 2025 entering class.

  • General Biology I&II with lab
    • One semester of General Biology I and one semester of General Biology II or an upper-level Biology related course (≥ 200 level course).
    • All biology courses must include a lab component.
    • Topics include cell and molecular biology, metabolism, genetics, evolutionary processes, diversity of life, plant biology, animal tissue and organ function, and ecology.
    • Suggested courses: general biology, genetics, cell biology, exercise physiology, microbiology, and human biology.
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology I&II with lab
    • Courses should be taken in a two-semester sequence and must include a lab component.
    • One course of anatomy with lab and one course of physiology with lab will be acceptable.
    • Topics include study of the integrated structures and functions of the human body including basic cellular chemistry. Additionally, the
      following systems should be covered: integumentary, skeletal,
      muscular, nervous, circulatory, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive,
      urinary and reproductive.
    • Suggested courses: Gross Anatomy, Mammalian A&P, Vertebrate
      A&P.
  • General Chemistry I&II with lab
    • Courses should be taken in a two-semester sequence and must include a lab component.
    • This is a standard one-year sequence that includes a quantitative study of the fundamental laws and theories of chemistry.
    • Topics should include measurement, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, atomic and molecular structure, chemical bonding, gases, intermolecular forces, solution chemistry, kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acids-base chemistry, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, and modern materials.
  • Physics I&II with lab
    • Courses should be taken in a two-semester sequence and must include a lab component.
    • Topics include review of vector analysis, Newtonian mechanics, fluids, and thermodynamics.
    • The course may be algebra or calculus based.
  • Statistics
    • Introductory statistics courses are acceptable.
    • The course must cover both parametric and nonparametric statistics.
  • Psychology
    • One psychology course, beyond introductory level, that includes the study of behavioral, developmental, and/or abnormal psychology in adolescent and adulthood population.
  • Medical Terminology
    • This course can be taken online or in person.

Minimum prerequisite GPA ≥ 3.0/4.0

Preferred cumulative GPA ≥ 3.0/4.0

The GRE must be taken within the last 5 years. If multiple attempts, the highest score from each section will be used (e.g. – superscore). The GRE code for our school is 2904.

There is no minimum to apply to the DPT Program. However, to be competitive, we recommend the following scores: verbal = 150, quantitative = 150, and analytical writing = 3.8. According to PTCAS, this is the most recent data for applicants accepted into a DPT program.

  • 1 letter from a teacher or professor
  • 1 letter from a physical therapist
  • Letters from relatives are not permitted
  • Any completed prerequisites are recommended to be completed within 10 years prior to the application deadline.
  • Candidates may apply before completing all the prerequisite courses but must have a reasonable chance of completing all the requirements by the time of enrollment in the DPT program.
  • All prerequisite coursework must be awarded a letter or numeric grade and completed with a grade of “C” or higher. “C-” or 1.7 on PTCAS 4.0 GPA scale will not be accepted. Refer to Pass/Fail Grading Requirement for exceptions on courses completed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The program will accept online labs to satisfy prerequisite requirements for admission.
  • The PT Department will not accept the following to satisfy prerequisite requirements for entry into the DPT program: survey courses, Advanced Placement (AP) credit, CLEP credit, exam credits, competency, testing, work experience. Medical Terminology is the only exception to this policy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused most institutions to adjust the way they deliver courses as well as the way they deliver grades. The Department of Physical Therapy will accept courses that utilized nonqualitative and binary grading systems during this pandemic era. The following grading terminology includes some examples (not an exhaustive list) of various nonqualitative and binary grading terminology:

    • Pass/fail
    • Satisfactory/unsatisfactory
    • Credit/no credit
    • Pass/no record
    • Pass/marginal pass/unsatisfactory
    • Credit/general credit/no credit
    • Incomplete extraordinary circumstances (IE)/pass extraordinary circumstance (PE)/no credit extraordinary circumstance (NCE)
    • Satisfactory (S)/satisfactory but deficient (SD)/no credit (NC)

The COVID-19 pandemic encompasses courses taken during Spring 2020 through Spring 2023. The Department of Physical Therapy will not factor any courses that utilized a nonqualitative and binary grading terminology into the overall or prerequisite GPA.

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