Physical Therapy Doctoral Degree Program

Admissions

Students are admitted once a year, with classes beginning in the Fall. The application deadline is January 15 of each year. Applicants must have the following materials sent (or delivered) to the Physical Therapy Program by January 15.

UNM Physical Therapy Program is now a DPT Program: The UNM Physical Therapy Program is now Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT). Our goal will be to provide an option for those 2009 MPT students to complete DPT requirements in the Summer of 2011. Tuition will increase with inception of the DPT curriculum, to an amount comparable to that of other regional, public DPT programs. Information on this website will be updated to reflect the latest status of the DPT program.

Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS)

The UNM Physical Therapy Program is now utilizing the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). Prospective students must submit an application to the UNM PT Program AND complete an online application to the PTCAS. The UNM Application can be downloaded by clicking here: Program Application. To begin the PTCAS application process, visit the PTCAS webiste at www.ptcas.org.

For the Physical Therapy Program:

1.) Application for the Physical Therapy Program and GPA Calculation Form

2.) Official Transcripts from all Colleges and Universities Attended

3) Evidence of Registration for Remaining Prerequisite Course Work (If Applicable)

4.) GRE Exam Scores

5.) Application Fee of $50 (Money Order or Personal Check)

Please send application packet to the following address:

Health Sciences Center
Physical Therapy Program
MSC 09 5230
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

For the PTCAS:

1.) Complete Online Application http://www.ptcas.org/NewMexico.html

2.) Official Transcripts from all Colleges and Universities Attended

3) Three Reference Letters (2 Must be From a Licensed Physical Therapist)

4.) Application Fee. *Financial Assistance is available for eligible applicants through the PTCAS

Students may submit an application packet to the program only if they have:

A degree at the baccalaureate level, or will have completed the baccalaureate level by spring semester after application and before summer semester.
Fulfilled the prerequisite course work or will have completed prerequisite course work by spring semester after application and before summer semester.
Taken the General Graduate Record Examination that includes the GRE Written Assessment.
Meet the minimum grade requirements.

Other notes about admission:

Applicants can be certified by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Residents of Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming are eligible to apply to our program under WICHE. For more information on WICHE, please call 1-800-279-9777 or visit their website. Residents of states other than New Mexico are invited to apply.

Applicants who appear to be best qualified will be invited for an interview. Final selection will be made from the group of candidates interviewed, and will be based on science GPA, written materials including letters of reference, GRE and interview. It is recommended that applicants have adequate exposure to the profession of physical therapy through volunteer or work experience.

The program's selection process does not discriminate against any student on the basis of gender, marital, or parental status, race, color, religion, age, national origin or physical handicap.

Students with disabilities:

If you have a physical or learning disability, you are asked to self-report your educational needs prior to matriculation. Technical Standards for physical therapy students are defined by the program and are available upon request. Evaluation of the disability by a physician or other appropriate professional must be presented at the time of the report in order for accommodation to be arranged.

Information about general student services at UNM, including admissions and NM residency criteria can be obtained by calling 1-800 CALL UNM (225-5866). Financial Aid (505) 272-0008 or accessing the UNM Current Student Page

Preparation for admission:

Volunteer Experience The program does not require a specific number of hours, however, most students have a minimum of 200 volunteer hours at time of application to program. The program recommends that you get a variety of experience in different areas of physical therapy. The primary goal of this is to help you determine if physical therapy is really the profession for you.

Prerequisites Admission to our Program will require a baccalaureate degree in any field, a minimum GPA of 3.0, scores from the Graduate Record Examinations Report (GRE) and the Written Assessment Portion of the GRE. Prerequisite coursework is 35 specific science credits.

In your application, we give points for the science GPA. This is on a sliding scale, with 4.0 receiving the most points, and 3.0 the fewest. Obviously it is to your advantage to have the highest possible GPA. To raise your GPA several options are available:

1. After taking the prerequisite course with a grade of C or better, you may substitute a grade from a higher numbered course with the same classification.

2. In the areas of Math and Psychology, any courses at or above the minimum requirements are fine (example: for Math the minimum requirement is Math 145, Statistics, but any higher stats class will work. One of the Psychology classes must be Developmental.)

Remember: These are grade substitutions not course substitutions, you must complete the prerequisite courses first with a grade of C or better.

New CNM Course Number Changes have come into effect this semester. This list will help in the conversion as to what will be acceptable to take at CNM:

UNM course	CNM course
Bio 237	Bio 2210
Bio 238	Bio 2310
Bio 247L	Bio 2292
Bio 248L	Bio 2392
Math 145	Math 1330
Nutr 244	Nutr 2110
Phys 151	Phys 1510
Phys 152	Phys 1610
Phys 151L	Phys 1592
Phys 152L	Phys 1692
Psy 105	Psy 1105
Psy 220	Psy 2220