The Doctor of Physical Therapy program is academically demanding and all applicants must successfully complete prerequisite courses prior to matriculation. Please keep in mind academic records/transcripts must be verified by the Physical Therapy Centralized Admissions Service (PTCAS). This process can take four to five weeks.
All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.*
Non-letter grade courses, such Pass/Fail, are not accepted.
Each prerequisite course must fulfill the 3-semester or 5-quarter credit hour requirement.
Labs are recommended but not required.
AP/IB credits will be accepted IF they were accepted by the applicant’s undergraduate institution.
Anatomy and Physiology courses must be taken within five years of application. Anatomy and Physiology courses in the either biology or kinesiology departments will be accepted.
Evolutionary and comparative anatomy courses will NOT be accepted.
All prerequisite courses must be completed at a college or university accredited by at least one of the accrediting agencies found here.
*For this application cycle, exceptions will be made for grades earned during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Pass” grades on an official transcript will be accepted.
|
Course |
Hours |
Notes |
|
Biological Science |
6 semester hours |
General or specialized biology |
|
Human/Vertebrate |
3 semester hours |
Must be taken within 5 years of matriculation Comparative anatomy courses will not be accepted |
|
Human/Vertebrate Physiology |
3 semester hours |
Must be taken within 5 years of matriculation Comparative anatomy courses will not be accepted |
|
Chemistry |
6 semester hours |
1 semester of general chemistry and second semester of general or specialized chemistry |
|
Physics |
6 semester hours |
|
|
Statistics |
3 semester hours |
|
|
Psychology |
6 semester hours |
General and specialized psychology |
Download our prerequisite details.
Get answers to common questions about prerequisites in our FAQ.
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The program has determined that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure or certification in all states, the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands secondary to its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, based on the following: CAPTE accreditation of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant program satisfies state educational requirements in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thus, students graduating from CAPTE-accredited physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information regarding state qualifications and licensure requirements, refer to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy website at www.fsbpt.org. The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Duke University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Avenue, Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 919-681-4380 or email dptadmis@duke.edu.