PT Programs do not generally require a specific major. Some majors include many of the prerequisites commonly associated with physical therapy programs; this will allow the student to reduce the number of additional courses that required to meet both the major requirements and the prerequisites of many PT programs. 

The admissions requirement information presented here should be used only as a guide when planning your pre-PT curriculum. It is important that you do not interpret these guidelines as definitive statements regarding admission requirements or policies of individual PT programs. We strongly recommend that students contact each physical therapy program they plan to apply to understand specific course prerequisite and admissions criteria. 

As a Pre-PT student, you will be subject to performance standard reviews twice a year once you have completed ≥ 10 credit hours in the designated Pre-PT courses at James Madison University (listed below). You must achieve and maintain a Pre-PT Prerequisite GPA of ≥ 2.70 (in the courses listed below) to maintain your Pre-Physical Therapy declaration. Since physical therapy (DPT) programs consider all course attempts during the admissions process, the GPA calculations for the Pre-PT Program include all JMU course attempts (not courses completed at other institutions). If your academic performance standards fall below a 2.70 Pre-PT Prerequisite GPA, you are at very high risk for not being admitted to a physical therapy program. Therefore, if you are unable to attain or maintain the GPA standard, you will be administratively dropped from the pre-PT minor.

PPH Advising has developed requirements for the Pre-Physical Therapy Program based on the prerequisite summary from the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). PT school admissions committees will use your academic success in these courses as a metric of your ability to achieve success in PT school.

If you have credit for any of the following courses by earning Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge International Exam (CIE), community college credit, or departmental test credit, please read the Non-JMU Coursework for Pre-Requisite Coursework.

 To review required coursework for the Pre-Physical Therapy Minor, follow this link to the JMU Undergraduate Catalog. 

Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) 

The Commission of Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) is the only accreditation agency recognized accredited entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) education programs in the United States. Many of these accredited programs utilize the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Services (PTCAS) to simplify the application process for prospective PT students, though not all accredited programs utilize PTCAS. PTCAS provides a list of PTCAS participating and nonparticipating accredited programs. 

Academic performance is a critical factor in the evaluation of applicants. Typically, programs review the overall Grade Point Average (GPA) and the GPA of prerequisite courses. Many programs have a minimum GPA requirement of a 3.0. In general, programs also examine the transcript for evidence of academic consistency, course load, and improvement in grade performance. 

Most PTCAS participating schools have deadlines in early fall semester. D.P.T. programs may have multiple deadline dates (i.e., preferred, priority, or early decision) or operate on a rolling admissions process. All deadlines should be confirmed with individual D.P.T. programs. PTCAS provides a list of PTCAS participating programs' deadlines, which you can sort by the deadline date or the institution names. 

When applications are due in the fall or spring, you are applying for the next incoming class' cohort. For example, if you apply in Fall 2024 and the D.P.T. program starts in the fall, you are applying for the Fall 2025 entering cohort. You can apply when you are ready to be a competitive applicant, meaning that all your prerequisite coursework, required observation hours, and other requirements are completed. 

Physical Therapy schools view extracurricular activities as positive signs that a student can handle a rigorous curriculum and participate in campus and/or community affairs. Commitment, leadership, service, responsibility, and the ability to interact effectively with others are attributes that admission committees evaluate. The level and quality of participation is more important than the number or diversity of your activities. 

Many D.P.T. programs require physical therapy observation hours that can be verified by a PT. The Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) provides a summary PT Observation Hours of programs that participate in PTCAS. Observation hour requirements vary by program and some programs are more specific about the setting of experience (e.g., outpatient and inpatient) than others. PTCAS provides instructions on reporting your PT observation and work experience in PTCAS.  

Letters of Recommendation or Evaluation

Physical therapy programs typically require 3 - 5 letters of recommendation (LOR). Establishing mentoring relationships with professors in the university setting as well as PT workplace settings is important. Most physical therapy programs require at least one letter from a university professor and one from a physical therapist. 

The GRE General Test features question types that closely reflect the kind of thinking you'll do in your professional health program:

• Verbal Reasoning - Measures your ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained form it, analyze relationships among component parts of sentences and recognize relationships among words and concepts.
• Quantitative Reasoning - Measures problem-solving ability using basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
• Analytical Writing - Measures critical thinking and analytical writing skills, specifically your ability to articulate and support complex ideas clearly and effectively.

Learn more about the content and structure of the GRE^® General Test from Educational Testing Services (ETS). Also you can find information about GRE^® registration, test centers and dates through the ETS GRE^® website.

There are many types of test preparation resources that vary in cost and approach. We are happy to speak with you about how you might identify the style of preparation that best fits your needs.

JMU's School of Professional and Continuing Education offers GRE test prep support services, including free strategy workshops, check it out here! 

An articulation agreement is a formal arrangement between James Madison University and a school offering a graduate professional physical therapy degree whereby JMU students who have an interest in attending such schools may apply and be accepted into such a school, so long as the student has met the minimal requirements for admission. Some articulation agreements allow for an unlimited number of JMU students to be admitted into their program; others have a limit for the number of JMU students admitted through the agreement.  

JMU has articulation agreements with the following physical therapy programs: 

• Arcadia University; Pennsylvania
• Old Dominion University; Virginia
• Shenandoah University; Virginia
• Tufts University, Boston, Phoenix, Seattle 

The links above will give you more information about these articulation agreements. If you are interested in attending a PT program with whom JMU has an articulation agreement, you should begin your planning as soon as possible. Contact your Pre-PT advisor who can direct you in taking the appropriate courses and inform you of the opportunities available at JMU for you to develop a pre-professional portfolio of experience.