University of New
Mexico
Physical Therapy Program
1-800-999-APTA
www.apta.org
UNM Physical Therapy Website
www.hsc.unm.edu/som/physther/
APTA
Source of information about Physical Therapy
Profession
Physical Therapist
• Graduate from an accredited program
– UNM Program – D.P.T.
• Pass State licensure examination
Program Length
• Begins in August
• 36 months
• Several 2-4 week breaks
Basic Curriculum Layout:
First Year: Mostly orthopedics,
anatomy and basic clinical
sciences
Second Year: Everything else
Third Year: Research and
clinicals
Thing You Need to do to be Eligible
to Apply
1. Get as much exposure to the profession of PT
as you can. (volunteer, paid work experience)
2. Take the 35 hours of science prerequisites
3. Get a bachelors degree
4. Take the GRE
#1 Get as much exposure to the
profession as you can
• Volunteer experience is considered
the same as paid work experience
• Primary goal:
– “Is P.T. the profession for me?”
• 100 hours required
– “the more the better”
– quality vs quantity
• Helpful to observe in several areas
#2 Take 35 hours of science
prerequisites
Prerequisites:
May be taken at any accredited college or
university
Chemistry (4 hrs)
Physics (8 hrs)
Anatomy & Physiology (8 hrs)
Statistics (3 hrs)
Nutrition (3 hrs)
Psychology (6 hrs - Developmental
and/or Abnormal Psych recommended)
Exercise Physiology 300-level or above (3 hrs)
Prerequisites
• Must have a grade of C
or better in all
prerequisite courses
• Equivalent courses from
other institutions may
need to be approved by
the admissions
committee
Average prerequisite science GPA 2013: 3.81
Grade Substitution
• MUST have taken prerequisite
course and received a C or
better
• May take higher numbered
course with the same
classification
• If a higher grade is received, you
may use that in your GPA
calculation
• No substitution allowed for
Anatomy and Physiology
Prerequisite GPA Form
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PHYSICAL THERAPY PROGRAM PREREQUISITE
COURSE WORK
SCIENCES: Please list the science courses you wish to use for your science GPA calculation.
Prerequisite Course
Exercise Physiology
3 Semester Hours
e.g.
ES 326 Gen Ex Phys
Anatomy & Physiology
8 Semester Hours, including
lab
e.g.
BIO 237 A&P I
BIO 238 A& P I Lab
BIO 247 A&P II
BIO 248 A&P II Lab
General Chemistry
4 Semester Hours including
lab
e.g. CHEM 111L
Course Taken/
Substituted
Institution
Term/Year
Semester
Hours
Grade
Grade
Points
#3 Get a Bachelor’s Degree
Any Degree is Acceptable
#4 Take the GRE
General test AND Writing Assessment
Must be taken within 5 years of application
GRE: www.gre.com
Prometric Testing Services
http://www.prometric.com/GRE/default.htm
UNM PT Program Institution Code: 7670
Average GRE 2013:
Verbal: 154
Quantitative: 152
Writing: 3.97
Total Admission Requirements
• Baccalaureate degree in any field
• Overall and Science GPA – 3.0
minimum
• GRE
• Essay
• Letters of Reference (2 must
come from PTs)
• Interview
Course Work in Progress
• Must complete Bachelor degree
and all prerequisites by the
Spring of the application year
• Must include proof of
enrollment for Spring courses
with application
• All prerequisite courses must be
completed by May
– Grade of C or better
– Final transcript must be sent to
Physical Therapy Program
Admission Procedures
Application Process
• Application Deadline (UNM
Application): December 15
• Individuals applying to the
Physical Therapy Program
must also apply to the
PTCAS (Central Application
Service) by December 1
Application Materials
A.
For the Physical Therapy Program
1. Application form for the Physical Therapy Program
2. Evidence of spring registration for any remaining prerequisites
3. Prerequisite GPA calculation form
4. Program essay
5. GRE exam scores - may be sent directly to the program from ProMetric
preferred) or you can provide us with a copy of your GRE report
6. Official transcript from each school attended
7. $50 Application fee
Application Materials –
Continued
B. For PTCAS
1. Complete on-line application
2. Enter all college courses taken and
GRE scores
3. $120 Application fee (financial
assistance is available)
4. Official transcript from each school
attended
5. PTCAS essay and 3 reference
letters
UNM Physical Therapy Program
Policy on Web-Based Prerequisite Courses
In order for the University of New Mexico to accept credits earned
from a web-based course, that course must appear on a
transcript from an accredited college or university. Therefore, if
the online course you have taken or plan to take is offered by
UNM or CNM (or any other accredited college or university),
and it satisfies our requirement, the course will be accepted.
If you have taken or plan to take a course that is offered by a strictly
online university, you are strongly urged to contact the UNM
Admissions office at (505)277-2447 prior to registering for this
course. If UNM will accept the course as “transfer credit”, the
Physical Therapy Program will accept it also.
Online Course - Clinical Exercise Physiology
offered by the UNM PT Program
PT 351 Clinical Exercise in Physical Therapy/ CRN #
17851 / 3 credit hours
This course addresses the principles of the physiology of
the human body during exercise with emphasis on the
cardiopulmonary and neuromuscular systems. In
addition, this course addresses an overview of selected
pathological conditions of these systems relevant to the
practice of physical therapy.
Prerequisite: By permission of the instructor, Dr. Burke
Gurney. Phone (505) 272-6850 or email
bgurney@salud.unm.edu
Interview
• Late February or early March
• Panel of 4 interviewers
• Knowledge of Physical
Therapy issues and problemsolving abilities
• Volunteer experience helpful
• Only the top 50-70 applicants
based on GPA, GRE,
Reference Letters and Essay
will be offered an interview
[Interview format is subject to change at
any time]
Selection Process
30 students with the highest combined scores
based on the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Science GPA - 30%
GRE Verbal - 15%
GRE Quantitative - 15%
GRE Writing – 10%
Reference Letters - 5%
Essay - 5%
[Scoring system is subject to change at
Interview - 20%
any time]
Science GPA
GRE Quantitative
GRE Verbal
Interview
LORs
Essays
Nondiscrimination Policy
The admission procedure in the Physical Therapy
Program at the University of New Mexico does
not discriminate against any student on the basis
of gender, marital or parental status, race, color,
religion, age, national origin or physical
handicap.