Professional DPT Program - Fort Lauderdale Campus

The PDPT program is an entry-level professional doctoral program designed to prepare students to practice as physical therapists.

Yes. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org: website: http://www.capteonline.org. The Professional Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (DPT) has been accredited since 1996.

The program is 3 years in length. The first 2 years include didactic, classroom-based instruction with integrated clinical experiences (ICE) infused throughout. The third year consists mostly of full-time clinical rotations.

This PDPT program is a full-time, campus-based program located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Students are required to attend classes Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to about 5:00pm.

All applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Although any undergraduate major is acceptable, a major in kinesiology, exercise science, or the biological sciences tends to be the most direct route into a physical therapy program.

No.  NSU considers all applicants regardless of where they reside, including international.

Yes.  International students must meet all admission criteria.  If international applicants completed their pre-requisites and undergraduate degrees outside of the US, the records must be credentialed for US equivalency before the application can be considered. International transcripts must be evaluated and approved by World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation. For more details visit www.wes.org. 

All students must be fluent in spoken and written English and demonstrate proficiency on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). 

US federal financial aid is not available for international students. 

The scores required are 550 on the written examination, 213 on the computer-based examination, or 79 on the internet-based examination. Students may also submit an IELTS score of 6.0

The program does not accept transfer students from other PT programs.  All prospective students must go through the application process and be accepted to enter the program. All entering students must begin the program in the summer semester and take the required classes in sequence.

No. Transfer credits are not accepted.

Students are admitted once per year during the summer term. Classes usually start the third or fourth week in May.

Approximately 50 students are admitted each year.

Score on the verbal, quantitative, and writing is a requirement for application.  The average GRE of those accepted is above 50^th percentile. The exam score must be no more than 5 years old and must be received by no later than January 31^st of the entering year.

The minimum GPA requirement is 3.0 for cumulative, science/math, and pre-requisite courses. Competitive students have GPAs above 3.0 in each area. The average cumulative GPA for the most recent class admitted was 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.

No, applied sciences are not acceptable, nor are survey courses.

Exercise physiology does not count as biology.

All prerequisite course work, as well as the bachelor’s degree, must be completed by May of the entering admission year.

The PT Admissions counselor is available to discuss overall requirements and general transcript questions, but cannot review transcripts unless you have applied.

The program requires a minimum of 100 verified hours of observation/experience in physical therapy practice, preferably in different practice settings. These hours can be achieved through volunteer, observation, and/or employment. Hours are verified by a supervisor/PT signing off that the hours were completed.

The committee considers a holistic review of the applicant.  Volunteer work, community service, athletics, military service, research and/or publication experience, certifications and/or unique training (to name a few) are all reviewed and make for a competitive applicant.

Applicants must apply through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) online application process at http://www.ptcas.org/home.aspx. All parts of the application must be completed and the PTCAS service fee must be paid in order for your application to be processed by NSU. In addition, applicants must complete an NSU specific supplemental application, which requires a $50 application fee.

Yes. GRE scores can be submitted directly to PTCAS.

The PTCAS application opens on July 15^th and closes on December 15^th. The supplemental application deadline is January 31^st.  The program utilizes a rolling admissions process so applying early is highly recommended.

The program does not routinely interview applicants, but does reserve the right to request interviews on a case-by-case basis. 

Applications are reviewed by our Admissions Counselor to ensure the application is complete. You will be contacted by the Admissions Counselor if your application is missing any required information. The PT program’s Admissions Committee will then review your application and render a decision. Applicants are welcome to contact Britny Compton, Admissions Counselor, at (954) 262-1114 or bcompton@nova.edu to request information about the status of the application. Final admissions decisions are sent to students via mail or email.

There is an open house once a month from September to April. Specific dates are available at https://healthsciences.nova.edu/pt/orientation/open_house. Contact Britny Compton, Admissions Counselor, at (954) 262-1114 or bcompton@nova.edu to register.  If you are unable to attend the open house, an individual tour may be scheduled by contacting the Admissions Counselor at the information above.

The annual tuition for the current academic year can be found at https://healthsciences.nova.edu/pt/dpt/tuition_fees.html. Tuition is charged annually as a flat rate each academic year and is subject to change. Annual tuition includes three semesters per year and does not include university fees or living expenses.  Estimated fees and living expenses can be found at https://www.nova.edu/publications/pt_brochure/index

The program offers one internal scholarship called the Physical Therapy Chancellor Scholarship (PTCS). Candidates must be currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment in the program, be of good academic standing, demonstrate financial need with a valid FAFSA, demonstrate disadvantaged background, and be a permanent resident of the state of Florida. Consideration will also be given to applicants from families where few or no members have attended college. To apply for this scholarship go to http://www.nova.edu/financialaid/forms/hpd-chanc-scholarship-app.pdf