Physical Therapy Admissions

• Bachelor's degree with a major of the student's choice.
• Successful completion of the listed prerequisite courses.
• Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or above
• Courses are taken on a graded basis; pass/fail courses are not acceptable.
• Biological science, chemistry, and physics courses must all include significant laboratory experiences.
• It is recommended that prerequisite courses in Biology, Exercise Physiology, Anatomy, and Physiology be taken within ten years of applying to the program.
• At least 50 hours of experience in physical therapy practice settings which includes at least 25 hours in acute care, in-hospital setting (NOTE: sub-acute and any other non-acute care settings do not satisfy this requirement). The Department encourages you to visit the APTA website for the definition of acute care and descriptions of that setting: http://www.apta.org/PTCareers/Overview/.
• GRE test scores must be less than five years old at the time of application. Please contact the Graduate School if you have questions.
• A personal interview at the invitation of the selection committee is required.
  All prerequisite courses/labs must be completed at an accredited institution. All courses must have defined objectives, a course description, an objective grading system with a letter grade, and meet the content expectations of the prerequisite. With the exception of Medical Terminology, the program does not accept online courses as the fulfillment of prerequisite coursework, except during the pandemic between February 2020 and December 2022; from Spring 2023 – Spring 2024, classes may be online, but labs must be in person. Contact PTAdmissions@pacific.edu for prior approval for an online Medical Terminology course only.
• Pacific will NOT accept AP courses to fulfill prerequisites.

General Prerequisites

• General Biology with lab and another course in Biological sciences (not botany) with or without lab: 6 semester credits/9 quarter hours minimum.
• Human Anatomy with Lab: 4 semester units/5 quarter hours minimum.
• Human Physiology with Lab: 4 semester units/5 quarter hours minimum.
• General Chemistry with lab: 8 semester units/12 quarter hours minimum.
• General Physics with lab: 8 semester units/12 quarter hours minimum.
• Abnormal Psychology: 3 semester units/4 quarter hours minimum.
• Statistics: 3 semester units/4 quarter hours minimum.
• Exercise Physiology: 3 semester units/4 quarter hours minimum.
• Medical Terminology: 1-3 semester units/ 2-4 quarter hours minimum.

View the Approved Prerequisite List (XLSX)

While every effort has been made to create an accurate list, it is the applicant’s responsibility to be aware of the prerequisite requirements.  Colleges and universities do re-organize, rename, add, and remove courses, course information, and hours so the information above may not be accurate or up-to-date.  If an applicant has questions they can contact Admissions at ptadmissions@pacific.edu for clarifications or to see if another course may meet the requirement.