Doctor of Physical Therapy

Hardin-Simmons University Department of Physical Therapy is a community pursuing excellence in evidence-informed clinical practice, scholarly engagement, and compassionate service, enlightened by Christian faith and values.

Applicants applying to the HSU entry-level physical therapist education program should apply online using the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service, known as PTCAS, at www.ptcas.org. HSU does not require a supplemental application or a supplemental application fee.

The PTCAS 2026-2027 application cycle opens June 16, 2026, and the deadline is December 15, 2026, for the cohort beginning fall 2027.

Personal interviews are required as part of the application process. Early decision candidates must complete all requirements and be accepted for a September interview. To learn more about the PTCAS application process and to apply, visit www.ptcas.org.

• The admissions committee selects the most qualified applicants for admission by considering the following: cumulative GPA, prerequisite science GPA, interview scores, letters of recommendation, observation hours, service hours, leadership activities, and other factors.
• HSU DPT PTCAS GRE code is 0966

Early Admission Option

This option is for the Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) & University of Dallas students who indicate biology as their plan of study when they begin as a freshman. It is also available to students at McMurry or Dallas Baptist University who are either biology majors or pursuing the “pre-professional track” in Kinesiology. To be eligible for this early admission option, the student must take all of the PT prerequisite courses at their designated University.

Students may complete this plan in as little as three years of coursework prior to application for admission consideration to the Department of Physical Therapy. The student must follow the core, major, and minor requirements of either the B.A. or B.S. degree in biology and/or Kinesiology. In either case, the student must complete, as part of the degree plan, the PT prerequisite courses for admission consideration.

Basic science course work completed in the first semester of the professional phase of the DPT program will count toward the undergraduate major. This course work will satisfy, in part, the requirements for the baccalaureate degree which will be awarded at the end of the first semester of the DPT program.

Students who elect this early admission option who are not admitted to the DPT program on the occasion of application will be able to complete specified upper level course work in their major to satisfy the baccalaureate degree requirements. The Early Admission option does not guarantee admission to the DPT degree program.

Procedures for the Early Admission Option

1. Must meet the general admissions requirements for entering as a freshman (less than 30 semester hours completed). All Physical Therapy prerequisite courses must be completed at the University and Department with which HSU maintains an articulation agreement.
2. The student may apply for Physical Therapy admission consideration via PTCAS the year prior to the PT class start date, if the prerequisite course work, specified courses in the major, core requirement course work and course work for the minor can be completed for the B.A. or B.S. degree prior to the start date of the DPT program.
3. Meet all the requirements for admission and be offered a seat in the desired class. The Early Admission course of study does not guarantee admission to the DPT program.

International Applicant Procedures

Requirements for international applicants to the Graduate Program in Physical Therapy at Hardin-Simmons University are as follows:

Apply to PTCAS

1. An official copy of the evaluation must be sent directly from the transcript service to PTCAS. The cost of this evaluation is the responsibility of the student. This requirement will be waived if the applicant received a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university.
2. An applicant whose native language is not English must submit an official TOEFL score of 550 on the paper-based exam, a 213 on the computer-based exam or a 75 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT). TOEFL scores must be sent directly from the testing agency to PTCAS. HSU school codes: TOEFL-6268

International applicants should also be aware of the following:

1. For qualified students a personal on-campus interview is required.
2. Applicants offered admission into the program must post a one thousand dollar (US $1,000) deposit with the Office of Financial Affairs. This deposit can be utilized ONLY toward payment of the student’s final semester’s expenses, and will not be released at an earlier date. International applicants will not be admissible until the deposit is recorded on the University ledgers.

For more specifics on prerequisites, please click the following link to the HSU PTCAS application: https://ptcasdirectory.apta.org/420.aspx

Two Biology courses OR two Anatomy and Physiology courses

• General Biology I with lab followed by General Biology II with lab
• Or A&P I with lab followed by A&P II with lab

Two Chemistry courses for science majors

• Chemistry I with lab
• Chemistry II with lab

Two Physics courses for science majors

• Physics I with lab
• Physics II with lab

One Statistics course

Two Psychology courses

• One course of Introductory OR General Psychology
• One course of Life Span (developmental) OR Abnormal Psychology

Highly Recommend

• Any upper-level course (300,400) that will prepare students for Doctoral Level Cadaver Anatomy (Anatomy or Physiology is preferred)

Requirements for the DPT Degree Program

• A Doctor in Physical Therapy (DPT) degree is challenging and demanding. To best ensure your success and preparedness for the DPT program, the HSU faculty strongly recommend limiting the number of science/stat courses completed at a community college and suggest taking your sciences at a 4-year institution.  HSU PT will not accept science/stat prerequisites obtained by way of high school dual credit, CLEP, AP or college online courses.
• To ensure an easier transition from undergraduate to doctoral work, the HSU-PT Department HIGHLY recommends completion of at least one upper level (300-400) human biology course such as advanced anatomy, human physiology, pathophysiology, genetics, etc.
• Psychology course grades are not included in the prerequisite GPA computation.
• Coursework older than 10 years will not be accepted.

Other Requirements:

• Completion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) – competitive scores should be above 148 on the verbal and quantitative sections, and above a 3.0 on the writing; the average GRE of students admitted to the program are >145 on the verbal and quantitative sections and 3.0 on the writing.
• Observation under a U.S. licensed physical therapist; preference is for a minimum of 40 hours in two different settings (outpatient, inpatient, home health, skilled nursing, neurorehab, etc) under two different physical therapists, OR a minimum of 100 hours in one setting. The average observation hours of admitted students typically exceeds 400.
• A record of service and leadership over the last 3 years.
• A personal interview with PT Faculty and current students.
• Ability to meet the Minimal Required Abilities (see tab below for details)
• Three letters of recommendation: One letter from a professor, one separate letter from a U.S. licensed physical therapist, and one from anyone else who knows the student well.

All documents must be sent to PTCAS, not HSU PT (official GRE scores, letters of recommendation and record of service and leadership).

Prepare for your future in Physical Therapy. Qualified invited applicants and others interested in learning more the Hardin-Simmons University DPT program will have the opportunity to attend a preview day held on Fridays during the school year.

Dates*

• Friday, September 18, 2026
• Friday, October 9, 2026
• Friday, November 6, 2026

* Preview dates are subject to cancellation if all seats in the cohort are filled and/or later interview dates may be for alternate spots only. Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the process. According to the PT Traffic Rules, seat deposits do not have to be made until January 15, but applicants may secure seats prior to that date.

Check out all the great reasons to attend an HSU preview day if you are invited as an applicant:

• Gain knowledge of the PT profession
• Observe the HSU PT clinic offered to HSU employees and students
• Learn about HSU & Abilene
• Learn the requirements to earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree
• Meet faculty & students
• Tour our state-of-the-art facilities
• If qualified, interview for a seat in the DPT program

Program Cost for Class Beginning Fall 2026

Non-refundable seat deposit: $1,200
The deposit is due at the time the applicant accepts the offer of a position in the program and will go toward the first semester’s tuition. The deposit is forfeited if the applicant accepts and later relinquishes a seat in the program prior to the start of classes.

Projected Tuition per Semester = $13,439 (7 terms from start to completion of the degree)
Projected Total Program Cost = $94,070 (28 months)

*Students cannot purchase courses in these programs at an hourly rate. However, the total cost of the program divided by the number of hours of classwork needed to complete the program, equals $790.50 per credit hour.

Additional Costs

Textbooks (estimated)
Year 1: Fall Semester = $1,500
Spring Semester = $500
Summer Semester = $500

Year 2: Fall Semester = $500
Spring Semester = $500
Summer Semester = $0

Year 3: Fall Semester = $500

Supplemental Supplies/Materials (estimated)

• PT Kit/Clinic Shirt/CPR/Drug Test = $420
• EXXAT/PTMACS = $200
• APTA & Texas Student Membership (annual) = $90
• ExamSoft Fees = $150
• Immunizations (depends on what the student currently has) = Variable
• Projected University/Program Fees per Semester = $1,500 (12 hours or more)
• Housing and Living Expense = Variable
• TherapyEd Book, Prep Test, and Course (required in final year) = $355
• Doctoral Graduation Regalia = $109
• Texas Licensure Application and Testing Fees = $853

Financial aid is limited for graduate students. However, additional information concerning financial aid may be obtained by contacting the Financial Aid Office at (325) 670-1205 or (800) 568-2692.

Learn more about what makes up cost of attendance and how to request a cost of attendance adjustment when additional education-related expenses beyond a student’s standard COA are incurred.

Listed below is a brief description of most of the financial assistance programs available to students pursuing graduate degrees. For additional specific information, consult with the offices listed.

The Department of Physical Therapy is pleased to announce the availability of two scholarships of up to $18,000 ($3,000 per semester for six semesters), to qualified incoming Doctor of Physical Therapy students. The funds for these scholarships are drawn from an endowment created by generous benefactors Ed and Betty Mann from Yorktown, Texas. These scholarships will be awarded over a two-year period if the student maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Awards are based on the applicant’s demonstration of service, financial need, academic excellence, and commitment to the values of the physical therapy profession.

Click here to download the application.

Many doctors of physical therapy choose to earn their Bachelor of Science in Biology before entering a DPT degree program. That’s why we’ve made it easy to earn both your BS in biology and DPT degree with a fast-track program. You will earn your bachelor’s in just three years and your DPT in 2.5. Imagine starting college at 18 and becoming a doctor of physical therapy before you’re 26!

Graduates of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program are expected to function effectively with diverse populations and to lead lives of service through active involvement in intellectual, cultural, spiritual, professional, and political activities. A major component of the practice of physical therapy involves assessing and treating movement disorders.

To ensure that the student can complete the essential requirements of the academic program required for physical therapy, the HSU PT Department requires essential abilities in observational, communication, motor, intellectual, conceptual, and behavioral/social skills. Additionally, the student will utilize these skills throughout the program as he/she participates in classroom, laboratory, ministerial, and clinical experiences.

The following list of skills is illustrative and does not represent an all-inclusive listing of the functions of a physical therapist. A student must be able to meet these minimal abilities prior to beginning the classroom aspect of the educational program as well as prior to beginning the clinical affiliations.

Observational Skills

The students must be able to:

1. Observe and interpret safety hazards.
2. Receive and interpret visual information from patients including movement, posture, body mechanics, skin conditions (varying colors), changes in appearance and gait for comparison to normal standards.
3. Receive and interpret aural information from patients including notation of discomfort, pain, or emergent conditions.
4. Receive and interpret equipment dials, assessment graphs, EKG’s, EMG’s, assistive devices and other information from the evaluation, assessment and treatment environment.
5. Read and interpret patient charts, professional literature, notes from patients, family members, physicians, and other health care providers.

Communication Skills

The student must be able to:

1. Communicate clearly with patients, colleagues, physicians, other health care professionals, community or professional groups in all of the following manners: orally, in writing, via telephone, via computer, aurally.
2. Gather information using verbal, auditory, sensory, visual, olfactory and tactile sources.
3. Document clearly and legibly in the patient’s record, to physicians and on insurance forms and other required documentation.
4. Type correctly and effectively in an electronic medical record
5. Respond to a patient calling from behind a curtain or without viewing the speaker’s face, hear monitors with varying tones, emergency signals, auscultate heart and breath sounds and respond to warning calls or signals from individuals or equipment.
6. Participate in group meetings/activities by receiving and delivering information and responding to questions or comments from a variety of sources.
7. Read, write, speak and understand English at a level consistent with successful completion of all physical therapy course and job requirements.

Motor Skills

The student must be able to:

1. Using proper body mechanics, sit, stand, walk, lift, carry, push, pull and transport patients in bed, wheelchair or transferring from a variety of surfaces to a variety a surfaces; move body parts and heavy equipment.
2. Measure vital signs.
3. Assess cognitive/mental status, pulmonary, cardiac, vascular function, wound status, strength, endurance, segmental length, girth and volume, sensation, tone, reflexes, movement patterns, coordination, balance, developmental stage, soft tissue, joint motion/play, pain, cranial and peripheral nerve function, posture, gait, functional abilities and assistive device fit/use.
4. Complete treatment procedures appropriate to the patient’s status and desired goals including exercise, developmental activities, balance training, gait training, transfer training, functional training, coordination training, positioning techniques, self-care activities and therapeutic modalities.
5. Demonstrate the manual dexterity to safely operate and adjust buttons and dials on therapeutic modalities and other equipment, as well as type on an electronic medical record or computer.
6. Walk and balance well enough to assist patients with walking and/or transferring with or without assistive devices while preventing injury to self and the patient.
7. Perform CPR.
8. Treat acutely ill patients without disturbing sensitive monitoring instruments and lines.
9. Safely and effectively position hands and apply mobilization and manipulation techniques or palpate body surfaces, structures, tissues or organs.
10. Exert 20-50 pounds of force occasionally and 10-25 pounds of force frequently.
11. Attend classes 30 or more hours per week and sit for 2-10 hours daily, stand for 2-4 hour daily and walk or travel for 2 hours daily. On clinical rotations, stand and walk for 6-8 hours/day and sit for 2-4 hours/day.
12. Frequently twist, bend, stoop, and occasionally, crawl, squat, climb, kneel, straight-let sit and reach above shoulder level.
13. Conform to all HIPAA regulations and policies during campus clinic and outside clinical activities.

Intellectual Conceptual Skills

The student must also have cognitive abilities to master relevant content in the required coursework at a post-baccalaureate level.  Necessary skills include:

• Comprehension of dimensional and spatial structural relationships
• Reasoning and application skills
• Decision-making skills
• Mastery of information presented through a variety of mediums including:
• Lectures
• Demonstrations
• Written material including textbooks, journal articles and handouts
• Anatomical, physiological, neurological, muscular, orthopedic, laboratory work
• Videotapes
• CD’s, DVD’s, Blackboard and other software programs/applications
• Radiographic media and reports
• Other visual and audio learning aids.

Mastery should be demonstrated by passing written, oral and practical examinations.

Ability to:

• Comprehend
• Memorize
• Analyze
• Synthesize
• Apply knowledge
• Understanding and application of the basic ethical content of the physical therapy
• Utilization of the process of scientific inquiry in the decision-making process.

Behavioral/Social Attributes

Physical therapy students at Hardin-Simmons University are required to engage in essential professional behaviors throughout their program of study.  These behaviors include:

1. Commitment to Learning
2. Communication Skills
3. Use of Constructive Feedback
4. Professionalism
5. Critical Thinking
6. Interpersonal Skills
7. Effective Use of Time and Resources
8. Problem-Solving
9. Responsibility
10. Stress Management

More specifically, the student must:

1. Demonstrate the emotional stability to function effectively in order to not jeopardize the emotional, physical, mental and behavioral safety of clients and other individuals with whom one interacts in academic and clinical settings.
2. Appropriately and effectively cope with stress of heavy workloads, demanding patient loads, patient morbidity/mortality and life-threatening clinical situations.
3. Recognize and respond appropriately to individuals of all ages, genders, races, socio-economic, religious and cultural backgrounds.
4. Acknowledge and respect individual values and opinions in order to foster harmonious working relationships with colleagues, peers, and patient/clients.
5. Demonstrate attributes of compassion, empathy, integrity and concern for others.
6. Demonstrate ability to be assertive, delegate responsibilities appropriately, and function as part of a physical therapy team.
7. Demonstrate motivation and interest in coursework and clinical affiliations.
8. Maintain personal appearance and hygiene conducive to classroom and clinical settings.

Are Clinical Education rotations draw/lottery system?
No! HSU PT offers many clinical rotation options for students to chose from. Every student in the DPT program must complete clinical rotations in the Acute, Outpatient, and Inpatient Rehabilitation settings. The following clinical rotation sequence is generally followed:

• One on campus experience consisting of Campus Clinic
• One 3 week affiliation at the end of the first year
• Three 8 week and one 10 week affiliation during the last year of the program

Should my bachelor’s degree be in a specific major?
No. A bachelor’s degree in any major, from an accredited university, along with the PT prerequisite courses, is acceptable.

What is the average GPA of students admitted to your program?
Prerequisite, overall, and last 60 hour GPAs averages range from 3.5-3.6.

What type of clinical observations are required?
A minimum of 40 observation/work/volunteer hours under two different licensed physical therapists in two different settings, and two different facilities for a minimum of 80 hours. However, the average number of observation hours of admitted students is about 400.

Is the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) required?
Yes. Verbal, quantitative and writing scores will be considered as part of your application. Recommended scores to be competitive are 150 on verbal/quantitative and 4 on the writing. The HSU PTCAS code for the GRE is 0966.

What other qualities are considered in the application process?
The HSU PT program strives to build leaders who are committed to service. Therefore, specific questions on the PTCAS related to Leadership and Service (community, school, church, etc.) are important in the selection process. Other factors include a personal on-campus interview, your prerequisite & overall GPA, GRE scores, personal skills/talents, shadowing, and academic record of success.

Does graduation from this program guarantee I will be able to work in Texas or other U.S. states?
Graduation from this CAPTE accredited program allows you to sit for the National Physical Therapy Examination (required passage for licensure in all states) and subsequently apply for licensure in Texas and all 50 states.  Each state has different licensure requirements.

What is one thing that makes HSU PT unique from other DPT programs? HSU PT is the only PT program in the country to work with Joni & Friends in their Family Retreat and Wheels for the World programs.  The HSU PT curriculum is very service-oriented.  The link below tells of a local community outreach program relevant to physical therapy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlZw6lCd_Os

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Hardin-Simmons University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia  22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If you need to contact the program/institution directly, please call 325-670-5860 or email ptoffice@hsutx.edu.