2019-20 Applicants

Samford University

This page is intended for college transfer students and graduates ONLY. High school students MUST contact the institution directly for information about the guaranteed freshman-entry program. Do not apply using PTCAS.

Program Information

Contact Information more...

Marian Carter, Ed.D.
Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management & Student Services
800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham AL, 35229
(205) 726-2611
(205) 726-2619
mwcarter@samford.edu

General Information
PT program start date for entering class
05/20/2020
Institution's religious affiliation
Baptist
 

Incoming Class Profile
Size of most recent entering class
36
Anticipated size of next entering class
35
% of Class Taken via Early Decision Process
5%

Program Description more...

COMPASSION. MOVEMENT. TEAMWORK.

Physical therapy, like many disciplines within health care, is often a calling for the strongest professionals. It’s fueled by a compelling desire to make the lives of others better. Physical therapy has long been a critical component to effective health care, because movement is essential to human well-being.

Like most programs, our Doctor of Physical Therapy is a three-year program. There is a heavy emphasis on the sciences so that you have the foundational knowledge you need to make evidence-based clinical decisions for your patients and their families. You will work in a variety of clinical settings to ensure that you have the broadest experience possible to help you find your ultimate calling.

There are three aspects to our program that will define your experience here:

* You will learn and work as part of a team. Health care, today, is more and more delivered by teams of professionals from different disciplines working in collaboration. This is how you will learn at Samford. You will work in collaboration with people from different programs, from nursing to pharmacy, nutrition to kinesiology.

* You will learn using the most advanced technology. Lectures, labs and clinical experiences will utilize apps for education and support while providing care. You'll leave our program prepared to use current and developing technologies to work with your patients in your professional environment.

* Service is central to everything we do. We believe that we are all called to serve, to use our skills and knowledge to make the lives of people better in communities and home and around the world.

Our mission is to help you become a life-long learner — to help you develop the knowledge, skills and experience you need to effectively answer the calling of your life. Your knowledge will be grounded in science, and your motivations powered by compassion.

Effective May 2, 2018, Samford University has been granted Full Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314, phone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org).

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
PTCAS application deadline
10/01/2019
Deadline type
Firm
Program has rolling admissions process?
No
Important dates

Early Decision
Program participates in PTCAS Early Decision?
Yes
Special eligibility requirements for Early Decision candidates
Early decision candidates must have ALL application materials submitted to PTCAS before the August 15th deadline. Early decision candidates must also have a minimum GPA of 3.5. This includes:

1) Application submitted to PTCAS
2) An official transcript from every university or college attended must be submitted to PTCAS
3) GRE scores submitted to PTCAS (GRE code: 1688)
4) All 3 references submitted to PTCAS

Deposits

Deposits
Deposit Required
Yes
Deposit Amount Required for Accepted Applicants
$1000.00
Additional Information about Deposit
The deposit is non-refundable and is credited to the first semester tuition.
Due Date of First Required Deposit
01/15/2020

Requirements

Interviews
Program conducts interviews as part of the admissions process?
Yes
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GPA

GPA Scores
MINIMUM GPA Score
AVERAGE GPA score for accepted students
Overall Undergraduate Cumulative
3.00
3.50
Program-specific Prerequisite
3.00
3.50
 

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Is GRE Required?
Yes
Program's PTCAS GRE code
1688
Last acceptable GRE test date for this cycle
10/25/2019
Oldest GRE test date considered for this cycle
10/25/2014
Additional information about program's GRE requirements
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) within the past 5 years with minimum scores:

Preferred score: Combined 297

Submit Scores to PTCAS, Samford Code: 1688

Observation Hours
 
The program expects to see applicants spend at least a day and a half (10 hours) in 3 different settings, observing diverse patient populations (total = 30 hours +). An example of this would be 3 half days in a children's hospital outpatient center; 1 and 1/2 days in skilled nursing facility; 1 long day with a PT seeing patients with sports injuries in the clinic, then also on the athletic field later in the evening. The goal of these 30 hours should be to observe the most different practice settings so that the applicant can reflect on the different roles a PT professional can serve.
Program's PT hours requirement
PT hours are required - no verification by a physical therapist
Total number of PT hours REQUIRED
30
Paid
Not accepted
Volunteer
Required
Inpatient
Required
Outpatient
Required

Supplemental/Upload Requirements
Supplemental FEE required?
No
Supplemental fee amount
$0.00
Supplemental APPLICATION required?
Yes
Supplemental MATERIALS required?
No
Description of supplemental requirements
Samford University requires a supplemental application. The link to this application will be sent once the PTCAS application has been submitted.
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Applicant must send one reference from this SPECIFIC type of evaluator
Applicant must send reference from ONE OR MORE evaluators in category to fulfill program's requirements
Evaluator type ACCEPTED
Evaluator type NOT accepted

Evaluator Types
Physical Therapist
Physical Therapist (additional)
Professor in Major
Professor
Academic
Supervisor/Employer
Teaching Assistant
PTA
Pre-PT Advisor
Politician
Health Care Professional
Friend
Family Member
Co-worker
Clergy
Other
Number of references required by program
3
Additional information about program's reference requirements
Three letters of reference are required. The three required references should be from:

1) Current or previous professor,

2) Work supervisor and

3) A physical therapist.

Foreign Applicants and Transcripts
Citizenship types eligible for admission U.S. citizens
  • U.S. citizens
  • U.S. permanent residents
  • Canadian citizens
  • Foreign (non-U.S.) citizens with a visa
Non-native speakers must submit official TOEFL scores?
Yes
Program policy for non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework
Send WES foreign transcript evaluation to PTCAS
Program policy for CANADIAN coursework
  • Send WES foreign evaluation for Canadian courses to PTCAS
Additional information about program's policy on foreign coursework
Foreign transcript evaluation and English translation is required. Please visit the PTCAS website to determine which transcript evaluation services are accepted. All foreign transcript evaluation reports should be sent directly to PTCAS.

Course Prerequisites

After you select the program and enter your coursework on the application, you may be required to match your courses to the program's course prerequisites in the "Prerequisites" tab of the "Program Materials" section.
General information
Please note – no course may be used to satisfy more than one pre-requisite.
Bachelor's degree required prior to matriculation into PT program?
Yes
Anatomy and/or Physiology (A&P) course prerequisites MUST be completed in biology, neuroscience, anatomy, or integrated physiology department
Yes
Link to program's prerequisite instructions
https://www.samford.edu/healthprofessions/doctor-of-physical-therapy
Anatomy & Physiology I
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 4.0
QH: 6.0
Acceptable Courses
  • A&P: COMBINED Course (eg, A&P)
  • A&P: Neuroanatomy
  • A&P: Neurophysiology
  • A&P: Pathophysiology
  • A&P: Physiology
  • A&P: Vertebrate
  • A&P: SEPARATE courses
  • A&P: Advanced
  • A&P: Comparative
  • A&P: Exercise Physiology
  • A&P: Human
  • A&P: Mammalian
Anatomy & Physiology II
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 4.0
QH: 6.0
Acceptable Courses
  • A&P: COMBINED Course (eg, A&P)
  • A&P: Physiology
  • A&P: SEPARATE courses
  • A&P: Advanced
Biology I
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 4.0
QH: 6.0
Acceptable Courses
  • Biology: Advanced
  • Biology: Cell
  • Biology: Embryology
  • Biology: General I
  • Biology: General II
  • Biology: General
  • Biology: Genetics
  • Biology: Histology
  • Biology: Immunology
  • Biology: Microbiology
  • Biology: Molecular
  • Biology: Zoology
Biology II
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 4.0
QH: 6.0
Acceptable Courses
  • Biology: Advanced
  • Biology: Cell
  • Biology: Embryology
  • Biology: General I
  • Biology: General II
  • Biology: General
  • Biology: Genetics
  • Biology: Histology
  • Biology: Immunology
  • Biology: Microbiology
  • Biology: Molecular
  • Biology: Zoology
Chemistry I
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 4.0
QH: 6.0
Acceptable Courses
  • Chemistry: Advanced
  • Chemistry: Biochemistry
  • Chemistry: Inorganic
  • Chemistry: Organic
  • Chemistry I
Chemistry II
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 4.0
QH: 6.0
Acceptable Courses
  • Chemistry: Advanced
  • Chemistry: Biochemistry
  • Chemistry: Inorganic
  • Chemistry: Organic
  • Chemistry II
Physics I
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 4.0
QH: 6.0
Acceptable Courses
  • Physics I
Physics II
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 4.0
QH: 6.0
Acceptable Courses
  • Physics II
Pre-Calculus
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 3.0
Acceptable Courses
Psychology
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 3.0
Acceptable Courses
  • Psychology: Any
Statistics
Course Level
General or College
Lab Required
Required
Credits
SH: 3.0
QH: 5.0
Acceptable Courses
  • Biology: Biostatistics
  • Business: Statistics
  • Mathematics: Statistics
  • Psychology: Statistics