Overview of the Physical Therapy Program at UND

The physical therapy program at UND was established in 1967, and was first accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association in 1970. The Department of Physical Therapy offers a six year curriculum leading to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree. Acceptance into the program is on a competitive basis, with the major determinant being the basic science grade point average. At present, the Physical Therapy program accepts 48 students per year. Although it varies from year to year, we generally have between 100 and 125 eligible candidates applying.

The Physical Therapy program at UND is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association, 1111 North Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone: 703-706-3245; e:mail: accreditation@apta.org; website: www.capteonline.org.

Information regarding accredited physical therapy programs and accreditation status can be found under Education on the American Physical Therapy Association website. For information regarding the accreditation process contact the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education website.

The Physical Therapy Department has eleven full-time faculty and four staff members. All of the faculty members are registered physical therapists with graduate training. Along with their teaching responsibilities, faculty members are involved in a combination of clinical practice, service and research activities. The Physical Therapy Department is a separate department within the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The Physical Therapy Department contains the student classrooms, a laboratory area, a research facility, as well as study areas and a lounge for the students' use. The faculty are involved in research activities including motion analysis, electromyography, balance testing and training, muscle strengthening, ergonomics, electrical stimulation, functional outcomes, pediatric intervention, and physical therapy intervention efficacies. As part of the curriculum, students are given the opportunity to carry out their own research activities. At present, there approximate 300 clinical sites, the majority of which lie outside the greater Grand Forks area.

Curriculum Overview

The Department of Physical Therapy offers the clinically oriented, entry level Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree. The first three years of the curriculum are considered to be pre-physical therapy (pre-professional). The professional component of the D.P.T. requires three academic years and two summer sessions following completion of the 90 credit pre-physical therapy entrance requirement. Before a student can make application into the professional program, all of the coursework listed for the pre-physical Therapy portion must be completed or underway. Once that coursework is near completion, the student must make application for the professional program through the Department of Physical Therapy. WICHE eligible students must apply through the WICHE certification process. Alaska students should contact the Physical Therapy Department and the Alaska WICHE office.

Admission Requirements

1. Acceptance is on a competitive basis, with the major determinant being the basic science grade point average.  The basic science GPA is defined as: biology (8 semester credits), chemistry (8 semester credits), physics (8 semester credits), anatomy (3 semester credits), physiology (4 semester credits), and psychology (7 semester credits). The average science GPA of the accepted students is about 3.50.

Changes to Admissions (approved on July 13, 2011)
Changes effective for Spring 2012 admissions: 

• The Science GPA will be most important but cumulative GPA will also be considered.
• All retakes must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the admission year to be computed in the SGPA.  If a student is retaking a course during the spring semester of the year they are applying then the original grade will be used to compute the science GPA rather than our old policy of not having a grade for that particular course.

Changes effective for Spring 2013 admissions:

• A student will be allowed two retakes or replacements (as per departmental approved list) maximum and the student will select the retakes to be incorporated in SGPA

  2. Reference letters, a personal interview, and other personal qualifications are also considered prior to final acceptance.  Prospective students are expected to complete at least 60 hours of observation prior to admission, 40 of which must be with a physical therapist..

  3. Acceptance by the UND Graduate School does not constitute acceptance into the professional program in Physical Therapy.

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

The Physical Therapy program does not require a bachelor's degree for admission.
We do require at least 90 credits, and 20 of those credits must be taken within a
specific discipline or area of concentration. At least 8 of the 20 credits must be from
upper level (i.e. 300 and/or 400 numbers) courses. All students entering the professional
program enter the Graduate School at the beginning of the first professional year. .

Professional Degree Requirements

1. The professional education component of the D.P.T. requires three academic years and two summer sessions following completion of the pre-physical therapy entrance requirements.

2.  No student will be allowed to remain in the program or complete the full-time clinical experiences unless he/she attains a letter grade of at least “C” in the major courses. Once the student is admitted to the Graduate School they must maintain a 3.0 GPA in all of the professional coursework.

3. Students in the professional program should be aware that there are special requirements for clinical uniforms, professional liability insurance, medical insurance, a current immunization record, and CPR certification.  These requirements must be met prior to any clinical contact with patients.  In addition, a criminal background check is required prior to starting the professional program. The student will also be responsible for travel, housing, and food costs, in addition to the payment of tuition, during the full-time clinical experience semesters.  The majority these experiences will be completed at geographical locations other than the City of Grand Forks. 

4. The faculty reserves the right to place on professional probation or to cancel the registration of any student in Physical Therapy whose performance in the classroom or the clinic is unsatisfactory.

Tuition and Fees

The Physical Therapy Professional Program yearly tuition and fees for 2009-10 (includes fall, spring, and summer sessions) are:

North Dakota Resident $15,248

Minnesota Reciprocity $15,248

Non-Resident $20,411

Student Outcomes

The pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Examination has been above average for the first time test takers. In 2008, the UND PT first time pass rate was 95% compared to the national average of 88%, for that year. The ultimate pass rate (percentage of students eventually passing the exam) is 100%. NPTE examination and pass rate information can be found at the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy website.