https://www.wssu.edu/academics/colleges-and-departments/school-of-health-sciences/department-of-physical-therapy/program-description.html
Winston-Salem State University's Department of Physical Therapy serves the people of North Carolina and the nation by providing an entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT). The Department is committed to providing an integrative education program that is well-grounded in the basic, social and clinical sciences in order to produce competent and compassionate clinicians who are skilled in the areas of critical thinking and inquiry, clinical problem-solving, research, education, management, and treatment delivery to address health disparities. This innovative and unique 121 semester-hour program incorporates applied learning techniques across the curriculum using human patient simulation housed in a virtual hospital, full functioning simulation experiences, and student-directed community clinic learning labs supervised by program faculty. Students also have access to a state-of-the-art Human Movement and Biodynamics Lab that provides opportunities for faculty and student research. Exposure to research opportunities is integral to our program. Our mission is to increase diversity within the field of physical therapy through the recruitment and development of students from different backgrounds.The diverse faculty of the WSSU Department of Physical Therapy envision a program that provides students with the educational and experiential foundation to practice physical therapy in a proactive, competent, ethical, and compassionate manner. Primary values inherent within the curriculum, modeled by the faculty and staff, and developed within the students, include integrity, dedication, responsibility, leadership, accountability, wisdom, commitment to personal and professional growth, and willingness to serve a diverse society. The DPT degree will prepare graduates to deliver both primary and interdisciplinary health care to diverse populations within a variety of practice settings and health-care delivery systems. The rigorous 36-month program challenges and develops students year-round. A new class is admitted each January, while our strongly recruited seniors graduate in December of year three. Clinical experiences at over 200 affiliated sites are interspersed throughout the curriculum. Students spend approximately 34 weeks at several different clinical sites under the direct supervision of highly experienced and dynamic clinical instructors.
Applicants who meet the minimum GRE and GPA requirements will be required to purchase and complete the CASPer online assessment, a situational judgment test that assesses non-academic attributes (your people skills). If you meet the GRE and GPA requirements, please register to complete the assessment by clicking on the link below:
https://account.takealtus.com/signin
You may take the CASPer assessment prior to completing the application. You are responsible for paying all assessment fees directly to Altus Assessments, who administers the CASPer, which include a $40.00 base fee, and an additional fee of $12.00 per each program to which you transmit your results. The CASPer consists of 12 sections and takes between 60-90 minutes to complete, and you can take the CASPer from virtually anywhere you have internet access. You can learn more about CASPer by visiting their website at: https://takecasper.com/about-casper/.
Changes due to COVID-19 and applicable for the coming application cycle 2022:
1. Observation hours: while we do encourage observation hours from a variety of clinical settings, we recognize the challenge this may pose to many applicants due to COVID-19. Please report all observation hours and settings as completed, however, we will accept applications with no observation hours.
2. Letters of Recommendation: While we encourage receipt of a letter of recommendation from a physical therapist, we recognize the difficulty this may present for many because of the current pandemic. If you are unable to receive an endorsement from a physical therapist, we will accept a second letter of recommendation from another professor within or outside of your major.
WSSU has a DPT/MHA Early Assurance Program for qualified DPT students who also wish to obtain a degree in healthcare administration. Students apply for, and begin courses in, the MHA program while in the 3rd year of the DPT program. Completion of the MHA requires one additional year after graduation from the DPT program. This program is limited to no more than five students per year.
Deposit is applied toward the first semester's tuition. Deposit due date is based upon the date of the seat offer. Once the seat offer is extended the seat deposit is due within 2 weeks of the seat offer date.
WSSU has an Early Assurance program for WSSU undergraduates which is available after their Sophomore year. Applicants must meet specific academic requirements and will participate in an interview.