Tennessee State University Physical Therapy Department
3500 John A Merritt Boulevard Nashville TN 37209 United States
Phone+1 615.963.5881
Phone 2 +1 615.963.5946
Public
CAPTE Accredited
Supplemental Requirements
Supplemental FEE required?
Yes
Supplemental fee amount
$35
Supplemental APPLICATION required?
No
Supplemental MATERIALS required?
Yes
Description of supplemental materials required
There are TWO Supplemental Materials REQUIRED: We will NOT review your application until these materials are submitted as described below:

1.  Must pay $35 TSU Graduate School fee: pay at this link: http://www.tnstate.edu/graduate/pay.aspx/#top 

2.  You are REQUIRED to complete and submit the "Pre-requisite Course and Calculation Table".

Pre-requisite Course Calculation Chart: Be sure to download the chart from the resources area of our directory page ,complete, and upload the "Pre-requisite Course Calculation Chart" into the document Section of PTCAS application. 

When responding to TSU's school-specific question #2, please visit the resources area of our page to download the Essential Functions document.  
Supplemental forms and materials required by program - item 1
Payment of Graduate School Application Fee: http://www.tnstate.edu/graduate/pay.aspx/#top
Supplemental forms and materials required by program - item 2
Pre-requisite Course Calculation Chart: To be downloaded by the applicant. The chart can be found in the resources area of our page.
Document upload requirements
* NOTE: To upload your form, please ensure you save your completed excel as a pdf or another acceptable file type and upload when instructed on your PTCAS application.  All accepted file types can be found in the document uploads section of your application.

* The "Pre-requisite Course Calculation Chart" must be uploaded with your application prior to submission.  Please visit the resources area of our PTCAS Directory page to download the form.  Applicants are required to upload the completed form where instructed on the PTCAS application.  

* In addition, students are required to pay the TSU Graduate Fee of $35.00: http://www.tnstate.edu/graduate/pay.aspx/#top in order to complete the application process.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Is GRE Required?
Yes
Your program's GRE codes
Program's PTCAS GRE code
7759
Additional information about program's GRE requirements
We do not review applications without a GRE score. We will accept the home GRE results.  If you take the GRE near the Oct 1 deadline, you can self report your score on the application as an option while waiting for your official scores to arrive and be uploaded with your application. 

Our program requires a score of 150 for the Verbal section and 150 for the Quantitative section; we do not consider the combined score. Applicants who meet the minimum GRE score for one section (but not the other) may still apply. However, preference will be given to candidates who meet the minimum scores for both sections.

We will accept the highest score for each section (Super Score) if the GRE is taken more than once. The number of times you have taken the GRE will not be held against you.

Submit your official GRE scores to code #7759 for the "Tennessee St U Phys Therapy". GRE scores for code #7759 will automatically be sent to PTCAS. Do NOT send your GRE scores to the main university or graduate admissions code.
Minimum and average GRE scores
Verbal reasoning scaled score
150
153
Quantitative reasoning scaled score
150
152
Reference Requirements
Physical Therapist-1
Applicant must send one reference from this specific type of evaluator
Physical Therapist-2
Evaluator type accepted
Professor in Major
Evaluator type accepted
Professor
Evaluator type accepted
Academic
Evaluator type accepted
Supervisor/Employer
Evaluator type accepted
Teaching Assistant
Evaluator type accepted
PTA
Evaluator type accepted
Pre-PT Advisor
Evaluator type accepted
Politician
Evaluator type not accepted
Health Care Professional
Evaluator type accepted
Friend
Evaluator type not accepted
Family Member
Evaluator type not accepted
Co-worker
Evaluator type accepted
Clergy
Evaluator type accepted
Other
Evaluator type accepted
Number of references required by program
2
Additional information about program's reference requirements
- TWO References are REQUIRED. 

- One Reference must be from a Physical Therapist. 

- References must be submitted prior for application to be considered complete

- References MUST be from someone who can speak to the following qualities of the candidate. Persons providing a recommendation must honestly score the following qualities on the PTCAS Reference Page. If the reference cannot score a particular quality, he/she must select N/A.

* Commitment to Learning 
* Interpersonal Skills 
* Communication Skills
* Effective Use of Time
* Use of Constructive Feedback 
* Ethical and Professional Behavior 
* Responsibility
* Critical Thinking 
* Stress Management 
* Problem Solving
* Leadership

- It is REQUIRED that the person submitting a reference do so via the PTCAS system. 

- We will not accept letters of support sent directly to our department.

-  References must be submitted prior for application to be considered complete
PT Observation Hours
Information about your PT requirements
OBSERVATION Hours and COVID: 
We are aware that finding places to complete observation hours requirements are difficult, if not impossible due to COVID 19 pandemic. You may apply with the hours you have completed by application deadline of October 1. 

If accepted into our program and have observation hours to complete, you will be accepted under a CONDITIONAL basis and have the Fall/Spring semesters to complete them prior to starting the PT program in Summer. 

Documented observation in at least two different physical therapy clinical settings. A combined total of 40 hours is required. Settings may include acute, long-term rehabilitation, outpatient, skilled nursing facility, and/or home health. Your observation hours must be documented in your PTCAS application.

Any combination of hours in the settings is acceptable (i.e. 30 inpatient, 10 home health). It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you get more than the required amount of exposure, in as many settings as possible, and to interview Physical Therapists (PT) to learn as much as possible about the profession and the health care system. This will be of great benefit to you in making the decision to be a physical therapist. Knowledge of the profession from numerous experiences may also help your performance in the interview process, if you are invited for an interview.
Program's PT hours requirement
PT hours are required - a licensed PT must verify hours w/ signed form uploaded or online via PTCAS
Total number of PT Hours REQUIRED
40
Total number of PT Hours RECOMMENDED
As many hours in as many settings as possible
Paid
Accepted/Considered
Volunteer
Accepted/Considered
Inpatient
Accepted/Considered
Outpatient
Accepted/Considered
GPA Requirements
Program-specific prerequisite
3.00
3.4
Additional information about program's GPA requirements
A minimum of a 3.0 pre-requisite GPA is required for your application to be considered. The pre-requisite GPA will be based on the highest grade earned.  If a course was taken more than once, only report the one with the highest grade.

If you are not sure that a course will be accepted as a pre-requisite or substitution, please email  Dr. David A. Lehman at dlehman@tnstate.edu. Questionable pre-requisite courses will be either approved or denied by the Admissions Committee.

It is recommended that science courses be considered by the institution as courses acceptable for Science majors, Health Science majors, or pre-PT (pre-Med) majors. If your institution only offers Introduction courses, you will be required to have them approved as being equivalent to the General course (i.e. Introduction to Biology is equivalent to General Biology I). If your university offers General Science courses and Introductory Science courses, take the General Science courses as pre-requisites.

Pre-requisites from regionally accredited community colleges, 4-year universities, and online courses ARE accepted.
Background Checks
Background check required prior to matriculation.
Yes
Program participates in PTCAS Background Check process through Certiphi Screening.
Not sure at this time - Please send more information
International Students
Program considers Canadian coursework?
Yes
CanadianTranscriptsDictionary
Send original Canadian transcript to PTCAS (recommended), Send WES foreign evaluation for Canadian courses to PTCAS
Program policy for non-U.S. (foreign/international) coursework
Send WES foreign transcript evaluation to PTCAS (recommended)
Are non-native English Speakers required to submit TOEFL scores?
Yes
Citizenship requirements
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
Additional information about program's policy on foreign coursework
Applicants with international undergraduate degrees should consult the appropriate sections of the TSU Graduate Catalog for International Admission Procedures. Information may be found at: http://www.tnstate.edu/graduate/internationalstudentadmission.aspx Once the TSU Graduate School approves your undergraduate degree, you must submit your WES course evaluation to the Physical Therapy department if you wish for any courses taken outside the US to be approved as pre-requisite courses.