Exercise Physiology

Physical Therapy Accelerated Bachelor's to Doctorate Program

The Accelerated Bachelor's to Doctorate provides a pathway for well-qualified WVU Exercise Physiology (EXPH) students to enter the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program early and complete both their undergraduate and professional degrees within six years.

Questions? Contact Timmy Eads, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Enrollment Management. 

Early Admission (Entering First-Time Freshmen)

To be eligible for early admission to the accelerated program, you must: 

  • Be admitted to WVU as an Exercise Physiology major.
  • Have a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher.
  • Place directly into CHEM 115 (Fundamentals of Chemistry), with a minimum ACT Math score of 26 or SAT Math score of 610.

First-time freshmen admitted via the early admission pathway must maintain the standards described below in order to continue into the accelerated program after completing a minimum of 60 credits. 

Student Expectations

Early admission students wishing to continue in the accelerated program must: 

  1. Complete all prerequisite coursework with a minimum grade of C prior to beginning Physical Therapy (PT) coursework (typically following the end of the spring semester, year 3):
    • BIOL 115/L and BIOL 117/L (8 hours)
    • CHEM 115/L and CHEM 116/L (8 hours)
    • PHYS 101/L and PHYS 102/L (8 hours)
    • STAT 211 (3 hours)
    • PSYC 101 (3 hours)
    • PSYC 241 (3 hours)
    • EXPH 440 (3 hours)
    • PSIO 441 (4 hours)
  2. Achieve both an overall and prerequisite GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Additional admission criteria (e.g., GRE, clinical observation, letters of recommendation) may be required if in effect for the DPT at the time of application.

Students are expected to remain in compliance with all Exercise Physiology policies and procedures during the undergraduate portion of the program, and with all Physical Therapy policies and procedures during the professional portion. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 in both undergraduate and professional courses throughout their enrollment. Eligibility to remain in the accelerated program will be evaluated at the end of each semester, and students may be placed on program probation for no more than one semester (with program dismissal following for students who do not return to good standing after one semester of program probation).

Curriculum

Students completing the EXPH to DPT accelerated program will typically begin taking professional Physical Therapy coursework during the summer after their third year. Course descriptions are available via the West Virginia University Academic Catalog (Undergraduate and Graduate).

A suggested plan of study is available here, but some variation may occur for students who apply dual enrollment credits. Students should work closely with their undergraduate advisor to ensure on-time progression.

Student Classification and Tuition

Typically, students will be classified as undergraduate students for 3.5 years of the accelerated program (through fall of their fourth year). They will be charged undergraduate tuition rates for as long as they are classified as undergraduates, regardless of whether they are taking undergraduate or graduate/professional courses. During the time they are classified as undergraduates, financial aid and/or scholarships that are only available to undergraduates will apply - but once a student is converted to graduate/professional status, they will be charged at the appropriate graduate tuition rate and will no longer be able to apply undergraduate financial aid or scholarships.