Accelerated BS Kinesiology/Doctor of Physical Therapy

BSK & DPT

BS Kinesiology

• Kinesiology is the scientific study of human movement and the program at UWM provides undergraduate students with excellent foundational education for continuation in the DPT portion of the accelerated program.
• You will work with nationally recognized experts who conduct breakthrough scientific research in a wide variety of areas.
• The Kinesiology core requirements provide the basic theory and science of human movement, while the laboratory and hands-on experiential courses provide skills and encourage professional development.
• You will gain knowledge across multiple disciplines of the human movement sciences including: exercise physiology, biomechanics, motor learning and development, and psychosocial aspects of movement. This multidisciplinary approach provides valuable preparation for working with patients.
  

Doctor of Physical Therapy

• As the only public Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the greater Milwaukee area, we offer an urban, research-intensive experience at a fraction of the cost of private schools.
• UWM DPT class sizes are some of the smallest in the state, guaranteeing you personalized attention from our award-winning faculty
• You’ll be gaining experience in the community by your second week of class — much earlier than you find with other physical therapy programs.
• One hundred percent of our students are employed within six months of passing the licensing exam. See our graduation rates, licensure exam pass rates and employment rates (PDF).
• UWM is a research-intensive university, and as such, you will have the opportunity to participate in leading-edge, faculty-mentored research as a part of the curriculum with additional opportunities for those interested. 

Related Programs

• Trauma Informed Care, Graduate Certificate
• Health Sciences, PhD
• Applied Gerontology, Graduate Certificate
• Pre-Physical Therapy
• Physical Therapy, DPT
• Kinesiology, MS
• Rehabilitation Science & Technology, MS

Application Process

Freshman admission

There are no additional program admission requirements for incoming freshman or international students.

Professional Phase Admission

Admission to the Graduate School and the professional phase of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program is selective and occurs by August 15th, the summer between your sophomore and junior year with a start date in the program of May the following year. Based on the DPT Program’s accreditation, each cohort cannot exceed 36 students, thus no more than 36 students can be accepted via this accelerated mechanism per year. Meeting the requirements outlined below does not guarantee admission into the DPT Program.

Qualified participants in the accelerated BSK-DPT degree program would be reviewed before applications from the general admissions cycle, ensuring priority admissions review. The DPT Program Admissions and Academic Standards Committee will use the same holistic review process for accelerated degree candidates as is applied to other candidates in the typical admissions cycle, taking into consideration the quality of essays and lived experiences, authentic commitment to research/leadership/community service, academic performance, and the strength of the letters of reference.

To be considered for admission to the professional phase of the accelerated degree program, students must meet the following requirements:

1. Essays as indicated in the application package (provided on request to PT-program@uwm.edu no earlier than April 15^th prior to applying)
2. Overall GPA: 3.3 (and offer would be contingent on maintaining GPA over junior year)
3. Pre-requisite GPA: 3.3 (and no lower than a B in any pre-requisite class, including those taken in the junior year)
4. 15 hours / year of service, leadership, research and/or clinical experience (30 hours total)
5. An academic and a professional letter of reference.

Special considerations for accelerated degree applicants include:

1. AP classes need to meet UWM requirements to be accepted for pre-requisites
2. NO GRE scores are required
3. Students will apply directly to the Program and will not apply through PTCAS (a centralized admissions website used for the typical admissions window)
4. Application to the Graduate School will be completed following an affirmative decision by the DPT Program Admissions and Academic Standards Committee in the spring of their junior year

Students who are not accepted into the professional phase:

Students who are not selected for the accelerated Doctor of Physical Therapy professional phase by August 15th, the summer between sophomore and junior year or don’t meet expectations during their junior year (3.3 overall and pre-requisite GPA, B or better in pre-requisite courses, service/leadership/research/clinical experiences), would be able to complete their BSK degree at UWM and apply to the UWM DPT program in the regular cycle via PTCAS.

Specific situations for BSK degree completion for a student who is not accepted into the program, dismissed from the BSK/DPT accelerated program, or elects to leave the professional phase of the Doctor of Physical Therapy training program are listed below in the table.

Classes available for shared credit

The total credits of the Doctorate of Physical Therapy = 106.

The total credits for the BS Kinesiology = 120.

This accelerated degree program will utilize backward-shared credits, a total of 27 credits will be reverse transferred back to the BSK for completion of the undergraduate degree. No forward-shared credits will be applied.

Table 1: Possible graduate level classes completed, backward-shared towards BS Kinesiology

Table 2: Sample curriculum plan for undergraduate years of the accelerated BS in Kinesiology

Table 3: Curriculum plan for professional phase.

*Graduate level courses that will be counted backwards toward the BS in Kinesiology

Future Students

If you have questions about pursuing this accelerated degree program, you are encouraged to seek advising from Torry Rufer (tjrufer@uwm.edu), the Kinesiology/pre-physical therapy advisor in the Zilber College of Public Health. We encourage you to carefully review the information packet (PDF) prior to scheduling an advising appointment.

Questions regarding financial aid for the undergraduate component of the accelerated degree program should be directed to the UWM Department of Financial Aid. Undergraduate students qualify for grants (i.e. federal Pell grant, state grants, etc.) and subsidized loans. For the graduate portion of program, students should still complete the FAFSA as they qualify for unsubsidized loans as well as scholarships/fellowships/etc. (It is important to note that graduate students do not qualify for federal Pell or state grants).

Previously unsuccessful applicants who intend to apply to the next admissions cycle through the conventional process can meet with a faculty member in the program to generally discuss their situation by emailing pt-program@uwm.edu.

Physical Therapy Faculty

Carlynn A. Alt, PT, PhD

• Clinical Professor, Physical Therapy

• altc@uwm.edu
• 414-251-7988
• Pavilion 362

Alyssa Betances, PT, DPT, NCS

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy Program

• betancea@uwm.edu
• 414-251-8728
• Pavilion 381

Ann Dietrich, PT, MS, DPT

• Clinical Associate Professor Emerita, Physical Therapy

• dietrica@uwm.edu

Melissa Dygulski, PT, DPT, NCS

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy Program

• mdygulsk@uwm.edu
• 414-251-6205
• Pavilion 379

Kyle T. Ebersole, PhD, LAT

• Professor, Athletic Training, Physical Therapy

• ebersole@uwm.edu
• 414-229-6717
• Pavilion 364

Lauren Hogan, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC, FAAOMPT

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy

• hoganln@uwm.edu
• 414-251-7711
• Pavilion 374

Wendy E. Huddleston, PT, PhD

• Associate Professor, Physical Therapy
• Director, Physical Therapy

• huddlest@uwm.edu
• 414-251-9336
• Pavilion 360

Renee Mazurek, PT, DHSc, DPT

• Clinical Associate Professor, Physical Therapy
• Assistant Director of Clinical Education,, Physical Therapy
• Director of Admissions, Physical Therapy

• mazurekr@uwm.edu
• 414-229-1741
• Pavilion 361

Victoria A. Moerchen, PT, PhD

• Associate Professor, Physical Therapy
• Associate Dean, Graduate School

• moerchev@uwm.edu
• 414-251-9316
• Pavilion 366

Summer Ostrowski, PhD

• Clinical Associate Professor, Physical Therapy
• Anatomy Laboratory Director

• ostrowsk@uwm.edu
• 414-251-5709
• Pavilion 374

Lauren K. Sara, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS

• Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy
• Orthopaedic Certified Specialist

• lsara@uwm.edu
• 414-251-5855
• Pavilion 359

Stephanie J. Schrader, PT, DPT

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy
• Director of Clinical Education, Physical Therapy

• schrades@uwm.edu
• 414-251-8146
• Pavilion 363

Hannah Schroeder

• Administrative Assistant II

• schro466@uwm.edu
• 414-251-8433
• Pavilion 350A

Lori Woodburn

• Administrative Assistant II, Physical Therapy

• woodburn@uwm.edu
• 414-251-5797
• Pavilion 381

Kinesiology Faculty

• Chris C. Cho, MS, Associate Researcher, Statistician
• Stephen C. Cobb, PhD, ATC, CSCS, Associate Professor, Kinesiology
• Christy Greenleaf, PhD, Professor, Kinesiology, Program Director, BS Kinesiology, ACSM Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist
• Kevin Keenan, PhD, Associate Professor, Kinesiology
• Sara Luelloff, MS, Assistant Clinical Professor, Kinesiology & Program Director, FitWell
• Kristian O’Connor, PhD, Professor, UWM Associate Vice Provost for Research
• Carter Schmitz, MS, CSCS, TPI, Clinical Assistant Professor
• Scott J. Strath, PhD, ACSM Fellow, Professor, Kinesiology Graduate Program Director
• Ann M. Swartz, PhD, FACSM, Professor, Kinesiology
• Jinsung Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, Kinesiology

Adjunct Faculty

• Megan Berezowitz, PT, DPT, OCS, Clinical Laboratory Instructor
• Blair Bundy, PT, Affiliate Clinical Assistant Professor
• Kaitie Hughes, PT, DPT, Clinical Laboratory Instructor
• Ashley Larson, PT, DPT, Clinical Laboratory Instructor
• Caitlin Loduha, PT, DPT, Clinical Laboratory Instructor
• Mark Lydecker, PT, MPT, ATC, OCS, Affiliate Clinical Assistant Professor
• Connie Kittleson, PT, DPT, Affiliate Clinical Assistant Professor
• Chris Kowalski, PT, Affiliate Clinical Assistant Professor
• Sarah Meuller, PT, DPT, Clinical Laboratory Instructor
• Renee Moldenhauer, PT, DPT, CHT, Affiliate Clinical Assistant Professor
• Abby Nowakowski, PT, DPT, Orthopedic Resident 2024-2025
• Sam Park, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, CMTPT, Affiliate Clinical Assistant Professor
• Cydney Reilly, PT, DPT, CCS, Clinical Laboratory Instructor
• Sam Tyriver, PT, DPT, Clinical Laboratory Instructor
• Michael Waller, PT, DPT, OCS, Affiliate Clinical Assistant Professor