Doctor of Physical Therapy

DPT

• 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.
• Our class size is one 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. 
• The Doctor of Physical Therapy program has partnered with the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Hospital to offer a post graduate orthopedic residency program allowing you the opportunities to develop specialized clinical skills with board-certified orthopedic master clinicians and to provide unique teaching experiences. Successful completion of the one-year residency allows you to sit for American Physical Therapy Association board specialist certification.

Related Programs

• Trauma Informed Care, Graduate Certificate
• Health Sciences, PhD
• Pre-Physical Therapy

Application Process

To apply to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, you must submit all application materials through the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). We do not accept paper applications, nor will incomplete applications be reviewed by the Selection Committee.

Applications through PTCAS are due by:

• Early Priority Admission phase: applications are due by August 15^th of each year. Competitive applicants who have weighed their options for physical therapy education and have decided UWM is their top choice are encouraged to apply by the early priority deadline.
• Rolling Admission phase: applications are due by November 1^st of each year. Applications in the rolling admission phase will be reviewed and decisions made throughout this phase until the class is full. The program will retain a waitlist for strong applicants who do not receive an offer, which will be active until May 1^st.

Applicants should review the exact deadline dates on PTCAS at the start of each admission year.

Once recommended for admission by the program, you must apply to the UWM Graduate School and pay the required admission fees.

Physical therapists work with people of diverse backgrounds. UWM values diversity in its student body. No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or discriminated against in any service, program, course or facility of the UW System or its institutions or centers because of the student’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status.

Admission Requirements

You must first meet the admission requirements of the UWM Graduate School. In addition to UWM Graduate School requirements, you must be prepared to meet the following departmental requirements:

1. Completion of an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution with an overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
2. Completion of nine prerequisite courses with a minimum prerequisite grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and a minimum grade of a C in each course. See the full list of prerequisite courses below.
3. Submission of Graduate Record Examination scores (up to five years old). Minimum required scores are 144 Verbal, 144 Quantitative, 3.5 Writing.
4. Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be an academic reference.
5. Responses to narrative essay questions.

The program enrolls 36 students each academic year. We review applications in two phases and give preference to candidates with prerequisite requirements completed at the time of application to the program.

Required prerequisite courses

*You must complete a two-semester sequence of anatomy/physiology with lab. This can be a stand-alone anatomy course and a stand-alone physiology course or a two-semester combined anatomy/physiology course.

If you are applying from within the University of Wisconsin System, you should refer to Transfer Wisconsin to evaluate courses for a fit with UWM prerequisites.

If you are taking prerequisite courses outside of the UW System, you should first meet with an academic advisor in your institution.

If you have additional questions, make an advising appointment at pt-program@uwm.edu. No pre-application approvals of course substitutions will be made during the advising process.

There will be no substitution of coursework that is not an equivalent course (i.e., a microbiology course will not be substituted for an anatomy course).

Observation Hour Requirement: UWM does not require observation hours as part of the application process. Observation, volunteer, and work experiences in different physical therapy settings with different patient populations is not required, though they may provide applicants with a better understanding of the physical therapy profession. Such experiences may provide context for the profession they are choosing to pursue.

Admission Rates: PTCAS Cycle 2021-2022

*Approximately 50 applicants are placed on an active wait list.

Transfers to the UWM DPT Program

We will consider student transfers from another CAPTE accredited DPT program through a special admission process. You must meet or exceed the admission scores of the cohort you intend to join. You must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the professional DPT program you are transferring from, must submit a letter of recommendation from your current DPT program director, and submit a letter of recommendation from someone who has observed you in clinical practice. Transfer consideration is dependent on space availability. Transfer students are admitted on probation. Consistent with graduate school policies, you cannot transfer more than 20% of the credits from your prior program. If you are considering a request to transfer, please contact pt-program@uwm.edu

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program is a sequenced, competency-based curriculum of 106 credits, including 30 weeks of full time clinical experiences. You will enroll as a full-time student for eight terms and start in the summer of the first year. There is no part-time option, nor can courses be taken out of sequence. With faculty approval, students may take a leave from the program for up to a year and then re-enter the tracked curriculum.

Year 1

Summer 1

Fall 1

Winterim 1

Spring 1

Year 2

Summer 2

Fall 2

Winterim 2

Spring 2*
*Spring semester starts in week 4 due to winter clinical.

Year 3

Summer 3

Fall 3

Spring 3 (*Optional)

Total Credits (Program) 106

Prospective Students

If you have questions about pursuing physical therapy, you are encouraged to seek advising from Torry Rufer, the pre-physical therapy advisor in the College of Health Professions and Sciences. We encourage you to carefully review this website and information packet (PDF) prior to scheduling an advising appointment.

If you have already completed a bachelor’s degree and are interested in taking courses at UWM to satisfy DPT program prerequisites, you should apply for admission to UWM. On the application, identify your reason for applying as “Undergraduate courses as a visitor/guest student” and your “applying as” status as “Undergraduate non-degree student with a bachelor’s degree.” You should apply as a second degree student only if you plan to complete a second bachelor’s degree. Questions regarding financial aid for non-degree students should be directed to the UWM Department of Financial Aid website at https://uwm.edu/finances/contact/financial-aid/ or contact the department via email at finances@uwm.edu.

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

Admitted Students

Welcome! In the first semester of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, you will be assigned to a program faculty advisor. We will work with you to maximize your academic success and help you achieve your professional goals.

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

Lori Woodburn

• Administrative Assistant II, Physical Therapy

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

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