Physical Therapy DPT
Major: Physical Therapy
Degree Awarded: Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 128.0
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 51.2308
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 29-1123
About the Program
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) curriculum produces broadly educated physical therapists while being sensitive to the needs of the health care community and the students’ interests. The program strives to foster both intellectual and professional growth in students and is reflective of contemporary practice to prepare graduates for the ongoing changes in health care delivery.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program prepares students for autonomous practice in physical therapy. As a science, physical therapy examines human motion at the tissue, organ and systems levels. In the clinical environment, physical therapists (PTs) examine and evaluate patients/clients and implement procedural interventions that restore physical function for all people across the lifespan. As essential practitioners in the health care delivery system, PTs assume roles in rehabilitation services, prevention and health maintenance programs and professional and community programs. As professional members of the health care team, PTs supervise support personnel, serve as consultants to other health care personnel, serve as consultants to families and caregivers, participate in administrative services and conduct clinical research. PTs also serve as advocates for health policy and standards of care that help ensure optimum care for their patients/clients.
Graduates of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program are prepared to fulfill their professional obligations, provide leadership to the profession and use their knowledge and skills to contribute to the health care of society.
The regular program is 2.5 years in length and spans ten academic quarters. There is a 3.5 year program for individuals who want to progress at a slower pace and a combined DPT/Masters in Business Administration (MBA) that can also be completed in 3.5 years. All versions of the curricula consist of integrated didactic and clinical study with an emphasis on adult learning methodology. Foundational courses are emphasized during the first year, with subsequent quarters sequenced to progress through the hierarchy of educational objectives from simple to complex. All didactic material is organized for synthesis and application to professional practice.
Additional Information
For more information, visit the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science page on the College of Nursing and Health Professions website.
For application instructions, visit Drexel's Graduate Admission page for the Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Degree Requirements
The DPT curriculum occurs in a 10-week quarter format over ten quarters: fall, winter, spring, and summer I; fall, winter, spring, and summer II; and fall and winter III. Classes begin in late September for first-year students. The curriculum is subject to modification.
PTRS 507 | Neuroscience I | 3.0 |
PTRS 508 | Neuroscience II | 2.0 |
PTRS 530 | Kinesiology I | 4.0 |
PTRS 531 | Kinesiology II | 3.0 |
PTRS 532 | Human Gross Anatomy I | 4.0 |
PTRS 533 | Human Gross Anatomy II | 4.0 |
PTRS 534 | Physical Therapy Exam & Intervention I | 3.0 |
PTRS 535 | Physical Therapy Exam & Intervention II | 3.0 |
PTRS 541 | Topics in Pathophysiology I | 3.0 |
PTRS 600 | Clinical Reasoning | 4.0 |
PTRS 607 | Topics in Pathophysiology II | 3.0 |
PTRS 610 | Issues in Pharmacotherapy | 3.0 |
PTRS 613 | Integrated Clinical Experience I | 0.5 |
PTRS 614 | Integrated Clinical Experience II | 0.5 |
PTRS 615 | Integrated Clinical Experience III | 0.5 |
PTRS 616 | Integrated Clinical Experience IV | 0.5 |
PTRS 620 | Orthopedic Physical Therapy: Upper Extremity | 4.0 |
PTRS 621 | Orthopedic Physical Therapy: Lower Extremity | 4.0 |
PTRS 622 | Orthopedic Physical Therapy: Spine | 4.0 |
PTRS 623 | Physical Agents | 3.0 |
PTRS 624 | Functional Mobility | 3.0 |
PTRS 627 | Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy I | 4.0 |
PTRS 630 | Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy II | 3.0 |
PTRS 639 | Motor Learning | 2.0 |
PTRS 641 | Neurological Exam and Intervention I | 4.0 |
PTRS 642 | Neurological Exam and Intervention II | 5.0 |
PTRS 644 | Integumentary Physical Therapy | 1.5 |
PTRS 648 | Prosthetics and Orthotics | 3.0 |
PTRS 649 | Culture, Ethics and Interprofessionalism in Healthcare | 2.5 |
PTRS 654 | Topics in Health Policy & Services | 3.0 |
PTRS 655 | Health Administration | 2.5 |
PTRS 656 | Motor Control and Rehabilitation | 2.0 |
PTRS 663 | Pediatric Physical Therapy I | 3.5 |
PTRS 665 | Pediatric Physical Therapy II | 3.5 |
PTRS 680 | Geriatric Physical Therapy | 3.0 |
PTRS 733 | Advanced Clinical Reasoning | 2.0 |
PTRS 751 | Evidence-Based Practice | 3.0 |
PTRS 752 | Evidence-Based Practice II | 2.0 |
PTRS 791 | Clinical Experience I | 4.5 |
PTRS 792 | Terminal Clinical Experience II | 4.5 |
PTRS 793 | Terminal Clinical Experience III | 4.5 |
Electives (600 and 700 level PTRS) | 6.0 | |
Total Credits | 128.0 |
Sample Plan of Study
Traditional 2.5 Year Plan of Study
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PTRS 530 | 4.0 | PTRS 531 | 3.0 | PTRS 507 | 3.0 | PTRS 508 | 2.0 |
PTRS 532 | 4.0 | PTRS 533 | 4.0 | PTRS 615 | 0.5 | PTRS 616 | 0.5 |
PTRS 534 | 3.0 | PTRS 535 | 3.0 | PTRS 620 | 4.0 | PTRS 621 | 4.0 |
PTRS 600 | 4.0 | PTRS 541 | 3.0 | PTRS 623 | 3.0 | PTRS 627 | 4.0 |
PTRS 613 | 0.5 | PTRS 614 | 0.5 | PTRS 639 | 2.0 | PTRS 641 | 4.0 |
PTRS 624 | 3.0 | PTRS 751 | 3.0 | PTRS 752 | 2.0 | ||
15.5 | 16.5 | 15.5 | 16.5 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PTRS 622 | 4.0 | PTRS 791 | 4.5 | PTRS 610 | 3.0 | PTRS 607 | 3.0 |
PTRS 630 | 3.0 | PTRS 642 | 5.0 | PTRS 654 | 3.0 | ||
PTRS 644 | 1.5 | PTRS 655 | 2.5 | PTRS 665 | 3.5 | ||
PTRS 649 | 2.5 | PTRS 663 | 3.5 | PTRS 680 | 3.0 | ||
PTRS 648 | 3.0 | Electives | 3.0 | PTRS 733 | 2.0 | ||
PTRS 656 | 2.0 | Elective | 3.0 | ||||
16 | 4.5 | 17 | 17.5 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | ||||
PTRS 792 | 4.5 | PTRS 793 | 4.5 | ||||
4.5 | 4.5 | ||||||
Total Credits 128 |
Decelerated 3.5 Year Plan of Study
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PTRS 530 | 4.0 | PTRS 531 | 3.0 | PTRS 507 | 3.0 | PTRS 508 | 2.0 |
PTRS 532 | 4.0 | PTRS 533 | 4.0 | PTRS 623 | 3.0 | PTRS 627 | 4.0 |
PTRS 624 | 3.0 | PTRS 639 | 2.0 | PTRS 641 | 4.0 | ||
8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PTRS 534 | 3.0 | PTRS 535 | 3.0 | PTRS 615 | 0.5 | PTRS 616 | 0.5 |
PTRS 600 | 4.0 | PTRS 541 | 3.0 | PTRS 620 | 4.0 | PTRS 621 | 4.0 |
PTRS 613 | 0.5 | PTRS 614 | 0.5 | PTRS 663 | 3.5 | PTRS 665 | 3.5 |
PTRS 630 | 3.0 | PTRS 751 | 3.0 | PTRS 680 | 3.0 | ||
PTRS 644 | 1.5 | PTRS 752 | 2.0 | ||||
12 | 6.5 | 11 | 13 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
PTRS 622 | 4.0 | PTRS 791 | 4.5 | PTRS 610 | 3.0 | PTRS 607 | 3.0 |
PTRS 648 | 3.0 | PTRS 642 | 5.0 | PTRS 654 | 3.0 | ||
PTRS 649 | 2.5 | PTRS 655 | 2.5 | PTRS 733 | 2.0 | ||
PTRS 656 | 2.0 | Elective | 3.0 | Elective | 3.0 | ||
11.5 | 4.5 | 13.5 | 11 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | ||||
PTRS 792 | 4.5 | PTRS 793 | 4.5 | ||||
4.5 | 4.5 | ||||||
Total Credits 128 |
Clinical Education
A strong history of comprehensive clinical education exists for our professional students. The clinical education for the DPT program is integrated into the didactic portions of the curriculum so that knowledge obtained in the classroom is readily put into practice. The DPT program has contracts with hundreds of clinical sites across the nation, representing all facets of professional practice. Students build confidence by participating in part-time integrated clinical experiences (ICEs) during the first year of the program and 33 weeks of full-time clinical experiences that offer various levels of acuity in different clinical environments.
Students may select from clinical sites that offer experiences with all ages across the lifespan and in a variety of environments, including, but not limited to, acute care, pediatrics, adult rehabilitation, geriatrics, orthopedics, sports medicine and industrial and occupational rehabilitation.
Additional Information
For more information, visit the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences Overview page on the College of Nursing and Health Professions website.
Facilities
Teaching Facilities
Classes are held in lecture halls, classrooms, laboratories or in clinical and research facilities on the University City campus of Drexel University. The Health Sciences Building (HSB) is where the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences (PTRS) is located, along with other programs in the College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) and the College of Medicine. The HSB is a new building opened in September of 2022. PTRS has two state-of-the-art dedicated laboratories where the clinical components of the professional curriculum are taught. In these laboratories, equipment reflects current physical therapy practice and is part of a multi-disciplinary clinical learning and resource center. Included as part of the resource center is a standardized patient lab that utilizes paid actors to simulate various clinical situations while students' interactions with those "patients" are monitored by supervising faculty. This center provides a rich environment for student learning.
PTRS also maintains a human anatomy lab in the HSB where students dissect human cadavers during the first two terms of the program. Additional elective coursework may be conducted in the anatomy labs. The gross anatomy lab is a modern, fully equipped facility providing a state-of-the-art dissection laboratory with medical visualization technologies. The facility allows DPT students to focus on the anatomy most relevant to physical therapy while making relevant connections to clinical practice and integrating with other courses.
The DPT program uses its own faculty-staffed clinical sites as well as various clinical sites in the area to enhance the educational experience of the students. The department operates outpatient physical therapy sites in the Drexel Recreation Center on the University City campus and a pro-bono practice in Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services. Students rotate through these facilities getting individualized mentoring while connecting classroom content with clinical practice. These experiences are in addition to the 33 weeks of full-time clinical education the student will experience throughout the curriculum.
The entire Drexel campus has wireless capability and all courses are linked to the learning platform, Blackboard Learn.
Research Facilities
The Department conducts hypothesis-driven research in biomechanics, motor control, neuromuscular plasticity, rehabilitation and functional outcomes, community-based practice and family-centered care across the lifespan. The research space is a large, multidisciplinary center in the Health Sciences Building close to classrooms and other clinical labs. The facilities include a gait and running lab and a human performance and aging lab each containing a motion capture system with in-floor force plates, neuromuscular performance labs equipped with custom-built force measuring systems, EMG system, electromagnetic motion tracking systems and an instrumented treadmill motion analysis lab.
Research is conducted via partnerships with organizations locally, nationally and internationally. Other departments involved in research in the College include Nutrition Sciences, Nursing, Counseling and Family Therapy and Creative Arts Therapies, which provides fertile ground for collaboration. DPT students have the opportunity to work with faculty and PhD students on ongoing laboratory projects through elective coursework.
Program Level Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, graduates will be prepared to:
- Demonstrate competence as an entry‐level practitioner of physical therapy
- Pursue professional development
- Exhibit civic responsibility and compassion in interaction with the community
- Show creativity and innovation in the delivery of physical therapy services
- Demonstrate professional responsibility