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Physical Therapy - Entry Level, Doctor of Physical Therapy
The entry-level clinical doctoral plan includes both didactic study and clinical education experiences. Through this plan, learners develop competencies in the domains of knowledge for practice, patient/client care and services, practice management, communication and collaboration, teaching and learning, stewards of societal health, and professionalism to carry out entrustable professional activities. Learners prepare to deliver person-centered, value-based care reflective of contemporary physical therapist practice.
This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
This program is nationally recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
Requirements Accordion Open
To receive a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree (DPT) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses, consisting of 110 units of graduate-level courses, depending upon the student’s initial degree and transcript.
For more information see the Requirements for Doctoral Degree: DPT
Overview Accordion Closed
In addition to University Requirements:
- Complete individual plan requirements.
- This degree will require 25 months of full-time study to complete.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 90 - 102 |
| Major GPA | B |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Required |
| Additional Fees/Program Fees | Required |
| Some online/blended coursework | Required |
| Licensure | This program may lead to licensure. |
Purpose Statement
Scope
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) is the required degree in the U.S. to practice as a physical therapist. Physical therapy is a healthcare profession focused on optimizing movement for daily activity and participation in life and society. Physical therapists work with individuals, families, and communities to restore, maintain, and promote optimal movement to enhance functional capability and performance. In addition, the roles of physical therapists in society are in wellness, fitness, health promotion, and the prevention and management of disease and disability. Physical therapists provide essential services addressing health needs across the continuum of services and throughout the lifespan.
Content
The DPT program includes both didactic study and clinical education experiences to prepare learners to become health professionals in the career of physical therapy. The learners develop competencies in the domains of knowledge for practice, patient/client care and services, practice management, communication and collaboration, teaching and learning, stewards of societal health, and professionalism to carry out entrustable professional activities. Learners prepare to deliver person-centered, value-based care reflective of contemporary physical therapist practice across the continuum of services and throughout the lifespan. Each learner will participate in 32 weeks of full-time clinical education experiences supervised by a licensed physical therapist.
Future Opportunities
The DPT is a clinical doctorate that prepares students to take the national licensing examination required to practice physical therapy in the U.S. Students are prepared as entry-level physical therapists with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter clinical practice in diverse settings, including but not limited to outpatient clinics, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, sports and fitness facilities, and home health agencies.
Population Best Suited
Students entering the DPT program must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college, and completed the necessary prerequisite courses and admissions requirements. It is a rigorous full-time program that requires learners to possess the physical therapy technical standards and professionalism reflective of the profession and University.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Learners will demonstrate progressive competence throughout the first year of courses.
- Learners will demonstrate clinical readiness for clinical education experiences.
- Learners will demonstrate progressive entrustment in carrying out essential professional responsibilities in clinical practice.
- Learners will be entrusted to safely and effectively execute the essential professional responsibilities of an autonomous entry-level physical therapist in clinical practice.
Details Accordion Closed
Graduate Admission Information
The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Admission requirements include the following:- Transcripts.
- Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
Ready to apply? Begin your application now.International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.
Additional Admission Requirements
Fall 2024 Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU:
- Students successfully graduating from the NAU Exercise Physiology BS - Physical Therapy Track will be given priority admission.
- GRE® Revised General Test
- Complete and submit a Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) application.
- Two letters of recommendation
- Personal Statement or Essay
- Prerequisite(s) that must be completed prior to enrolling in the program:
- Laboratory and lecture-based anatomy and physiology courses
- Laboratory and lecture-based general chemistry
- Laboratory and lecture-based college level physics
- One semester of general psychology, statistics, and abnormal or developmental psychology
- IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card
Fall 2025 Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU:
Citizenship types eligible to apply for the residential Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program:
- U.S. Citizen, permanent resident of the U.S., or U.S. Visa holder category that allows full-time study and participation in an unpaid internship.
- Do not send transcripts to the physical therapy program unless directed.
- Send World Education Services (WES) foreign evaluation for Canadian courses to Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS).
- Send WES foreign transcript evaluation to PTCAS (recommended).
- English translation is required for original foreign transcripts. Non-US citizens must attend the Flagstaff campus. Transcripts must also be submitted with supplemental application to the Northern Arizona University Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Citizenship types eligible to apply for the Hybrid DPT program:
- U.S. Citizen, permanent resident of the U.S, or U.S. Visa holder category that allows full-time study and participation in an unpaid internship
- U.S. Citizen, permanent resident of the U.S., or U.S. Visa holder category that allows full-time study and participation in an unpaid internship.
- International Students: The Northern Arizona University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program accepts international students requiring an F-1 student visa to the Residential DPT program on the Flagstaff campus. We do not accept transfer credits from other programs. For more information and requirements, please visit the NAU Office of Graduate and Professional Studies international graduate admissions page. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for international students but is waived if you have earned a bachelor's degree (or higher) from a U.S. university or college.
- NAU graduates meeting admissions requirements will receive a preference in the review process.
- Complete and submit a Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) application.
- GRE® Revised General Test
- Letter(s) of Recommendation
- Two letters of recommendation
- One letter from a Physical Therapist
- One letter from one of the following:
- Advisor
- Healthcare Professional
- Physical Therapist
- Professor
- Supervisor/employer
- Two letters of recommendation
- Official Casper Test Results
- Personal Statement or Essay
- Prerequisite Coursework that must be completed prior to enrolling in the program
- Applicants are allowed to have a maximum of 3 prerequisite courses in progress at the time of application.
- A Grade of "C" or better in each prerequisite course.
- Prerequisite Coursework that must be completed prior to enrolling in the program
- General Chemistry I & II with labs (CHM 151, CHM 151L, CHM 152, CHM 152L)
- Must be a two-semester, eight-semester credit hour or equivalent course sequence. *
- General Physics I & II with labs (PHY 111, PHY 112)
- Must be a two-semester, eight-semester credit hour or equivalent course sequence. *
- Anatomy and Physiology (BIO 201, BIO 201L, BIO 202, BIO 202L)
- Anatomy and Physiology I & II with labs
- One course in Anatomy with lab and one course in Physiology with lab
- General Psychology (PSY 101)
- Statistics (EPS 525, PSY 230, or STA 270)
- General Chemistry I & II with labs (CHM 151, CHM 151L, CHM 152, CHM 152L)
*A course sequence is a correlated pair of courses offering in-depth coverage of a specific field and must be at a level such that the courses would be acceptable as prerequisites to advance toward a baccalaureate degree in that discipline. The sequence may be 3 courses at a quarter-based institution.
- Undergraduate Baccalaureate degree and program-specific prerequisite courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Doctoral Requirements
This major requires 90 - 102 units distributed as follows:
- Students entering the in-person programs prior to 2024: 98 - 102 units
- Students entering the in-person programs in 2024: 90 units
Students entering the in-person programs prior to Fall 2024 take the following 98 - 102 units:
- PT 510, PT 511 (4 units)
- Select from the following (4 - 5 units):
- Select from the following (3 - 4 units):
- Select from the following (4 units):
- PT 560, PT 582, PT 586, PT 601, PT 602, PT 603 (16 units)
- PT 608 (18 units)
- PT 611, PT 620, PT 621, PT 630, PT 635, PT 636, PT 644, PT 657, PT 664, PT 665, PT 668 (30 units)
- PT 670 (2 - 4 units)
- PT 675, PT 680, PT 685, PT 687, PT 698 (13 units)
- PT 689 (3 - 5 units)
* Required coursework only available at the Flagstaff Mountain Campus
** Required coursework only available at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus
Students entering the in-person program in Fall 2024 take the following 90 units:
- PT 604 Clinical Education Experience One (8 units)
- PT 605 Clinical Education Experience Two (12 units)
- PT 606 Clinical Education Experience Three (12 units)
- PT 625, PT 694, PT 701, PT 702, PT 703 (21 units)
- PT 712 Contemporary PT Practice Two (2 units)
- PT 712 Contemporary PT Practice Three (2 units)
- PT 715 Topics in Movement Sciences 1-3: Two (6 units)
- PT 715 Topics in Movement Sciences 1-3: Three (5 units)
- PT 721 Topics in Patient Management 1-5: Two (10 units)
- PT 721 Topics in Patient Management 1-5: Three (4 units)
- PT 721 Topics in Patient Management 1-5: Four (6 units)
- PT 721 Topics in Patient Management 1-5: Five (2 units)
The DPT Program is designed as a competency and entrustment-based education program, similar to the Personalized Learning system (See NAU Policy 100412: Grading; the Personalized Learning section for detailed information) wherein students have opportunities to work with faculty to improve their academic performance to achieve a passing Grade of "B" or better on all summative assessments. As such, for all graded courses in the program, students must achieve a Grade of "B" or better.
Additional Information
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.
- Program Fee Information
Program fees are established by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). A program fee has been approved for this program. See program fee details. Program fees are subject to change and updated July 1 for the next academic year.
