Overview

The professional curriculum is an intensive two-year, eight-month experience leading to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. The principle focus of this professional training is to develop scientific and clinical expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of movement-related conditions. By integrating biomedical and physical sciences and clinical education with behavioral and social sciences, the DPT curriculum (PDF) provides students with the scientific expertise, critical thinking skills and interpersonal communication abilities necessary for effective clinical practice, comprehensive treatment design, patient advocacy, patient education and health promotion.

Clinical Education

Over the course of the programs, students are provided with clinical education in class, part-time clinical experiences, and full-time clinical internships. The program exposes students to patient care in various settings and to the treatment of a number of conditions.

We encourage students to travel for at least one clinical experience to obtain the broadest possible exposure. We affiliate with hundreds of sites across the United States; only one third of our clinical sites are within the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Research Opportunities

While students in the DPT degree program are not required to generate original research, they can take advantage of opportunities to participate in ongoing faculty research. Students may participate in a study or apply for an assistantship.

In addition, through an NIH-funded predoctoral research training grant awarded through the School of Medicine, a limited number of opportunities are available to students who wish to participate in a faculty-guided research project. For further details, please visit the Clinical Research Training Center website.

Application and Eligibility

Apply for the DPT degree program online using the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS).

To be eligible to apply for the DPT degree program, applicants must have the following:

1. A bachelor's degree (or be in the process of completing one) at an institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
2. Prerequisite courses in biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and statistics. For a complete list, visit the Program in Physical Therapy website.
3. Science, math/science, and core prerequisites with a grade point average of at least 3.0
4. A demonstrated commitment to a career in physical therapy.

Visit our website for more information regarding application and admissions or eligibility and prerequisites.

DPT Curriculum

Year One, Fall

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Early Clinical Experience
PT-M02 8110	Learning, Health and Equity	1
PT-M02 8120	Professions and Movement	1
PT-M02 8130	Movement and Population Health	2
PT-M02 8140	Movement and Precision Health	10
PT-M02 8101	Patient and Client Care 1	0.5
PT-M02 8102	Knoweldge for Practice 1	0.5
PT-M02 8103	Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 1	0.5
PT-M02 8104	Interpersonal & Communication Skills 1	0.5
PT-M02 8105	Professionalism 1	0.5
PT-M02 8106	Systems-Based Practice 1	0.5
PT-M02 8107	Interprofessional Collaboration 1	0.5
PT-M02 8108	Personal & Professional Development 1	0.5

Year One, Spring

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Early Clinical Experience
PT-M02 8101	Patient and Client Care 1	0.5
PT-M02 8102	Knowledge for Practice 1	0.5
PT-M02 8103	Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 1	0.5
PT-M02 8104	Interpersonal & Communication Skills 1	0.5
PT-M02 8105	Professionalism 1	0.5
PT-M02 8106	Systems-Based Practice 1	0.5
PT-M02 8107	Interprofessional Collaboration 1	0.5
PT-M02 8108	Personal & Professional Development 1	0.5
PT-M02 8140	Movement and Precision Health	15

Year One, Summer

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PT-M02 8101	Patient and Client Care 1	0.5
PT-M02 8102	Knowledge for Practice 1	0.5
PT-M02 8103	Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 1	0.5
PT-M02 8104	Interpersonal & Communication Skills 1	0.5
PT-M02 8105	Professionalism 1	0.5
PT-M02 8106	Systems-Based Practice 1	0.5
PT-M02 8107	Interprofessional Collaboration 1	0.5
PT-M02 8108	Personal & Professional Development 1	0.5
PT-M02 8191	Clinical Experience 1	4

Year Two, Fall

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PT-M02 8201	Patient Client Care 2	0.5
PT-M02 8202	Knowledge for Practice 2	0.5
PT-M02 8203	Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 2	0.5
PT-M02 8204	Interpersonal & Communication Skills 2	0.5
PT-M02 8205	Professionalism 2	0.5
PT-M02 8206	Systems-Based Practice 2	0.5
PT-M02 8207	Interprofessional Collaboration 2	0.5
PT-M02 8108	Personal & Professional Development 2	0.5
PT-M02 8250	Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Movement Problems	12

Year Two, Spring

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PT-M02 8201	Patient and Client Care 2	0.5
PT-M02 8202	Knowledge for Practice 2	0.5
PT-M02 8203	Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 2	0.5
PT-M02 8204	Interpersonal & Communication Skills 2	0.5
PT-M02 8205	Professionalism 2	0.5
PT-M02 8206	Systems-Based Practice 2	0.5
PT-M02 8207	Interprofessional Collaboration 2	0.5
PT-M02 8208	Personal & Professional Development 2	0.5
PT-M02 8260	Prevention, Diagnosis and Manament of Complex Movement Problems	6
PT-M02 8292	Clinical Experience II	4

Year Two, Summer

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PT-M02 8201	Patient and Client Care 2	0.5
PT-M02 8202	Knowledge for Practice 2	0.5
PT-M02 8203	Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 2	0.5
PT-M02 8204	Interpersonal & Communication Skills 2	0.5
PT-M02 8205	Professionalism 2	0.5
PT-M02 8206	Systems-Based Practice 2	0.5
PT-M02 8207	Interprofessional Collaboration 2	0.5
PT-M02 8208	Personal & Professional Development 2	0.5
PT-M02 8260	Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Complex Movement Problems	6

Year Three, Fall

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PT-M02 8301	Patient and Client Care 3	0.5
PT-M02 8302	Knowledge for Practice 3	0.5
PT-M02 8303	Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 3	0.5
PT-M02 8304	Interpersonal & Communication Skills 3	0.5
PT-M02 8305	Professionalism 3	0.5
PT-M02 8306	Systems-Based Practice 3	0.5
PT-M02 8307	Interprofessional Collaboration 3	0.5
PT-M02 8308	Personal & Professional Development 3	0.5
PT-M02 8393	Clinical Experience III	5
PT-M02 8394	Clinical Experience IV	6

Year Three, Spring

Course List

Code	Title	Units
PT-M02 8301	Patient and Client Care 3	0.5
PT-M02 8302	Knowledge for Practice 3	0.5
PT-M02 8303	Practice-Based Learning and Improvement 3	0.5
PT-M02 8304	Interpersonal & Communication Skills 3	0.5
PT-M02 8305	Professionalism 3	0.5
PT-M02 8306	Systems-Based Practice 3	0.5
PT-M02 8307	Interprofessional Collaboration 3	0.5
PT-M02 8308	Personal & Professional Development 3	0.5
PT-M02 8370	Practice and Movement	10
PT-M02 8380	Practice, Health and Equity	1

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