Doctor of Physical Therapy
| Program Overview | The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) is a post-baccalaureate entry-level degree conferred upon successful completion of an entry-level professional education program. The DPT is a professional clinical doctorate that prepares the graduate to practice physical therapy. Students will be enrolled full-time and will complete the coursework as a cohort. The three-year program will give students indepth knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences relevant to physical therapy and prepare students to understand, correlate, and apply theoretical foundations of knowledge to the practice of physical therapy. Students will engage in reflective practice through sound clinical decision making, critical self-assessment necessary for lifelong learning and will master entry level professional clinical skills. In addition to the academic coursework, students will participate in full-time clinical internships during the second and third years of the program, for a total of 34 weeks. Students in the DPT program at UNF will have the opportunity to gain first hand experience and be fully prepared for their careers in the field of physical therapy. In Florida, persons are eligible to take the physical therapy licensure examination if they have received a degree in physical therapy from an institution that has been approved by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). |
| Special Notes About the Program | Important: the DPT program has a higher tuition rate than other UNF graduate programs. Click here for more information. The doctorate is now the entry-level degree for professional practice in physical therapy. |
| Application Information | Applications are accepted for fall term matriculation only. |
| Admission Requirements | Prior to enrolling in professional courses, students must have
the following credentials: • a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants who apply while still enrolled in an undergraduate degree program may be admitted contingent upon successful completion of the bachelor's degree prior to enrolling in graduate courses. • completion of all prerequisite courses within seven years prior to application. Students completing courses prior to the seven year period may request special consideration and be asked to demonstrate competency through completion of subsequent academic coursework, standardized testing, or professional experience. Applicants who apply while still enrolled in prerequisite courses may be admitted contingent upon successful completion of all courses with a grade of B or higher in each course. • a 3.0 GPA or higher in all prerequisites. At least five of the seven prerequisites must be completed by time of application. • a 3.0 GPA or higher in all work attempted as an upper-level student, normally the 60 semester hours taken during the last two years of undergraduate study. • a composite score of 1,000 or more on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE from within the past five years. • documentation of a minimum of eighty hours of volunteer/observation experience under supervision of a physical therapist. • two letters of recommendation. Please visit our Admissions Requirements page for the downloadable reference forms. |
| Graduate Program Director & Advising Coordinator | Dr. Ann Noonon a.noonan@unf.edu 904 620-1411 Bldg. 39, Room 2049 |
| Program Faculty and Department Chair | Click Here |
| Mission & Goals | Click Here |
| Accreditation | CAPTE -- Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education |
| Curriculum & Requirements | See pages 56-57 of the Graduate Catalog |
| Program Policies | Click Here |
| Total Program Credit Hours | 102 semester credit hours |
| Length of the Program | Three years |
| Approximate Number of Students in the Program | 36 students per cohort |
| Community Connections | Clinical internships with over 30 regional hospitals and medical centers; hospital-based internships in pediatric vestibular research and in shoulder disorder research (Mayo, Nemours, and Brooks Rehab); post-professional residencies in orthopaedic and neurological physical therapy; contracts with many outpatient private practices |
| Career Possibilities | Click Here |
| Graduate Student Stories & Pictures | Click Here |
| Resources & Links | American Physical Therapy Association |