Professional Doctoral Program

The Professional Doctoral Program is a full-time professional preparation program in physical therapy. Graduates of this program receive a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree and are eligible to apply for licensure as physical therapists throughout the United States. All entering students except 3+3 students must hold a bachelor's degree. Early admission programs are available for high school seniors and college juniors.

Accreditation

The Program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. The curriculum consists of a minimum of 121 graduate credit hours and spans nine semesters (including summers) for a total of three years. Anyone wishing to file a complaint about the program may do so by contacting the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1488, 703-684-APTA.

Begin in Summer

The first year begins in the summer, and the program of study includes three years of both classroom instruction and clinical work, which may include day, evening and weekend classes. Thirty-six weeks of clinical education is interspersed throughout the program, including two ten-week clinical experiences in the final semester.

Our Mission

The mission of the Department of Physical Therapy Education is the education of students to become generalist physical therapist professionals who are reflective, competent, compassionate and autonomous, and who are prepared to meet the changing physical therapy needs of society.

Hands-on Education

The faculty of the Department of Physical Therapy Education fosters the growth of reflective practice, critical thinking, professional service and life-long learning in students through excellence in teaching, service and critical inquiry.  The faculty is committed to providing a range of curricular experiences that provide students opportunities to develop skills in self assessment, clinical practice, professional and core values and behaviors (accountability, altruism, compassion/caring, excellence, integrity, professional duty, social responsibility), and evidence-based practice.

Student Outcomes

By the completion of the program, students will be prepared to practice as professional physical therapists who:

1) Engage in autonomous practice in a legal, ethical and reflective manner in a variety of settings, meeting the needs of patients and clients now and in the future.

2) Actively engage and participate in critical thinking and problem solving activities.

3) Apply the principles of lifelong learning, evidence based practice and best practice approach to patient/client management.

4) Integrate core values and generic abilities into physical therapist practice.

Class sizes are small, and students study under core faculty members who are the primary course instructors. There are eight full-time and three part-time faculty members in the Professional Program plus the full-time Director of the Post-Professional Program. Five faculty members hold or are completing PhDs, one holds a DrPH, five faculty members hold DPT degrees, seven faculty members are APTA certified clinical specialists, and several faculty members are engaged in clinical practice.

Faculty members publish in peer-reviewed journals, hold offices at the state and national levels, teach and present research at national and international conferences, receive grants, and participate on national task forces. The faculty provides a rich blend of professional and clinical expertise. The full-time faculty to student ratio is 1:12. Students who attend this program benefit from the connection to Upstate's medical school and teaching hospital as well as the Institute for Human Performance. In addition, nearby hospitals provide laboratory as well as clinical experiences for the program. The entering class size is a maximum of 32 students, and students must attend the program full-time.  All students participate in a White Coat Ceremony during their first year that welcomes them as they begin to make the transition to physical therapist practitioners.

View a list of courses