Physical Therapy (DPT)
Degree: Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Program Code: 9101
About This Program . . .
The Physical Therapy program is a professional program leading to a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree.
Physical therapists are health care professionals that are movement experts who improve quality of life by prescribing exercise, incorporating hands-on care and patient education.
The professional curriculum will be 8 semesters in duration, 105 credits and include 34 weeks of full-time clinical education over 4 separate rotations. The rotations will be 6, 8, 8 & 12 weeks in duration. Students will complete these rotations at a variety of clinical sites (e.g. acute care, long term rehabilitation, outpatient orthopedic, etc.). The program has been designed to meet all requirements associated with Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
To practice physical therapy, students must be licensed in the state in which they desire to practice. To obtain licensure, students must graduate from an accredited program and pass the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE).
Effective April 25, 2023, Colorado Mesa University has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org). If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 970-248-2266 or email dptprogram@coloradomesa.edu.
Candidate for Accreditation is an accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program may matriculate students in technical/professional courses. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status does not assure that the program will be granted Initial Accreditation.
Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT; www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT's website).
Each section below contains details about the requirements for this program. Select a header to expand the information/requirements for that particular section of the program's requirements.
To print or save an overview of this program's information, including the program description, learning outcomes, requirements, suggested course sequencing (if applicable), and advising and graduation information, scroll to the bottom of the left-hand navigation menu and select "Print Options." This will give you the options to either "Send Page to Printer" or "Download PDF of This Page." The "Download PDF of This Page" option prepares a much more concise presentation of all program information. The PDF is also printable and may be preferable due to its brevity.
Institutional Degree Requirements
The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU graduate-level degrees. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.
- Graduate certificates consist of a minimum of 5 credit hours. Master’s degrees consist of a minimum of 30 credit hours. Doctoral degrees consist of a minimum of 60 credit hours.
- All credits in a graduate program must be minimally at the 500-level.
- At least fifty percent of the credit hours must be taken at CMU.
- Students must achieve a 3.00 cumulative GPA or higher in all CMU coursework.
- Students may not apply coursework with a grade lower than a “B” toward graduation requirements.
- A course may only be used to fulfill one requirement for each degree/certificate.
- Capstone exit assessment/projects (e.g., Major Field Achievement Test) requirements are identified under Program-Specific Requirements.
- The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and certificate requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements you should follow.
- See “Graduate Degree Requirements” in this catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements.
- All policies for graduate degrees are outlined in the Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual, Capstone Guidelines Manual, and Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines Manual, all of which are provided on the Graduate Studies website.
Specific to this degree:
- 105 semester hours required for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree.
Program Specific Requirements
(105 semester hours)
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHYT 500 & 500L | Anatomy and Anatomy Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYT 501 | Histology | 1 |
| PHYT 502 | Physiology | 3 |
| PHYT 503 & 503L | Kinesiology-Biomechanics I and Kinesiology-Biomechanics I Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYT 504 & 504L | Kinesiology-Biomechanics II and Kinesiology-Biomechanics II Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYT 505 | Essential Skills and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 506 | Professional Practice Considerations I | 1 |
| PHYT 507 | Professional Practice Considerations II | 2 |
| PHYT 509 | Musculoskeletal Conditions I and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 510 | Musculoskeletal Conditions II and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 511 | Musculoskeletal Conditions III and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 512 | Research I: Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| PHYT 513 | Research II: Applied Statistics | 3 |
| PHYT 514 | Diagnostic Imaging | 2 |
| PHYT 515 & 515L | Therapeutic Modalities and Therapeutic Modalities Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 516 | Pharmacology for Physical Therapy | 2 |
| PHYT 517 | Neuroscience | 3 |
| PHYT 593 | Capstone I | 2 |
| PHYT 599 | Clinical Education I | 3 |
| PHYT 600 & 600L | Exercise Physiology and Exercise Physiology Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 601 | Neuromuscular Conditions I and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 602 | Neuromuscular Conditions II and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 603 | Neuromuscular Conditions III and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 604 | Medical and Surgical Conditions | 3 |
| PHYT 605 | Lifespan I: Pediatrics and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 606 | Lifespan II: Geriatrics | 2 |
| PHYT 607 | Therapeutic Exercise and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 608 | Professional Practice Considerations III | 2 |
| PHYT 609 | Professional Practice Considerations IV | 2 |
| PHYT 610 | Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Conditions and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 611 | Differential Diagnosis and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 612 | Prosthetics-Orthotics and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 693 | Capstone II | 2 |
| PHYT 694 | Interprofessional Education Seminar | 1 |
| PHYT 699 | Clinical Education II | 4 |
| PHYT 793 | Clinical Education IV | 6 |
| PHYT 799 | Clinical Education III | 4 |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 105 | |
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Semester Credit Hours | |
| PHYT 500 & 500L | Anatomy and Anatomy Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYT 501 | Histology | 1 |
| PHYT 502 | Physiology | 3 |
| PHYT 503 & 503L | Kinesiology-Biomechanics I and Kinesiology-Biomechanics I Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYT 505 | Essential Skills and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 506 | Professional Practice Considerations I | 1 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PHYT 504 & 504L | Kinesiology-Biomechanics II and Kinesiology-Biomechanics II Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYT 507 | Professional Practice Considerations II | 2 |
| PHYT 509 | Musculoskeletal Conditions I and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 512 | Research I: Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| PHYT 514 | Diagnostic Imaging | 2 |
| PHYT 515 & 515L | Therapeutic Modalities and Therapeutic Modalities Laboratory | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Summer Semester | ||
| PHYT 510 | Musculoskeletal Conditions II and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 511 | Musculoskeletal Conditions III and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 513 | Research II: Applied Statistics | 3 |
| PHYT 516 | Pharmacology for Physical Therapy | 2 |
| PHYT 517 | Neuroscience | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PHYT 600 & 600L | Exercise Physiology and Exercise Physiology Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 601 | Neuromuscular Conditions I and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 604 | Medical and Surgical Conditions | 3 |
| PHYT 605 | Lifespan I: Pediatrics and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 606 | Lifespan II: Geriatrics | 2 |
| PHYT 607 | Therapeutic Exercise and Laboratory | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PHYT 602 | Neuromuscular Conditions II and Laboratory 1 | 3 |
| PHYT 608 | Professional Practice Considerations III | 2 |
| PHYT 610 | Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Conditions and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 599 | Clinical Education I | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 11 | |
| Summer Semester | ||
| PHYT 603 | Neuromuscular Conditions III and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 609 | Professional Practice Considerations IV | 2 |
| PHYT 611 | Differential Diagnosis and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 612 | Prosthetics-Orthotics and Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYT 694 | Interprofessional Education Seminar | 1 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 12 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PHYT 593 | Capstone I 2 | 2 |
| PHYT 699 | Clinical Education II | 4 |
| PHYT 799 | Clinical Education III | 4 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 10 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PHYT 693 | Capstone II | 2 |
| PHYT 793 | Clinical Education IV | 6 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 8 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 105 | |
- 1
PHYT 608 and PHYT 610 will be completed over the first 9 weeks of the term immediately followed by PHYT 599 Clinical Education I.
- 2
This course will be completed online while students are completing PHYT 699 Clinical Education II.
Advising Process and DegreeWorks
Documentation on the pages related to this program is intended for informational purposes to help determine what courses and associated requirements are needed to earn a certificate. Some courses are critical to complete in specific semesters while others may be moved around. Meeting with an academic advisor is essential in planning courses and discussing the suggested course sequencing. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and fulfill the requirements for their intended degree.
DegreeWorks is an online degree audit tool available in MAVzone. It is the official record used by the Registrar’s Office to evaluate progress towards a certificate and determine eligibility for graduation. Students are responsible for reviewing their DegreeWorks audit on a regular basis and should discuss questions or concerns with their advisor or academic department head. Discrepancies in requirements should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.
Graduation Process
Students must complete the following in the first two months of the semester prior to completing their degree requirements:
- Review their DegreeWorks audit and create a plan that outlines how unmet requirements will be met in the final semester.
- Meet with their advisor and modify their plan as needed. The advisor must approve the final plan.
- Submit the “Intent to Graduate” form to the Registrar’s Office to officially declare the intended graduation date and commencement ceremony plans.
- Register for all needed courses and complete all requirements for each degree sought.
Submission deadlines and commencement details can be found on the Graduation web page.
If a student's petition for graduation is denied, it will be their responsibility to apply for graduation in a subsequent semester. A student's “Intent to Graduate” does not automatically move to a later graduation date.