Doctor of Physical Therapy

The Physical Therapy program is a professional program leading to a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree.

Physical therapists are health care professionals who are movement experts who improve quality of life by prescribing exercise, incorporating hands-on care, and patient education.

The professional curriculum is 8 semesters in duration, 105 credits, and includes 34 weeks of full-time clinical education over 4 separate rotations. The rotations are 6, 8, 8 & 12 weeks in duration. Students 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 the 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). 

For a complete list of program requirements, please see the program sheet.