The entry-level clinical doctoral plan includes both didactic study and clinical education experiences. Through this plan, learners develop competencies in the domains of knowledge for practice, patient/client care and services, practice management, communication and collaboration, teaching and learning, stewards of societal health, and professionalism to carry out entrustable professional activities. Learners prepare to deliver person-centered, value-based care reflective of contemporary physical therapist practice.
This program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) This program is nationally recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at Northern Arizona University is a 28-month entry-level degree approved by the Arizona Board of Regents. This is an entry-level program of study and thus designed for those individuals interested in becoming a licensed physical therapist.
To receive a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree (DPT) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses, consisting of 110 units of graduate-level courses, depending upon the student’s initial degree and transcript.
For more information see the Requirements for Doctoral Degree: DPT
In addition to University Requirements:
| Minimum Units for Completion | 90 - 102 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Required |
| Additional Fees/Program Fees | Required |
| Some online/blended coursework | Required |
| Licensure | This program may lead to licensure. |
Purpose Statement
Scope
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) is the required degree in the U.S. to practice as a physical therapist. Physical therapy is a healthcare profession focused on optimizing movement for daily activity and participation in life and society. Physical therapists work with individuals, families, and communities to restore, maintain, and promote optimal movement to enhance functional capability and performance. In addition, the roles of physical therapists in society are in wellness, fitness, health promotion, and the prevention and management of disease and disability. Physical therapists provide essential services addressing health needs across the continuum of services and throughout the lifespan.
Content
The DPT program includes both didactic study and clinical education experiences to prepare learners to become health professionals in the career of physical therapy. The learners develop competencies in the domains of knowledge for practice, patient/client care and services, practice management, communication and collaboration, teaching and learning, stewards of societal health, and professionalism to carry out entrustable professional activities. Learners prepare to deliver person-centered, value-based care reflective of contemporary physical therapist practice across the continuum of services and throughout the lifespan. Each learner will participate in 32 weeks of full-time clinical education experiences supervised by a licensed physical therapist.
Future Opportunities
The DPT is a clinical doctorate that prepares students to take the national licensing examination required to practice physical therapy in the U.S. Students are prepared as entry-level physical therapists with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter clinical practice in diverse settings, including but not limited to outpatient clinics, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, sports and fitness facilities, and home health agencies.
Population Best Suited
Students entering the DPT program must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college, and completed the necessary prerequisite courses and admissions requirements. It is a rigorous full-time program that requires learners to possess the physical therapy technical standards and professionalism reflective of the profession and University.
Student Learning Outcomes
The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.
Admission requirements include the following:
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
Ready to apply? Begin your application now.
International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.
Fall 2024 Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU:
Fall 2025 Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU:
Citizenship types eligible to apply for the residential Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program:
Citizenship types eligible to apply for the Hybrid DPT program:
*A course sequence is a correlated pair of courses offering in-depth coverage of a specific field and must be at a level such that the courses would be acceptable as prerequisites to advance toward a baccalaureate degree in that discipline. The sequence may be 3 courses at a quarter-based institution.
This major requires 90 - 102 units distributed as follows:
Students entering the in-person programs prior to Fall 2024 take the following 98 - 102 units:
* Required coursework only available at the Flagstaff Mountain Campus
** Required coursework only available at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus
Students entering the in-person program in Fall 2024 take the following 90 units:
The DPT Program is designed as a competency and entrustment-based education program, similar to the Personalized Learning system (See NAU Policy 100412: Grading; the Personalized Learning section for detailed information) wherein students have opportunities to work with faculty to improve their academic performance to achieve a passing Grade of "B" or better on all summative assessments. As such, for all graded courses in the program, students must achieve a Grade of "B" or better.
Some courses may have prerequisites. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.
Program fees are established by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). A program fee has been approved for this program. See program fee details. Program fees are subject to change and updated July 1 for the next academic year.