Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Physical therapy is a thriving area of healthcare and one of its most rewarding careers. USciences prepares you to develop as a skilled practitioner with a fast path to graduation and a wealth of clinical experience. 

As an incoming freshman, you can earn your undergraduate degree in Health Science and your DPT in as little as 5.5 years. Graduate students can earn the DPT in just 2.5 years. Our condensed curriculum not only helps you enter the field faster, but it also strikes a healthy balance between academics and activities so you can enjoy all aspects of college life.

You’ll learn to assess and treat the body as a series of integrated systems through a curriculum built on the Movement System Framework. USciences is among the first institutions to adopt this framework endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association. 

Your clinical work integrates with your classroom learning and starts in your first year. You’ll treat real patients in local clinical settings, rehabilitation hospitals, and our pro-bono clinics. 

What Sets Us Apart?

1. Our condensed curriculum allows you to enter the field quickly: You can earn your undergraduate degree in Health Science and your DPT in as little as 5.5 years. Graduate students can earn the DPT in just 2.5 years.

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2. Your exposure to patients starts in year one and includes three 12-week clinical experiences with locations nationwide, giving you  time to develop and hone new skills.

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3. Our faculty includes board certified specialists representing just about every practice area. And they practice what they teach—most are expert clinicians and many engage in rehabilitation research. All of them are outstanding instructors invested in your success.

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4. We offer a set tuition, so you’ll know the full price to earn your degree from the day you begin. No hidden fees, no sudden increases, no surprises.

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5. We make it easy to advance. If you maintain the required GPA as an undergraduate, you don’t need to take GREs or reapply for the graduate program.

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6. You’ll prepare to meet the complex needs of today’s patients as part of an interprofessional healthcare team during collaborative clinical experiences with medical students from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. You’ll also take part in interdisciplinary activities alongside our Pharmacy, OT, and Physician Assistant programs. 

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7. You’ll have opportunities to engage in physical therapy research—a rarity among PT programs today. 

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8. Because you graduate earlier than a typical May date, you’ll have a head start on board exams, additional certifications, advanced training opportunities, and the job market.  Our students typically receive several job offers before graduation.

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Accreditation

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org.  If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 215-596-8677 or email l.packel@usciences.edu

Outcomes

For USciences graduates who responded to the alumni survey, 100% were employed within six months of passing the licensure exam (2019). 

The 2-year graduation rate is 93.7% (2019-2020).

The two-year ultimate pass rate on the national licensure examination for the DPT classes of 2019-2020 was 95.5%. The first-time pass rate for the DPT class of 2020 was 82.7%. To access further details on pass rates, visit this link on the FSBPT website.