Physical Therapy

The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree prepares students for licensure as physical therapists. The program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

The program requires three academic years and three summers to complete. Full-time enrollment is necessary, including the summers. Students are required to commute to affiliating hospitals and clinics for some professional courses, and some form of transportation is necessary. Students are also required to provide their own uniforms.

To be eligible for licensure, both the didactic and clinical components of the DPT degree must be successfully completed.

A. Requirements for Admission to the DPT Program

1. Completion of a bachelor’s degree prior to enrollment in the program.
2. Admission to graduate studies at CSUN.
3. Completion of all prerequisite courses or approved substitutions prior to enrollment with a minimum grade of “C” and a minimum GPA of 3.0.
4. Completion of the Graduate Examination (GRE) prior to filing the application.
5. The applicant must score at the 50th percentile or higher on at least one area of the GRE if the undergraduate cumulative GPA is less than 3.0.
6. The applicant must achieve a 3.0 or better on the analytical writing component of the GRE as the direct assessment of writing for the doctoral program. 

B. The following criteria are reviewed by the Selection Committee:

1. Academic success as reflected by performance in required prerequisites (GPA 3.0 minimum; a “C-” grade or below is not accepted), and performance in undergraduate coursework.
2. Three letters of recommendation, with at least one from a physical therapist.
3. Validation of relevant experience (minimum of 200 documented work/volunteer hours). At least two-thirds of validated hours must be in a physical therapist-supervised setting.
4. GRE (Graduate Record Examination).

Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee acceptance into the DPT program.

The DPT program begins in the Fall semester. The initial filing period to the University and the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) is the previous Fall. The deadline for submitting the supplementary application to the PTCAS for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program is October 1.

C. Grade and GPA Requirements

The CSUN DPT program is a lockstep cohort program in which students take the same course sequencing simultaneously. The successful completion of each semester’s courses with a passing grade of “C” or better must be achieved in order to progress to the next semester. Any student who needs to repeat a course will be dropped back into a subsequent cohort since all coursework is sequential. A student cannot drop back to a subsequent cohort more than one time throughout the three-year program. Students who do not pass a repeated course on the second attempt will be disqualified from the University under the GPA Requirements for Graduate Programs Policy. All students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher throughout the program.

D. Prerequisite Courses

The following courses or approved substitutions (taken at CSUN or another regionally accredited college or university) must be successfully completed prior to enrollment in classes:

CSUN Course

BIOL 101 General Biology (3)
BIOL 101L General Biology Lab (1)
BIOL 211 Human Anatomy (2)
BIOL 212 Laboratory Studies in Human Anatomy (1)
BIOL 281 Human Physiology (3)
BIOL 282 Lab Experiments in Human Physiology (1)
CHEM 101 General Chemistry I (3)
CHEM 101L General Chemistry I Lab (1)
CHEM 102 General Chemistry II (3)
CHEM 102L General Chemistry II Lab (1)
HSCI 390/L Biostatistics and Lab (3/1) (or Statistics)
PHYS 100A General Physics I (3)
PHYS 100AL General Physics I Lab (1)
PHYS 100B General Physics II (3)
PHYS 100BL General Physics II Lab (1)
PSY 150 Introduction to Psychology (3) (or General or Developmental Psychology)
PSY 310 Abnormal Psychology (3)

E. Course Requirements

1. Required DPT Courses (105 units)

PT 700/L Applied Human Anatomy and Lab (2/2)
PT 702/L Applied Biomechanics for the Physical Therapist I and Lab (2/1)
PT 703/L Applied Biomechanics for the Physical Therapist II and Lab (2/1)
PT 704/L Physiologic Principles of Rehabilitation and Lab (2/1)
PT 706 Applied Neuroscience (3)
PT 708 Pathophysiology (3)
PT 710/L Physical Therapy Management I: Acute Care and Documentation and Lab (1/1)
PT 711/L Physical Therapy Management II: Physical Modalities and Patient Education and Lab (1/1)
PT 712/L Electrotherapeutics and Lab (2/1)
PT 720/L Musculoskeletal Practice Management I and Lab (3/2)
PT 730/L Musculoskeletal Practice Management II and Lab (2/2)
PT 732/L Neurologic Practice Management I and Lab (2/2)
PT 733/L Neurologic Practice Management II and Lab (2/2)
PT 734/L Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Practice Management and Lab (2/1)
PT 740/L Musculoskeletal Practice Management III and Lab (2/1)
PT 742/L Pediatric Practice Management and Lab (2/1)
PT 744 Geriatric Practice Management (2)
PT 744L Geriatric Practice Management Lab (1)
PT 746L Applied Therapeutic Exercise Laboratory (1)
PT 750 Evidence-Based Physical Therapy Practice I (2)
PT 752A Evidence-Based Physical Therapy Practice II (2)
PT 752B Evidence-Based Physical Therapy Practice III (2)
PT 752C Supervised Doctoral Project (1/1)
PT 760 Professional Practice I (2)
PT 770 Pharmacological Interventions (2)
PT 771 Motor Learning, Motor Control and Functional Development (2)
PT 773 Medical Imaging (2)
PT 774 Medical Screening (2)
PT 775/L Pathological Gait, Orthotics and Prosthetics and Lab (3/1)
PT 776/L Movement Impairment and Lab (2/1)
PT 779A Community Health & Wellness I: Promoting Healthy Lifestyle (1)
PT 779B Community Health & Wellness II: Promoting Equitable Public Health (1)
PT 780 Professional Practice II (2)
PT 789AL Community Health Service I (1)
PT 789BL Community Health Service II (1)
PT 790 Clinical Practice I (1)
PT 792 Clinical Practice II (1)
PT 794 Clinical Education I (1)
PT 794I Clinical Internship I (3)
PT 796 Clinical Education II (2)
PT 796I Clinical Internship II (4)
PT 798 Clinical Education III (2)
PT 798I Clinical Internship III (4)

2. Electives (3 units)

Select at least 3 units from the following or other graduate courses as approved by an advisor:

PT 785A-Z Selected Topics in Physical Therapy (3)
PT 799A Independent Study (1)
PT 799B Independent Study (2)
PT 799C Independent Study (3)

3. Culminating Experience (3 units)

PT 797 Directed Comprehensive Exam (3)

Total Units Required for the D.P.T. Degree: 111