Physical Therapy (DPT)
Overview
The Department of Physical Therapy offers an entry-level Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. The program is a 3-year, 9-semester full-time, graduate program that will prepare graduates to be competent and compassionate licensed physical therapists working toward optimizing health and physical function across South Texas and beyond. Students will engage in didactic and hands-on experiences to develop the knowledge and skills to master the evaluation and treatment of people impacted by injury and disease across the spectrum of physical therapy practice to include those with musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiopulmonary and multisystem disorders. Under the guidance and mentorship of expert faculty, students will work individually and collectively to develop and hone their evaluative skills, clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and application of evidence-based practice to practice in a complex and dynamic healthcare system. Students will master clinical excellence through the development of original research projects, interprofessional collaboration, and multiple hands-on clinical experiences. Graduates will enter the workforce with the skills and knowledge to practice in clinical, research, and academic environments and rapidly become leaders in the profession as clinicians, scientists, and advocates. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) coursework is based on the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) Standards for an entry-level doctoral program.
Graduates from the first graduating class will be eligible to sit for the licensure examination in the summer of 2028. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy typically offers test dates in January, April, July and October each year.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the doctoral program, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UTRGV, as well as the other requirements listed below:
- Earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
- Have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
- Have a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 GPA (see prerequisite courses below).
- All prerequisite coursework must be completed within 10 years of the application deadline
- All prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of C or higher. A grade of C minus or below is NOT acceptable. If a course is repeated, the Physical Therapy Department will use the highest grade achieved in the course when calculating the Prerequisite GPA on your Physical Therapy Centralized Application System (PTCAS) application. All prerequisite coursework must be completed by the end of spring semester, prior to the start of the DPT program (Summer Semester; mid-June)
- Official transcripts from all previously attended institutions. Official transcripts from each college/university currently and previously attended reflecting completed and in progress coursework – submit directly to the PTCAS.
- The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must be completed within 5 years of the application deadline. While our program does not have a minimum score requirement, historical data from DPT programs nationally, suggest minimum competitive scores for matriculation are above 145 for Quantitative Reasoning, above 150 for Verbal Reasoning and above 3.5 for Analytical Writing.
- Applicants should have an appreciation of the breadth, depth, and scope of physical therapy practice demonstrated through volunteer or paid work experience in a physical therapy setting. Applicants must complete at least 50 observation hours, in at least two practice settings (i.e. orthopedics, pediatrics, neurorehabilitation, acute care, etc.).
- Three letters of recommendation addressing the candidate’s aptitude for professional training: two from a physical therapist licensed in the United States and one from a prior academic instructor. Evidence of personal integrity, maturity, motivation, communication skills, interpersonal skills, critical thinking skills, writing ability, dedication and ability to work with others are factors strongly considered. These qualities will be evaluated by several means other than letters of reference, the scope and nature of extracurricular activities (work and volunteer experience), and through the face-to-face interview process.
- Personal written statement/essay. Topics of essays can be found online in PTCAS application.
International Students and Students with Foreign Credentials
- Students whose native language is not English Will be expected to provide test scores for either Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Duolingo English Test or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). See the Graduate College International Admissions site for minimum score requirements and exemptions including countries exempt from the English Proficiency requirement.
- International students must have earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution in the U.S. OR earned baccalaureate degree from a recognized international equivalent in a field related to Physical Therapy.
- International and Domestic graduate applicants that attended a foreign college/university are required to have their official transcript(s) evaluated and the evaluation must be submitted to UTRGV to be considered for admission to a graduate program. International credentials (transcripts) must be evaluated through an approved evaluation service. The evaluation is the sole responsibility of the applicant and must be submitted for evaluation to one of the following credential evaluation services: World Education Services (WES), Foreign Credential Services of America (FCSA) or SPANTRAN. Applicants are required to select the course-by-course report option. General reports are not sufficient.
Academic Prerequisites:
Prerequisite courses may be in progress or planned at the time of the application, however, all prerequisite coursework must be completed prior to the beginning of the DPT curriculum. The following is a list of the prerequisite course work—totaling 47 hours:
- 4 semester hours of Biology I with laboratory (General, Cell, or Molecular)
- 4 semester hours of Biology II with laboratory or upper level biology with laboratory (General, Cell, or Molecular)
- 4 semester hours Human Anatomy and Physiology I with laboratory
- 4 semester hours of Human Anatomy and Physiology II with laboratory
- 4 semester hours of Chemistry I with laboratory
- 4 semester hours of Chemistry II with laboratory
- 4 semester hours of Physics I with laboratory
- 4 semester hours of Physics II with laboratory
- 3 semester hours of General or Introductory Psychology OR Introduction to Sociology
- 3 semester hours of Developmental (Lifespan) OR Abnormal Psychology
- 3 semester hours of Statistics that must include instruction on Analysis of Variance techniques
- 3 semester hours of a Medical Terminology course (college/university)
- 3 semester hours of Exercise Physiology or Advanced Human Physiology
Accreditation Process
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The program will submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, on 1 November, 2024. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.
Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the CAPTE is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states. 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. It is up to each state licensing agency to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy or specific state boards.
Program Requirements
Required Courses - 96 Hours
| PHTH 8100 | Clinical Education Orientation | 1 |
| PHTH 8101 | Integrated Clinical Experience | 1 |
| PHTH 8122 | Clinical Decision-Making I | 1 |
| PHTH 8123 | Clinical Decision-Making II | 1 |
| PHTH 8124 | Clinical Decision-Making III | 1 |
| PHTH 8125 | Clinical Decision-Making IV | 1 |
| PHTH 8132 | Independent Study | 1 |
| PHTH 8133 | Research and Evidence-Based Practice III | 1 |
| PHTH 8220 | Physical Therapy Professional Issues | 2 |
| PHTH 8221 | Physical Therapy Spanish Medical Terminology | 2 |
| PHTH 8226 | Physical Therapy Administration and Management | 2 |
| PHTH 8260 | Health Promotion and Wellness | 2 |
| PHTH 8266 | Pharmacology in Rehabilitation | 2 |
| PHTH 8310 | Management of Patients with Chronic Disorders | 3 |
| PHTH 8312 | Management of Patients with Neuromuscular Disorders I | 3 |
| PHTH 8314 | Management of Patients with Neuromuscular Disorders II | 3 |
| PHTH 8316 | Management of the Pediatric Patient | 3 |
| PHTH 8330 | Research and Evidence-Based Practice I | 3 |
| PHTH 8331 | Research and Evidence-Based Practice II | 3 |
| PHTH 8340 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 3 |
| PHTH 8341 | Pathophysiology | 3 |
| PHTH 8342 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 3 |
| PHTH 8343 | Anatomy and Physiology III | 3 |
| PHTH 8344 | Anatomy and Physiology IV | 3 |
| PHTH 8345 | Anatomy and Physiology V | 3 |
| PHTH 8350 | Physical Therapy Clinical Foundations I | 3 |
| PHTH 8351 | Physical Therapy Examination Techniques | 3 |
| PHTH 8361 | Clinical Medicine I | 3 |
| PHTH 8362 | Principles of Therapeutic Exercise | 3 |
| PHTH 8411 | Management of Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders I | 4 |
| PHTH 8413 | Management of Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders II | 4 |
| PHTH 8415 | Management of Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders III | 4 |
| PHTH 8417 | Management of Patients with Cardiopulmonary Disorders | 4 |
| PHTH 8463 | Therapeutic Interventions | 4 |
| PHTH 8464 | Clinical Medicine II | 4 |
| PHTH 8465 | Advanced Therapeutic Interventions | 4 |
Internships/External Learning - 17 Hours
| PHTH 8303 | Physical Therapy Clinical Education I | 3 |
| PHTH 8404 | Physical Therapy Clinical Education II | 4 |
| PHTH 8405 | Physical Therapy Clinical Education III | 4 |
| PHTH 8606 | Physical Therapy Clinical Education IV | 6 |
Total Credit Hours: 113