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Curriculum
Flexibility is a key feature
of the program
Once in the program, students notice that the online curriculum is distinguished by its immediate application to clinical dilemmas faced every day. Students choose many of the cases they study as part of their coursework.
Assignments and projects are designed to draw out new understanding and insight that students can put to use right away. Thus, the real-life issues that students encounter in practice become part of the curriculum as they are folded into course guidelines. Another distinction of the curriculum is flexibility. Students may begin the program at the start of any module and with few exceptions can take courses in any sequence after completing Orientation.
View the PPTPT course schedule 
Required Courses
Starting with Orientation, students must successfully complete all nine courses in the program to receive the DPT degree (DMU alumni take seven courses). See Course Descriptions for a complete list of required courses. All courses are online.
The Online Classroom
Students new to online learning tend to catch on very quickly in the supportive atmosphere fostered in the PPDPT program. Students who have already taken several courses watch out for the newcomers, who may experience first-day online jitters. Soon students sense being "in class" with the 20 or so student-colleagues in a class section. Just as for students on-campus, the Student Portal is a great connecting point with DMU. Among other features, the portal allows students to check grades, class schedules, check email, and search DMU's library collection. An instructional application called Blackboard provides access to course material, quizzes, discussion lists, and more.
Course Format
The format of each course will depend on the instructor, but each course will require that the student take the primary responsibility for learning. For example, students may be expected to complete assigned readings and then be required to contribute to an online discussion with classmates on a question or questions posed by the instructor. Students may be asked to develop a paper or case study and submit it to the instructor online or share it with their classmates via an online group page. If quizzes or exams are given, these will be available online.
Program Organization
Unlike self-paced or independent study programs, each course has a specific start and stop date along with due dates for assignments. One credit hour is considered equivalent to 15 lecture hours. Therefore, for a 2 credit hour course delivered over 8 weeks, students should plan on spending an average of 4-6 hours per week on the course. For a 3 credit hour course, students should plan on spending an average of 6-8 hours per week. Each course will be offered at least once over any 24 month time span. Once enrolled in the Program, the student has 5 years to complete the degree requirements. A student does NOT have to take all of the courses in each module or trimester and can skip modules or trimesters.
