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Curriculum
PT students in class
As a student in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, you study in a cooperative campus environment. You develop lifelong skills to stay abreast of changes in physical therapy and healthcare delivery. Instruction throughout the block-format curriculum reflects current thinking in clinical training and technology while emphasizing manual skills.
Evidence-based practice models, clinical cases, laboratory practice, and current technology are incorporated throughout the curriculum to enhance learning. Through this integrated approach, students learn to appreciate lifelong learning and the value of service as the basis for your career in physical therapy.
View a typical PT student schedule 
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Students in the program enjoy applying their knowledge in the classroom as they learn it. You'll notice that the first clinical internship immediately follows instruction in the musculoskeletal system. This internship will be in orthopedics, so students are able to take their classroom learning to a clinical setting right away. The same format followings for the additional internship experiences.
Program of Study
- View DMU's academic calendar
- The 34-month program of study begins in August. Click here to see the university's academic calendar.
- The program leads to a Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree.
- 38 weeks of clinical instruction are interspersed throughout the program, allowing you to correlate didactic (classroom) experiences with clinical applications.
- Several vacation periods are included during the 34 months of study.
- The curriculum is delivered in sequential learning experiences presented in a block format, each block building on the previous one.
- Students participate in four clinical internships spaced throughout the curriculum in areas including orthopedics, acute care, neurological rehab, and an elective. Internships are scheduled at more than 350 clinical sites throughout the United States.
- The curriculum uses a variety of delivery methods in an attempt to meet individual student learning styles. Methods include case studies, problem-based learning, lectures, group projects, labs and community-based labs.
- The curriculum includes extensive laboratory time to ensure competency in manual skills.
Courses
Each didactic block of the curriculum focuses on four different core courses:
- Professional Issues - Includes professional behaviors, ethics, educational theory, administration, and management.
- Foundational Sciences - Includes basic and applied sciences, and research
- Patient Management - Includes the care of patients/clients, and skill acquisition in laboratory settings
- Clinical Applications - Application of clinical problem solving skills to case presentations.
