The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) in Temple's College of Public Health is a rigorous professional program that prepares students for entry-level generalist physical therapy practice in a variety of clinical and community settings. This program emphasizes evidence-based decision-making, a collaborative learning environment, strong faculty mentorship, and state-of-the-art facilities and resources.
Physical therapists examine, evaluate and treat patients who have movement-related disorders or conditions that affect their ability to move freely and without pain. DPT students engage in both classroom education and real-world practice through extensive clinical experiences. Our cohort model gives you opportunities to form lasting relationships with faculty and classmates, and to build your future professional network. Students learn from physical therapy faculty at Temple, many of whom maintain active clinical practices or engage in innovative research.
Completing the DPT program will prepare you to sit for the national physical therapy examination (NPTE), and successfully passing this licensure exam will allow you to treat patients anywhere as a licensed physical therapist.
Graduates of this program are prepared to provide professional clinical service in a variety of settings, including community agencies; home health agencies; hospitals; independent, outpatient orthopedic clinics; pediatric and geriatric settings; rehabilitation centers; schools; and sports medicine clinics. Some graduates also teach in physical therapy programs or conduct research.
What sets apart our Doctor of Physical Therapy program?
- Advanced student training spaces: The DPT program is housed in a new building on Temple's Main Campus featuring smart classrooms and specialized clinical training spaces. The program uses standardized patients and simulated experiences, all to better prepare students for the challenges of patient care. Graduate students also gain extensive experience at clinical practice sites across the nation. Explore Temple's new education and training space.
- Interprofessional education opportunities: Prepare to practice as part of an interprofessional healthcare team by taking courses with students from Temple's professional programs in athletic training, dentistry, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy and recreation therapy.
- Opportunities to gain research experience: Most faculty have active research agendas, and students are invited to participate as analysts, assistants and observers.
- Local and international service learning: The North Broad Physical Therapy Center is a student-led, pro bono physical therapy center dedicated to assisting underserved residents of North Philadelphia. The program also offers an annual global health service learning trip to Guatemala.
3+3 Accelerated Degree Option
Exceptional freshman undergraduate students can maximize their academic investment and shorten the path to a DPT through this accelerated degree option, which allows them to earn both an undergraduate and a DPT degree in six years instead of seven. Learn more about the benefits of the College of Public Health's 3+3 Accelerated DPT Admissions Option.
Program Format
The 117-credit DPT is a full-time, year-round program beginning in the summer that takes three years to complete. Graduate students develop a strong background in the foundational sciences (anatomy and physiology, movement analysis, neuroscience, pharmacology, and psychology) with an emphasis on the human movement system. The clinical education (internship) portion of the curriculum begins the first year and continues across multiple clinical placements over the course of the program.
See a full list of program courses.