Physical Therapy, Doctor of (D.P.T.)
General Graduate Program Requirements
Graduate School policies and standards can be found on the Graduate School Policies page.
The minimum GPA for any graduate program is 3.0. Individual programs may require more than a 3.0 to remain in good standing.
The minimum grade for a course to be accepted toward any requirement is C. Individual programs may require higher grades for specific courses.
DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
- The University of Montana Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) program prepares graduates to be competent physical therapists capable of assuming roles as clinical practitioners, educators, scholars/researchers, administrators, consultants, and advocates. The 8-semester curriculum completed in 33 months provides unique opportunities for students, beginning with strong foundational science content in the first year and culminating with a semester-long clinical internship. Courses include both didactic (classroom) and laboratory (hands-on) learning that complement integrated and full-time clinical experiences beginning in the summer of the first year.
- The D.P.T. degree requires completion of 121 credit hours, which includes 36 weeks of clinical education and 6 elective credit hours.
- The UMPT Clinical Education Program requires students to complete a total of 36 weeks of clinical experience consisting of 2 integrated, part-time experiences in the UM Physical Therapy Clinic and 3 full-time clinical experiences, along with participation in community outreach and interprofessional collaborations to promote professional development outside of traditional physical therapy training.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| P T 503 | PT and Health Care System | 2 |
| P T 510 | Applied Clinical Anatomy | 5 |
| P T 516 | Movement System Exam & Eval | 5 |
| P T 519 | Musculoskeletal Management I | 3 |
| P T 520 | PT & the Aging Adult | 2 |
| P T 523 | Clinical Medicine I | 1 |
| P T 524 | Clinical Medicine II | 2 |
| P T 525 | Clinical Medicine III | 2 |
| P T 526 | Foundational Skills & Intervention | 3 |
| P T 527 | Physical & Electrophysical Agents | 3 |
| P T 529 | Clinical Biomechanics | 5 |
| P T 530 | Clinically Applied Exercise Physiology | 5 |
| P T 531 | Prosthetics | 1 |
| P T 532 | Foundational Skills II | 1 |
| P T 533 | Pelvic Health PT | 1 |
| P T 536 | Neurosciences | 5 |
| P T 560 | Clinical Reasoning I | 1 |
| P T 563 | Cardiopulmonary PT | 3 |
| P T 565 | Pediatric Physical Therapy | 2 |
| P T 567 | Neurorehabilitation I | 4 |
| P T 568 | Neurorehabilitation II | 3 |
| P T 569 | Musculoskeletal Management II | 5 |
| P T 570 | Psychosocial Aspects of Health and Wellness | 2 |
| P T 572 | Practice & Administration | 4 |
| P T 573 | Musculoskeletal Management III | 6 |
| P T 576 | Clinical Reasoning II | 2 |
| P T 582 | Clinical Clerkship | 1 |
| P T 583 | Integrated Clinical Experience I | 2 |
| P T 584 | Integrated Clinical Experience II | 2 |
| P T 587 | Full -Time Clinical Experience I | 6 |
| P T 589 | Full-Time Clinical Experience II | 6 |
| P T 626 | Clinical Medicine IV | 2 |
| P T 627 | Prevention & Wellness Education | 3 |
| P T 629 | Clinical Medicine V | 2 |
| P T 676 | Clinical Reasoning III | 3 |
| P T 679 | Trends & Scholarly Activity | 5 |
| P T 680 | Clinical Internship | 11 |
| Total Hours | 121 | |