Doctor of Physical Therapy

Clarkson’s physical therapy faculty bring decades of clinical experience and scholarly vision to the classroom. Faculty members use the master adaptive learning approach to address the various learning styles of the students. Through this approach, students are focused to be patient-centered, flexible and responsive to demographic or geographic differences of patients and colleagues and gain the confidence to synthesize and apply the evidence, and make competent evidence-based decisions. Because classes are small and offer case-based experiential learning, you'll work closely with faculty members, which promotes your professional growth and success.
Our program involves more than 38 weeks of full-time clinical experience and internships, as well as numerous integrated clinical experiences throughout the curriculum.
Our Smart Simulation Lab and Assistive Technology Lab offer simulated experiences and cutting-edge technology. The Simulation Lab allows you to apply strategies learned in lectures to hands-on activities in a realistic environment. Mock hospital rooms allow you to practice patient evaluations and interventions in acute-care settings.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at Clarkson University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).

• Complete a baccalaureate degree with an overall grade point average (GPA) greater than or equal to 3.2.
• Take all the necessary prerequisite courses (see below) with a GPA greater than or equal to 3.2 in all prerequisite courses and no grade lower than a C in these courses.
• Submit documentation of a minimum of 50 hours of observation, volunteer or work experience in physical therapy and/or another healthcare setting, of which a minimum of 30 hours must be completed under the supervision of a physical therapist.

Prerequisite Courses

The following pre-requisite courses must be successfully completed within 10 years in order to be considered for admissions to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program:

Biology courses:

Cellular and Molecular Biology/Lab (Clarkson course: BY160/BY162), 5 credits

Human Anatomy and Physiology I/Lab (Clarkson course: BY 471/BY 473), 5 credits and Human Anatomy & Physiology II/Lab (Clarkson course: BY 472/BY 474) 5 credits

Chemistry courses:

General Chemistry I with lab (Clarkson course: CM 131 or CM 103/105: Structure and Bonding with lab) 4 or 5 credits

General Chemistry II with lab (Clarkson course: CM 132 or CM 104/106: Chemical Equilibrium and Dynamics with lab) 4 or 5 credits

Medical Terminology

Physics courses:

Physics I with lab (Clarkson course: PH 131 or PH 141) 4 credits

Physics II with lab (Clarkson course: PH 132 or PH 142) 4 credits

Statistics course:

Statistics (Clarkson courses: STAT 282, STAT 284, STAT 318, STAT 383) 3 credits

Psychology Courses:

General Psychology (Clarkson course: PY 151) 3 credits

Another 3 credit Psychology course, we recommend Developmental Psychology, life span (Clarkson course: PY 370) 3 credits