The University of Toledo

University of Toledo - Doctor of Physical Therapy Program - Home

Welcome to the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program at the University of Toledo. We are proud to introduce you to our long-standing tradition of excellence in educating some of the finest physical therapists serving society today.

Our program offers a number of benefits that prospective students should consider:

• Efficient, cost-effective education: Our DPT curriculum ranks as one of the most efficient in the country at 94 total credit hours over the course of 36 months. The national mean is 115 credit hours, with some programs having as many as 147 credit hours. We accomplish this, in part, by adopting an adult-learner educational model within an integrated and cohesive curriculum.
• Comprehensive health science resources: Would you rather learn to be a healthcare practitioner in a liberal arts institution, or in an institution dedicated to health science education and research, with its own full-service University Medical Center on campus? Our DPT students benefit greatly from the physical and intellectual resources afforded by an education in an academic health education institution; this includes access to patients, physicians, and scientists engaged in health care research, as well as medical books, journals, and equipment. Learning to practice as a physical therapist requires learning the culture and professionalism of health care, which we offer.                                                                                                                                    
• Faculty qualifications: The University of Toledo faculty is a unique collection of seasoned passionate educators who are accomplished clinicians and researchers. Some professors have been recognized as outstanding teachers on campus while others have earned awards from the American Physical Therapy Association. Our faculty includes University clinicians who are Board-Certified Clinical Specialists in their area of expertise. In addition to being exposed to such expertise, students also benefit from having physicians, anatomists, pathologists, and other University faculty regularly involved in their education.
• Accreditation: The University of Toledo’s DPT Program has been fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) since 1983. Accreditation occurs every 10 years and the UT DPT Program is scheduled for reaffirmation of its accreditation in 2013. For more information regarding the accreditation process visit http://www.capteonline.org or contact accreditation@apta.org or (703) 703-3245.
• Program Outcomes: Since the UT DPT Program transitioned its curriculum from a master’s degree to the doctoral degree in 2006 with its first graduation class in 2009, the graduation rate has been above 93%. In addition, the ultimate pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) for licensure of those who graduated from the UT DPT Program above 96% with a 100% employment rate within six months of licensure. Click here for more detailed information.  
• Extensive clinical affiliation opportunities: Every physical therapy program in the country requires that students practice in a mentored relationship with seasoned clinicians (internships). Over its 26 year existence, our DPT program has developed a solid reputation and strong network of clinical placement opportunities for students. From Hawaii to Florida to South Carolina, and within the competitive Toledo healthcare market, our students affiliate in some of the best clinics in the country. The UT DPT program also offers students the unique opportunity to do a "specialty rotation" for one of their clinical affiliations. These affiliations often result in job offers. Each year, the UT DPT program sponsors a job fair that brings to our campus an array of prospective employers from around the country to recruit our students.
• DPT/PhD combined degree: The Physical Therapy Program, in collaboration with the UT Department of Kinesiology, is proud to offer a DPT/PhD track that enables students to simultaneously pursue clinical (DPT) and academic (PhD) doctoral degrees. The PhD is in Exercise Science with an emphasis on research. UT is one of several programs in the country to offer such a collaboration in which DPT academic credit can contribute, in part, to the fulfillment of a PhD. After successful completion of Year-1, a qualified DPT student may apply for consideration into the combined PhD track. Additional information about the PhD in Exercise Science can be found here and by contacting Dr. Michael Tevald at michael.tevald@utoledo.edu.