Offered by: College of Health Professions
Program Director: Craig Ruby PT, DEd, MPT
Program launches in Fall 2025
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program offers the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), a 114-credit, limited residency/hybrid professional degree program consisting of a mix of lecture, lab, and clinical instruction. Students are expected to enroll full time for 6 consecutive terms including summer. Courses are offered on-ground, blended, and in online and online interactive formats. Synchronous classes are generally held Monday through Friday during the day (Pacific Time Zone), although classes and clinical experiences may be scheduled at any time including evenings and weekends. Clinical Education Experiences may be offered near the student’s geographic area/residence, but could require travel throughout the United States.
The program is designed to provide geographic and residency flexibility for students who need flexibility to complete a professional degree.
Year One (Terms 1-3): Online coursework throughout each term, as well as two, concentrated, on-ground blocks of 6 to 11 days per term for immersive laboratory courses (clinical training, labs, in-class learning) at SCU’s Southern California campus.
Year Two (Terms 4-6): Online coursework throughout each term, as well as two, concentrated, on ground blocks of 7 to 10 days per term for immersive laboratory courses in terms 4 and 5 at SCU’s Southern California Campus; 8 weeks of on-ground Clinical Education Experiences in terms 4 and 5; and 15 weeks of on-ground Clinical Education Experiences in term 6. While the program strives to provide convenient, effective locations for Clinical Education Experiences for students, Clinical Education Experiences may require students to travel throughout the United States.
Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states. Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT;www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT’s website.
Southern California University of Health Sciences is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, on November 1, 2024. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.
This program is a hybrid delivery program. While many courses are held online, some courses will require in-person attendance in California. See Clinical Experiences in the University Catalog. See State Authorization information in the University Catalog.
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Professional Therapies: The DPT graduate will perform professional therapeutic skills in a competent and caring manner.
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Clinical Reasoning: The DPT graduate will analyze and integrate information gathered from patient/client interactions and apply it to physical therapy practice.
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Evidence-based Practice: The DPT graduate will utilize foundational health science knowledge, and critically appraise and apply relevant scientific literature in physical therapy practice.
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Outcomes-focused Practice: The DPT graduate will successfully develop and implement a healthcare management plan utilizing appropriate physical therapy methodologies and quality care to achieve best patient/client outcomes.
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Communication: The DPT graduate will effectively engage with patients/clients, colleagues, and the public using appropriate professional verbal, non-verbal, and written communication.
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Professionalism: The graduate will demonstrate leadership, integrity, respect, and self-reflection while employing ethical and legal standards in professional and community interactions.
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Integrative Whole-Person Healthcare: The DPT graduate will serve as an effective member of a healthcare team, collaborating with other professionals to improve community health and patient outcomes for the health of individuals and the community.
Applicants for the DPT degree must submit the following through the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS):
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Completed application
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Official transcripts from all accredited, post-secondary institutions attended. These transcripts must show that 90 semester credits - including 25 core prerequisite credits - are complete at the time of PTCAS application. (A Bachelor’s degree and all required core prerequisites will be required for matriculation, per Admissions Standards below.)
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Personal statement explaining reasons for pursuing the DPT degree (i.e., career plans, background, previous experience, interest, and/or values). Maximum of 250 words.
Applicants for the DPT degree must meet the following admissions standards. Exceptions are made on an individual basis by the Program Director.
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A completed bachelor’s degree* from an accredited institution (accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or an equivalent foreign agency).
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A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
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A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on 38 core prerequisite* semester credits (57 quarter credits):
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8 semester credits of Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2 with lab
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8 semester credits of Biology 1 and 2 with lab
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8 semester credits of Chemistry 1 and 2 with lab
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8 semester credits of Physics 1 and 2 with lab
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3 semester credits of Statistics
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3 semester credits of General Psychology.
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Meet the Technical Standards (physical and technical requirements) to successfully complete the program, with or without reasonable accommodations.
The GRE is not required.
Upon acceptance, students must submit program-specific documentation through the University’s clinical documentation management system, EXXAT. Each must remain current throughout the duration of the program, until degree completion. Prematriculation requirements must be fulfilled prior to matriculation unless stated otherwise.
- Copy of government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.) demonstrating the student to be at least 18 years of age.
- Technical Standards Evaluation Form completed and signed by an appropriate, licensed healthcare provider.
- Current and valid tuberculosis (TB) clearance completed within the prior two years.
- Proof of current immunization status as outlined in Immunization below
- Criminal background check as outlined in Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening below
- Drug screen as outlined in Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening below
- Proof of Medical Insurance as outlined in Student Health Insurance below
- Personal information as outlined in Personal Information below
- Lab Participation Agreement signed by the student.
Immunization
Students are required to keep all immunization records current within the University’s clinical documentation management system, EXXAT. Proof of adequate serologic immunity to Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, and Varicella is required. A Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis (Tdap) booster must have been received within the last 10 years. The current annual influenza vaccination must have been received. Annual influenza vaccination must be maintained throughout the program.
Clinical sites may have aditional immunization requirements. Non-compliance with site immunization requirements may prevent the student from being able to participate at an assigned clinical site. The program may attempt to provide alternative work assignments when possible; however, the program is not obligated to identify a clinical site that will accommodate the student, which means the student may be at risk of delaying graduation or being administratively dismissed from the program.
Criminal Background Check and Drug Screening
Students must successfully complete a criminal background check through Universal upon admission and prior to matriculation to the DPT program. Additional background checks and/or drug screens may be required by an assigned clinical site; students will be notified in advance when this is the case, if possible. These must be completed in accordance with the site-specific policies and prior to the deadline assigned. All costs associated with background checks and drug screens are the responsibility of the student.
The program follows the University’s Drug and Alcohol Awareness Program; however, the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program reserves the right to mandate random drug screens for their students. The program contracts with Universal to provide criminal background checks and drug screens. If a positive result is received on a drug screen, Universal will contact the student to request an explanation and/or documentation to support their results. If the student does not respond within five days, Universal will release those results to the program. A failure to respond within the allocated period may result in rescission of admission/enrollment or dismissal from the program.
Student Health Insurance
Students are required to maintain active health insurance while enrolled in the program, and maintain copies of current insurance cards within the University’s clinical documentation management system, EXXAT. Copies of insurance cards must be uploaded to EXXAT and approved prior to matriculation.
Personal Information
Students are required to keep personal information current within the University’s clinical documentation management system, EXXAT. This information includes current address, cell phone number, email address, and emergency contact information.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy may be conferred upon those who have fulfilled the following requirements:
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19.5 credits in foundational health sciences
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49.5 credits in physical therapy reasoning and skills
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14 credits in professional behaviors
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31 credits in clinical education experience
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Completed a minimum of 885 clinical education hours
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Earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75
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Successful demonstration of the knowledge, interpersonal, clinical and technical skills, professional behaviors, and clinical reasoning and problem-solving abilities required for physical therapy practice
- Completed all degree requirements within 4 years of matriculation
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Submitted a Petition to Graduate
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program does not accept transfer credits.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program requires that students complete all credits at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) to qualify for degree completion.
Student ID Badge
Doctor of Physical Therapy program students must always wear nametags/ID badges while on campus and during any scheduled program activities. Students are also required to show their SCU ID badge to their instructor (or designee) at midterms and final exams, and when otherwise requested. The SCU ID badge is provided to students by the Program Director’s Office during the 1st term.
Program Standards of Appearance
The following dress, grooming, and personal hygiene guidelines are the minimum standards for DPT program students. (Courses with standardized patients or that involve patient care, including Clinical Educational Experience courses, require compliance with the Standards of Professional Appearance in the SCU Clinical Handbook.) Variations of these standards may be acceptable when appropriate for medical or religious reasons; these should be approved through the accommodations process with the Student Services Office.
Program leadership and site-specific authorities make the final determination in each circumstance regarding appropriate personal appearance, to the extent these are compliant with law and SCU’s non-discrimination policy.
Students are expected to present an appearance consistent with professionalism and competence. To that end, program standards of appearance are applied during scheduled school hours in classrooms, laboratories, online sessions, campus facilities used for Doctor of Physical Therapy program education purposes, and off-campus assignments. The intent of the standards is to create and support an environment consistent with professionalism, competence, and safety. Doctor of Physical Therapy students are expected to promote and reflect this goal.
Personal Hygiene/Cleanliness
- Hair is to be clean and groomed so as to not directly interfere with any essential lab or practical learning activity or function. Faces should be clean-shaven or beards and mustaches clean and neatly trimmed.
- Body hygiene is required so that offensive body and/or breath odor is avoided.
- Cosmetics should be appropriate for a business environment.
- Perfumes, colognes, scented lotions and/or after-shave lotion should not be worn.
- Natural fingernails must be clean and short. Artificial nails and/or nail enhancements must not be worn during learning activities or performing tasks that require hand hygiene.
Program Standards of Attire
- Attire must be neat and clean and must allow faculty, staff, patients, and official visitors to easily identify students.
- Clothing must not be tight, sheer, or revealing, and must maintain modesty while standing or sitting and in all typical work positions.
- Jewelry should not interfere with personal safety or the safety of others.
Adaptations to Program Standards of Attire for Practical and Skills-Based Courses
- Attire must be neat and clean and must allow faculty, staff, patients, and official visitors to easily identify students.
- Clothing must not be sheer or revealing, and must maintain modesty (including through support of appropriate draping to train for preservation of patient comfort and dignity) while standing or sitting and in all typical training and practical skills-based positions.
- Jewelry should not interfere with personal safety or the safety of others.
- The function, safety, and professional alignment of attire with the practical skills being learned and practiced is paramount; attire must be functionally appropriate to the activity, constructed for the type of activity, and may include as examples:
- Patient gowns appropriate to skills-based courses (labs).
- Scrubs of a solid color that are clean, free of wrinkles, and appropriately sized.
- Shoes that are clean, closed-toe and closed-heel, nonskid sole, and constructed of material of sufficient strength to protect the foot. Sneakers are permitted.
- Specialized apparel for specific activities when courses will:
- include the need to partially disrobe (when engaging in the patient role as clinical skills are learned) consistent with the standard of patient care (example apparel could include yoga wear, shorts, designated athletic apparel, etc.);
- teach or develop specific biomechanical skills or functional movements that may be safer, more comfortable, or more consistent with the standard of patient care when dressed in designated athletic apparel;
- otherwise require specialized apparel to support the skills or content being taught, such as special safety equipment (to include goggles, lab coats, or other apparel and equipment so designated by the faculty member and/or in the syllabus).
When specialized apparel is required, time and changing space will be provided to don and doff the clothing or equipment. The faculty member will inform the entire class when specialized apparel is required; this may be done through the course syllabus, and may apply to all or specific course sessions.
The Student ID Badge and Program Standards of Professional Appearance Policy is the program’s extension of the Dress Code Policy as articulated in the Student Code of Conduct. Noncompliance is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states. Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT;www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT’s website.
Southern California University of Health Sciences is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, on November 1, 2024. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.
Jurisdictional requirements for licensure vary and may change; students are responsible for monitoring requirements where they wish to practice to ensure they meet local qualifications.
Clinical Education is designed for students to develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary for professional practice. DPT students participate in patient care and engage in other educational experiences under the supervision of a licensed physical Therapist. Students earn credit by completing a minimum of 1085 clinic hours, written and practical assignments, through three clinical education courses taken in sequence beginning in the fourth term.
Additional information on Clinical Education is available through the Clinical Education Handbook.
CLINICAL EDUCATION SITES
Clinical Education Experiences are offered through a network of clinical partners locally, regionally, and nationally. All logistics management pertaining to full time Clinical Education Experiences will occur through the Exxat platform. Every student will gain account access prior to matriculation into the program and will be accountable for maintaining an updated profile along with all compliance documents.
It is the program’s goal to equitably optimize clinical learning experiences across the cohort throughout the program. While the Director of Clinical Education (DCE) aims to place students at clinical sites within a 60-mile commute of the student’s housing, feasibility of this depends on state authorization and availability of clinical slots that meet SCU DPT’s program requirements. A current list of state authorizations where SCU may partner with clinical sites is available in the University catalog.
Students are financially responsible for their housing, living expenses, and transportation during clinical education experiences. Any additional costs associated with out of area or out of state experiences are the student’s responsibility.
CLINICAL EDUCATION EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Clinical Education Experiences are designed for students to develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary for professional practice. During Clinical Education courses, students participate in patient care and engage in other educational experiences under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Students earn credit by completing a total of 1085 clinic hours, written and practical assignments, and clinical skills assessments through three clinical education courses taken in sequence over the last three terms of the program. Students complete the required clinic hours at approved clinical sites. Students must be in good academic standing and be deemed by the DPT core faculty as competent and safe to progress to clinical education prior to each clinical education experience.
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Course
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Term
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Credit
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Hours
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Shift Locations
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DPT 645: Physical Therapy Practice I
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4
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8
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280 hours
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Approved Clinical Site
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DPT 655: Physical Therapy Practice II
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5
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8
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280 hours
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Approved Clinical Site
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DPT 665: Physical Therapy Practice III
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6
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15
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525 hours
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Approved Clinical Site
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CLINIC HOURS REQUIREMENTS
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Students must follow clinical education procedures including provision of patient care, record keeping, and billing.
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Students must complete the required documentation related to hours, patient care activities, and evaluations.
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Students must meet minimum patient care requirements (encounters, procedures, and more) in actual patient care to achieve degree completion requirements and meet licensure requirements.
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Students must utilize the University’s clinical management system Exxat to record hours, request approvals, request placement, submit documentation, etc.
Certain clinical sites may have site-specific requirements, including additional immunizations, drug screens, background checks, etc. Please note that failing to obtain or provide documentation for any additional requirements may delay graduation. Students must comply with any site-specific requirements as a prerequisite for participation.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program may allow students to remediate F grades after the completion of the course; students that remediate courses in the Physical Therapy Program are awarded an RC or RF grade. An RC (Remediation - Minimum Pass) grade indicates that a course was failed and then successfully remediated to a minimum pass grade. The original F grade is replaced on the transcript with the RC grade; An RF (Remediation - Fail) grade indicates that a course was failed and then unsuccessfully remediated. The original F grade is replaced on the transcript with the RF grade. An F grade or an RF grade counts towards Academic Dismissal.
Due to the rigorous nature of the program, students are discouraged from working while enrolled in the program. Course and clinical rotation schedules will not be modified for students who are employed.
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