Doctor of physical therapy

A Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree is a post-baccalaureate 3-4 year degree which may be conferred upon successful completion of a professional doctoral program. A Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree is also offered for those who already hold a professional Bachelor or Master of Physical Therapy (PT or MPT) degree. As of 2015, all accredited and developing physical therapist programs are DPT programs. The DPT degree currently prepares students to be eligible for the PT license examination in all 50 states. As of March 2017, there are 222 accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy programs in the United States. After completing a DPT program the doctor of physical therapy may continue training in a residency and then fellowship. As of December 2013, there are 178 credentialed physical therapy residencies and 34 fellowships in the US with 63 additional developing residencies and fellowships. Credentialed residencies are between 9 and 36 months while credentialed fellowships are between 6 and 36 months.

In 2000 the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) passed its Vision 2020 statement, which states (in part):

As this statement highlights, the DPT program is an integral part of the APTA's continued advocacy for legislation granting consumers (i.e. patients and clients) direct access to physical therapists, rather than requiring physician referral. Direct access is said to decrease wait times for access to care and even help reduce both cost to consumer and overall healthcare costs. As of January 1, 2015, all 50 states and the District of Columbia currently allow some form of direct access to physical therapists.

In 1992, the University of Southern California initiated the first post-professional "transitional" (DPT) program in the United States. This "transitional" DPT takes into account a physiotherapist's current level of knowledge and skill and purports to offer programs that upgrade clinical skills to meet the needs of the current health care environment.Creighton University followed by initiating the first entry-level DPT program in 1993.

The typical time frame for completion of a Doctor of Physical Therapy is 3 to 4 years after earning a bachelor's degree. Depending on residency and fellowship training, if undertaken, the individual may have completed several years of additional training.

Admission to a Doctor of Physical Therapy program is highly competitive. As of 2011 the average GPA for enrolling students was 3.5 with a range of 3.1 to 3.9 for all programs. On average there were 354.7 applicants per program with an average of 43.3 students enrolled per class for an average matriculation rate of 12.2%. The range for applicants to all programs as of 2011 was 34-1358, and the range of enrolled students was 6-354. A bachelor's degree is required before beginning a Doctor of Physical Therapy program, but there is no requirement on the degree earned, as long as all prerequisite course requirements are met.

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