DPT
(Entry Level Program to become a Practicing Clinician)

A student applying to become a physical therapist applies to the DPT Program. This is a 3 year program (36 months) including 24 weeks of full time clinical affiliations and 10 weeks of part time clinical affiliations. The DPT program is accredited by the APTA Commission on Physical Therapy Education. It received full accreditation for ten year accreditation when the site was visited in 2001.

In the DPT Program, the student completes 27 months of study, sits for the National Licensing Examination and then continues in the Postprofessional DPT Program (9 months). While studying in the DPT, it is possible for students to work part time.

This program is designed to prepare scholarly clinicians, educators, collaborative clinical researchers, administrative managers and community leaders. The program accepts 28-32 students and requires 36 months of study (including summers).

The curriculum is built on a strong theoretical foundation in basic, medical and applied sciences. Critical thinking and clinical reasoning are woven into all aspects of the program and creative problem solving skills are developed to work with patients to mitigate disability, optimize function and maintain positive health.

The graduates are well prepared to pass the National Licensing Examination and are considered top applicants for positions in physical therapy. The third year extends learning in the area of muscle and nerve biology, biomechanics and motor control. It also develops the skills to build the evidence base of practice, public policy, health care economics and ethics. The students extend their skills in practice and learn how to prepare and present a case report.

*To apply for June, 2010 admission, you must complete TWO applications which are submitted separately, but in parallel.

1. The PTCAS Application : Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS).

Visit the PTCAS web site at www.ptcas.org for application instructions and a list of participating PT programs.

2. The UCSF Supplemental Application : Information that is required by the UCSF Graduate Division Office and the Graduate Program in Physical Therapy to complete the comprehensive process of evaluation. Please visit the web site at https://graduate.ucsf.edu/application/apply/msdpt/2009/. (Unavailable until July 2009 for admission in 2010.) The fee for submission of this supplemental application is $70.

The deadline for BOTH applications is October 1st, 2009 (midnight). No extension of this deadline will be granted.

**For Letters of Recommendation and PT Observation Hours

Letters of Recommendation:

Please follow the PTCAS Application Letter of Reference Instructions to submit your eLOR (electronic Letter of Reference). www.ptcas.org

PT Observation Hours:

UCSF/SFSU Physical Therapy program requires that you verify your hours with a physical therapist. Please follow the instructions on the PTCAS application for submitting PT Observation Hours to PTCAS.