Doctor of Physical Therapy
Post Professional Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
Applicants must be experienced physical therapy clinicians licensed to
practice in the United States. Alternatively, foreign trained therapists
must be graduates of institutions recognized by the American Physical
Therapy Association. Applicants must also hold a master's degree in
physical therapy or a field related to physical therapy practice.
Generally, a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale as well
as a minimum score of 500 on each of the three components of the
Graduate Record Examinations are required. The degree requirement
includes successful completion of 30-31 units as described in the
following three sections:
| Required courses | Units |
|---|
| PT
573 | Physical Examination and Differential
Diagnosis in Patients with Medical Disorders | 2 |
| PT
585 | Physical Examination and Differential
Diagnosis in Patients with Neurological Disorders, or | 2 |
| PT 624a | Neurological
Differential Diagnosis and Therapeutic Interventions | 3 |
| PT 591 | Physical
Examination and Differential Diagnosis in Patients with Orthopedic
Disorders | 2 |
| PT 605 | Orthopedic
Radiology | 2 |
| PT 607 | Clinical
Scanning | 2 |
| PT 608 | Pharmacotherapeutics | 2 |
Electives (a minimum of 9 units is required,
one from each
category is recommended) | Units |
|---|
| Anatomy |
| BKN 551 | Musculoskeletal and
Biomechanical Basis of Movement | 4 |
| BKN 563 | Biomechanics | 2 |
| BKN 573ab | Advanced Dissection Anatomy | 2 |
| PT 514L | Musculoskeletal
Anatomy | 4 |
| PT 534 | Neuroanatomy | 3 |
| PT 554L | Analytical Anatomy | 3 |
| PT 622 | Advanced
Management of Spinal Disorders | 3 |
| PT 623 | Advanced Management of Extremity Disorders | 3 |
| Neurobiology |
| BKN 550 | Neurobehavioral Basis of
Movement | 4 |
| BKN 566 | Neurobiology of Locomotion | 2 |
| BKN 578 | Classic
Readings in Biokinesiology | 2 |
| BKN 587ab | Physiological Correlates of
Therapeutic Exercise | 4-4 |
| BKN
593 | Behavioral Basis of Motor Control and
Learning | 3 |
| PT 509 | Cellular
and Systems Physiology | 3 |
| PT 546 | Neuropathology | 3 |
| PT 549L | Clinical Exercise Physiology | 4 |
| PT
569 | Fundamentals of Neuroscience | 4 |
| PT 624bL | Neurological
Differential Diagnosis and Therapeutic Interventions | 3 |
| Exercise Physiology |
| BKN 552 | Physiological
Basis of Voluntary Movement | 4 |
| BKN 587ab | Physiological Correlates of Therapeutic Exercise | 4-4 |
| BKN 588 | Physiology and Biomechanics of
Resistance Exercise | 2 |
| PT 509 | Cellular and Systems Physiology | 3 |
| PT
549L | Clinical Exercise Physiology | 4 |
| PT 571L | Clinical
Management of Cardiopulmonary Dysfunction | 4 |
| PT
622 | Advanced Management of Spinal Disorders | 3 |
| PT 624bL | Neurological
Differential Diagnosis and Therapeutic Interventions | 3 |
Capstone Project (PT 592)
This required project provides the
student with the opportunity to synthesize the learning experiences of
the D.P.T. program. It can take the form of a case study, a learning
module for students or patients, a business plan for a unique form of
health care delivery, or some other innovative concept. Work towards the
completion of the project is done under the guidance of a single faculty
member or a committee, depending on the magnitude and scope of the
project. The primary faculty advisor will determine the unit value of
the project.
A clinical residency is also available as part of the
post-professional D.P.T. program.
Certificate in Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Certificate in Neurologic Physical Therapy
Clinical Residency Programs
These programs are directed at practicing clinicians who seek
post-professional clinical residency education in orthopedic or
neurologic physical therapy and wish to obtain an academic credential
for its completion.
Admission Requirements, Prerequisites and Degree
Requirements
Admission requirements such as grade point average,
GRE scores and P.T. licensure are the same as those for the
post-professional D.P.T. In addition to the above listed requirements,
experience in orthopedic physical therapy as evidenced by the years in
practice and post-graduate course work taken will be assessed in the
applicant's portfolio. The faculty may request a personal interview.
Admission will be considered for fall semester only. Deadline for
application is four months prior to the proposed starting date. All
applicants should contact the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical
Therapy for advisement. Completion of the certificate requires
satisfactory completion of a minimum of 15 units.
| Required courses for certificate in Orthopedic physical
therapy | Units |
|---|
| PT 595abcd | Residency in
Advanced Clinical Physical Therapy | 1-4 each |
| PT
622 | Advanced Management of Spinal
Disorders | 3 |
| PT 623 | Advanced
Management of Extremity Disorders | 3 |
| required courses for certificate in neurologic physical
therapy | Units |
|---|
| PT 595abcd | Residency in
Advanced Clinical Physical Therapy | 1-4 each |
| PT 624abL | Neurological Differential Diagnosis and
Therapeutic Interventions | 3-3 |
Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Public Health
The Post Professional Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) and the Master
of Public (M.P.H.) dual degree program offers the opportunity for
physical therapy clinicians to pursue a doctoral-level education in
combination with an integrated approach to health care. The program
spans four years. Students begin the first one to two years completing
M.P.H. core and elective course work in the Department of Preventive
Medicine. The remaining years are devoted to program requirements in
physical therapy.
Professional Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Program
This program, for persons who are not physical therapists, comprises six
semesters and two summers for completion of the required 115 units. All
courses are in sequence and only in rare circumstances is the sequence
altered.
Admission Requirements (Entry-Level)
Applicants are required to complete the equivalent of a U.S.
baccalaureate degree at an accredited college or university prior to
matriculation. Prerequisite course work must include: four courses in
the biological sciences (including human anatomy, human physiology and
either cell or molecular biology); one year of college physics; one year
of college chemistry; one semester of college mathematics; two courses
in psychology; one course in composition and writing; and one course in
either literature or history. Human anatomy, human physiology, physics
and chemistry must include laboratories. The following courses are
highly recommended: biochemistry, calculus, kinesiology, exercise
physiology, neuroscience, genetics and a cross-cultural course in
sociology. Applicants should be computer literate.
Students from foreign countries must have completed one year of study
in the United States prior to application. Credits from foreign
institutions must be approved by the USC Office of Admission.
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
The GRE is required of
all applicants. In general, minimum scores of 500 are required on each
of the general test measures of verbal, quantitative and analytical
ability.
Applications
Applications are available in September for the
class entering in September of the following year. The deadline for
receipt of applications is December 1 of each year. Only one class is
admitted each year.
The Admissions Committee reviews all information submitted.
Applicants may be requested to appear for a personal interview. It is
highly recommended that all applicants make an appointment to visit the
department's office located on the Health Sciences campus and talk with
students and members of the faculty.
Notice of Acceptance
Notice of acceptance will be sent to
successful candidates no earlier than late January and continually
thereafter until the class is filled. In no case will an acceptance be
offered earlier than one year before anticipated enrollment.
Candidates should reply to an offer of acceptance within three weeks
enclosing a $500 deposit (nonrefundable) which is credited to tuition at
the time of registration. A letter of withdrawal is required if
applicants wish to relinquish their place in the class; release is
granted automatically upon receipt of the letter.
Degree Requirements (Entry-Level)
The USC Graduate School awards the D.P.T. to enrolled students who have
completed satisfactorily the three-year curriculum of 115 credits
(depending on electives chosen). The minimum number of credits required
for graduation is 115. The minimum GPA required for graduation is 2.75.
Clinical experience (clerkship) is part of the curriculum during all
three years.
The Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy uses a system of
student evaluation and grading that is designed to encourage
self-reliance, to stimulate the student's independent quest for
knowledge and to promote excellence in clinical and academic
achievement.
Faculty of the program are responsible for establishing evaluation
criteria appropriate to the objectives of each course and for specifying
the manner in which evaluative information is to be gathered. For
clinical evaluation, descriptive comments based on the student's
performance are submitted by faculty and clinical instructors to the
student's permanent file.
| Required courses | Units |
|---|
| PT
509 | Cellular and Systems Physiology | 3 |
| PT 514L | Musculoskeletal
Anatomy | 4 |
| PT 516 | Principles
of Disease | 2 |
| PT 521L | Basics of
Patient Management | 4 |
| PT 529 | Life Span Motor Control | 3 |
| PT
530ab | Therapeutic Exercise | 2-2 |
| PT 534L | Neuroanatomy | 3 |
| PT 536 | Pathology of
Cardiopulmonary Disease and General Medical Conditions | 3 |
| PT 539 | Clinical
Pharmacology | 1 |
| PT 546 | Neuropathology | 3 |
| PT 549L | Clinical Exercise Physiology | 4 |
| PT
551L | Therapeutic Application of Physical Agents
| 2 |
| PT 554L | Analytical
Anatomy | 3 |
| PT 561abcde | Evidence for Physical Therapist Practice | 2-2-2-2-2 |
| PT 566 | Disorders of the
Musculoskeletal System | 3 |
| PT 569 | Fundamentals of Neuroscience | 4 |
| PT
571L | Clinical Management of Cardiopulmonary
Dysfunction | 4 |
| PT 574 | Clinical
Biomechanics | 3 |
| PT 581L | Clinical Management of the Patient with Neurological
Dysfunction | 5 |
| PT 582 | Mechanics
of Human Gait | 2 |
| PT 583L | Clinical Electrophysiology | 3 |
| PT
600abcdez | Clinical Clerkship | 1-3-1-1-3-0 |
| PT 606 | Clinical
Imaging | 3 |
| PT 621L | Clinical
Management of the Patient with Musculoskeletal Dysfunction | 5 |
| PT 630 | Integrated
Management of the Upper and Lower Extremities | 3 |
| PT
631 | Integrated Management of the Axial Skeletal
System and Related Movement Disorders | 3 |
| PT
632 | Integrated Patient Management Seminar | 5 |
| PT 650 | Differential Diagnosis in Physical Therapy | 1 |
| PT 660 | Advanced
Clerkship with Academic Integration | 5 |
| PT 665 | Advanced Clinical Clerkship | 8 |
| Elective courses | Units |
|---|
| PT
612L | Physical Therapy Management of Spinal
Disorders | 2 |
| PT 613L | Physical
Therapy Management of the Foot and Lower Quarter | 2 |
| PT
614L | Evaluation and Management for Hand
Dysfunction | 2 |
| PT 615 | Management
of the Complicated Patient | 2 |
| PT 618L | Seminar in Advanced Neurological Rehabilitation | 2 |
| PT 619L | Clinical
Electrophysiology | 2 |
| PT 654 | Physical Therapy Interventions in Pediatrics | 2 |
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