Best Physical Therapy and Therapist Masters Programs in Minnesota

Our joint degree program offers an opportunity to combine their entry-level Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) preparation and their PhD preparation in Rehabilitation Sciences.

The DPT PhD program allows for up to 18 credits of DPT course work to be applied to the PhD course requirements, but distinct learning processes are still retained and required for each degree. The program also allows for extension of research experience in a focused area across the time period of the two programs. It is important to note that this program will only be appropriate for a select few students with focused career goals in research and teaching, and it does not allow completion of two degrees in the time frame for one.

Interested students must first be admitted to the DPT Program. Upon successful completion of lab rotations (generally after year 1 of the DPT program), students Rehabilitation Science (PhD) Program. If accepted, joint degree students can register for courses that are considered as credit for both doctoral programs.

After completion of the full 3 year DPT Program, which includes all clinical internships, students continue in a full-time capacity in pursuit of the RSC PhD. The length of this phase is variable, but will likely require an estimated 3 years of further full-time study. The full DPT PhD is expected to be completed in 6 years, whereas completing both degrees independently will take a student a minimum of 8 years.

No funding stipend or tuition remission is currently guaranteed for students in the DPT phase of the joint degree Program. Once beginning the PhD phase of the program, students will be eligible for TA (teaching assistant) or RA (research assistant) appointments. These appointments include a stipend and tuition remission.

Gain the education and experience to become a master clinician.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at St. Catherine University enables you to be a highly competent, ethical, evidence-based clinician prepared to lead and influence within the profession of physical therapy, the healthcare environment, and the broader global community.

Positively lead, influence, and shape physical therapy practice.

The DPT program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).

DPT student responses on what led them to attend St. Catherine University for their physical therapy education include the following the top 5 factors:.

The St. Catherine University Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program has an innovative curriculum that prepares students to think and reason in a clinical environment. Unique features of this innovative curriculum include:.

Students take one course at a time and courses are focused on a specific physical therapy practice setting (i.e. outpatient orthopaedics, neurological rehabilitation, geriatrics, acute care).

Course content is organized to integrate the basic medical and behavioral sciences with clinical application and practice issues.

A collaborative partnership with our Physical Therapist Assistant Program provides students valuable insight and skills for teaming with physical therapist assistants.

This student-centered, holistic approach to physical therapist practice allows students to learn in context, building on knowledge from a strong educational foundation and concurrent clinical education experiences. Our graduates report that our innovative curriculum model effectively facilitates their transition from student to clinician.

Starting in the second week of the DPT curriculum, students have hands-on patient care experience. Our DPT Program is in the top 5% of the programs nationally in the number of clinical education hours for 1st yr students.

The DPT Program has maintained a class size of 34 students per cohort, which provides students an intimate educational experience.

Given these attributes, the DPT Program has achieved an excellent reputation in the physical therapy community for producing clinicals ready to face the complexity and challenges of clinical practice.

We empower our graduates to be highly competent, ethical, culturally fluent, and evidence-based clinicians prepared to lead, influence and serve within the profession of physical therapy, the healthcare environment, and the broader global community.

There are a number of strategies used to help students become acquainted with their classmates and new learning environment. This allows new students an opportunity to get tips on what classes are like, prepare for PT school, and answer any further questions that they may have. A class social media page is created to allow incoming students to exchange information on anything from housing opportunities, extracurricular activities, and other information.

Early in the first semester, students participate in the Marilyn S Woods Leadership Symposium which assists them to identify their leadership strengths and passions. The leadership journey in the Program is capped off with the Ethics and Leadership Summit at the end of the curriculum. This course includes the 2-week service learning immersion experience and an integrative seminar in which students synthesize prior coursework in physical therapy practice, ethics, clinical education and service learning experiences.

These competencies are critical for future health care practitioners. DPT students also interact with physician assistant students in a suture lab, occupational therapy students in a tutorial on stroke, and future nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, physician assistants, dieticians, and others at an annual IPE Workshop focused on healthy aging.

In addition, physical therapy at St. Catherine University is unique because the University offers both a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and a Physical Therapist Assistant Program on the Minneapolis campus. This allows our DPT students to have multiple opportunities to learn from and with physical therapist assistants and physical therapist assistant students. This learning prepares our students to engage in optimal PT PTA working relationships when they enter clinical practice.

Students participate in four full-time clinical experiences spread across all three years of the Program, totaling 40 weeks. These experiences occur in major PT practice settings including an opportunity for students to focus on a specific interest area. Students choose from a variety of clinical settings both regionally and nationally.

Physical Therapy Club The Physical Therapy Club, founded in 2006, is open to all students in the DPT and PTA Programs at St. Catherine University. community and to provide social networking opportunities for DPT and PTA students. Examples of PT Club activities include participation in fitness challenges, development and distribution of educational materials, and engagement in service activities.

September (3 weeks) DPT 5000 Intro to Physical Therapist Practice (3cr).

(6 weeks) DPT 5010 Outpatient Physical Therapy I (6cr).

(7 weeks) DPT 5035 Outpatient Physical Therapy II (7cr).

March (6 weeks) DPT 5040 Rehabilitation I (6cr).

May (7 weeks) DPT 5055 Transitional Care I (7cr).

May DPT 7000 Research Project I (2cr).

March (7 weeks) DPT 6040 Outpatient Physical Therapy III (7cr).

March May (10 weeks) DPT 6055 Clinical Education II (7cr).

May DPT 8000 Research Project III (2cr).

May DPT 7165: Ethics and Leadership Summit (3cr).

Options for foreign-trained Physical Therapists Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT).

The College of St. Scholastica Doctor of Physical Therapy Program offers several options for foreign-trained physical therapists, both licensed and practicing internationally, as well as those seeking initial licensure (or an additional state license) in the United States.

We will accept evaluations from any of these providers. Note: ICD typically specializes in evaluating physical therapy education.

Our joint degree program offers an opportunity to combine their entry-level Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) preparation and their PhD preparation in Rehabilitation Sciences.

The DPT PhD program allows for up to 18 credits of DPT course work to be applied to the PhD course requirements, but distinct learning processes are still retained and required for each degree. The program also allows for extension of research experience in a focused area across the time period of the two programs. It is important to note that this program will only be appropriate for a select few students with focused career goals in research and teaching, and it does not allow completion of two degrees in the time frame for one.

Interested students must first be admitted to the DPT Program. Upon successful completion of lab rotations (generally after year 1 of the DPT program), students Rehabilitation Science (PhD) Program. If accepted, joint degree students can register for courses that are considered as credit for both doctoral programs.

After completion of the full 3 year DPT Program, which includes all clinical internships, students continue in a full-time capacity in pursuit of the RSC PhD. The length of this phase is variable, but will likely require an estimated 3 years of further full-time study. The full DPT PhD is expected to be completed in 6 years, whereas completing both degrees independently will take a student a minimum of 8 years.

No funding stipend or tuition remission is currently guaranteed for students in the DPT phase of the joint degree Program. Once beginning the PhD phase of the program, students will be eligible for TA (teaching assistant) or RA (research assistant) appointments. These appointments include a stipend and tuition remission.

Physical Therapists, sometimes called PTs, help injured or ill people improve their movement and manage their pain. These specialists are often essential to rehabilitating, treating, and preventing patients with chronic conditions, illnesses, or injuries.

Pre-professional programs prepare students for entry into numerous professional programs. The programs are not majors (i.e., a pre-med or pre-physical therapy major) but rather are tailored courses within existing majors.