| |  | | Physical Therapy | Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information—Physical Therapy Program Office, University of Minnesota, MMC 388, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-624-2662; fax 612-625-4274; ptquest@umn.edu; www.physther.umn.edu).
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the General Information section of this catalog for Graduate School requirements that apply to all major fields.
Curriculum—The physical therapy program, a division within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, offers a professional doctoral degree in physical therapy (D.P.T.). Physical therapy is a health care discipline involved with the study and rehabilitation of movement impairments such as muscular weakness, impaired coordination, joint stiffness, and pain, which can lead to functional problems affecting self care, employment, ambulation, etc. Graduates are prepared to promote proper health care and quality of living by maximizing human movement following disease or injury or by preventing its loss. The program requires three years of year-round graduate study. Academic coursework and research activity are completed during the first seven semesters. The final two semesters are devoted to clinical internships.
Didactic Curriculum—During the first year of the program the curriculum involves the basic sciences, physical agents, biomechanical principles, and clerkship clinical experiences. The second year advances and integrates first-year coursework into evaluation skills, treatment techniques, and critical thinking. These tools are utilized during second-year clerkships in orthopedics, rehabilitation, and wellness.
Clinical Curriculum—Students complete up to 40 weeks of clinical internships in addition to clinical clerkships imbedded in the academic curriculum. The full-time internships occur during the third year of the program. Each student completes clinical affiliations in the following areas: acute hospital, outpatient, rehabilitation, and a specialty area. These are under direct supervision of experienced clinical faculty and give each student the opportunity to combine theoretical skills with practical experience. Beyond direct patient care, students also develop skills and knowledge related to administration, management and supervision, education, and consultation. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply for state registration or licensure according to the laws of individual states.
Prerequisites for Admission—To be considered for admission, the student must complete a baccalaureate degree by June 15 of the year of application (no preferred major); an operational standard GPA of 3.00 for overall coursework and a 3.00 in the physical therapy prerequisite coursework are the preferred minimum; and the student must complete at least 100 hours of volunteer or work experience in a physical therapy setting. Information and applications, including a list of prerequisite coursework, are available at www.physther.umn.edu.
Special Application Requirements—Submission of GRE scores is required.
For international students, a TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper), 213 (computer),
or 79 (Internet) is required, and the TSE is highly recommended (score of at
least 50). The D.P.T. program accepts only applications completed online at www.physther.umn.edu.
Key to test abbreviations (GRE, TOEFL, GMAT, MELAB).
 For an online application or for more information about Graduate School admissions, see the General Information section in this catalog, or visit the Graduate School Web site.
Courses—Refer to Physical Therapy (PT) in University Courses for courses pertaining to the program.
Use of 4xxx Courses—Use of 4xxx courses toward degree requirements is subject to adviser and director of graduate studies approval. |
D.P.T. Degree Requirements | | The program requires 141 major field credits, of which 95 are core academic credits and 46 are clinical internship credits; 9 credits of research are included and an oral presentation based on this research culminates the project. No minor or related field is required. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.80 while in the program.
Language Requirements—None. | Faculty | | For latest graduate faculty listings, see <www.grad.umn.edu/faculty_rosters/faculty.html>. Key to membership categories (abbreviations after faculty names).
Professor
James R. Carey, SM
Richard P. DiFabio, SM
Carl G. Kukulka, SM
Robert P. Patterson, AM
Associate Professor
Paula M. Ludewig, SM
LaDora V. Thompson, SM
Assistant Professor
Lisa L. Dorsey, SM
Teresa J. Kimberley, SM
Dawn A. Lowe, SM
LeAnn Snow, SM | | | | | |
