PHYSICAL THERAPY

Overview

The Graduate Center (GC), Hunter College, and the College of Staten Island offer jointly a clinical doctoral program in physical therapy leading to the DPT degree (The GC will award the degree). This new program will replace the current master's level program at Hunter College and the College of Staten Island. The new program is in keeping with the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recommendation that physical therapists be doctorally credentialed. The program conforms to curriculum guidelines set by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Graduates will be eligible for the National Physical Therapy Examination in New York and other States.

Program Goals

The DPT program prepares students to become clinician-scientists who can competently apply research to clinical practice, perform all aspects of physical therapy (PT) practice, and perform clinical research. It will prepare graduates to examine, evaluate, diagnose, and intervene in the management of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities of the cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and integumentary systems. The program meets changing national standards as well as community needs for physical therapists working in a multitude of settings.