Program
Objectives
Through
completion of this program, students will:
 |
Formulate
one's personal and professional growth. |
|
Be
prepared, by academic knowledge to practice
in an emerging arena of autonomous practice
by thinking logically, critically, creatively,
and independently. |
|
Apply
depth of knowledge and competence in selected
areas theory and clinical techniques as applied
to information on evidence-based practice. |
|
Develop
effective communication skills in the presentation
of clinical patient cases or selected topics
in health care. |
REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE DEGREE:
Master's
Applicants
If you have an entry-level Masters or post professional
degree (with BS in PT) click
here for program requirements. |
Bachelor's
Applicants
If you hold a BS degree in physical therapy and 5 years of clinical experience, click
here for program requirements. |
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Program
components for the master's qualified student:
The physical therapist holding a master's degree will need to complete the Capstone Project for 5 required academic credits and 17 elective academic credits. The transitional DPT program is 24 credits for the master level student. Two credits for experiential learning will be awarded upon completion of the 22 minimum necessary academic credits for the degree. These experiential learning credits reflect one year of clinical experience.
1. Completion of 17 credits
You have the option of completing one of three
tracks:
A) A clinical specialization track where you will take all courses in a chosen certification track
As
a part of Certification for this degree, the Foundation
of Clinical Orthopaedics, an online distance education
course, is required and is included in the credits
listed.
B) A clinical non-specialization track where you will select courses from the University catalog that will promote your professional development.
Click
here to see a list of t-DPT courses and
their descriptions.
Delivery
Format
Courses in the Transitional DPT program are offered
in a variety of formats. As noted in the course
description, a prerequisite for a course may be
completion of a continuing education seminar. This
learning experience is then enhanced through completion
of assignments in a distance education format. These
assignments are submitted to the University for
grading in a specified time frame subsequent to
completion of the seminar.
Other
courses are offered strictly through a distance
education format. No seminar attendance is required
and all learning activities are completed at a distance.
This format is presented through a variety of delivery
methods including assigned readings, videos, CD-ROM
or via the Internet. All of these formats have assignments
that must be completed and returned to the University
for grading to receive course credit for the course.
Certain courses due to the equipment and/or other resource constraints are offered as block scheduled courses on the St. Augustine campus. These include courses in preparation of and testing for certification.
2.
Either a Capstone Project of a Mentored Clinical
Residency (5 credits)
The Capstone Project will complement your program
and may take the form of one publishable case report
or a manuscript on critical health care issues.
The outline of your project will be approved by
your assigned advisor. To learn more about the Capstone
Project, click
here.
- or -
The Clinical Residency or Fellowship is a mentored
experience proposed by the student to be approved
by the Program Director that will include 9-12
months of patient care plus a minimum of 200 educational
activity hours. To learn more about the Clinical
Residency/Fellowship click
here.
3.
Total Credits Needed (24 credits)
The minimum total credits required for the MPT or post-professional master's qualified student is 24 credits. Two credits for experiential learning will be awarded upon completion of the 22 minimum nessary academic credits for the degree. These experiential learning credits reflect one year of clinical experience.
Program
components for BSPT Graduates
The physical therapist holding a bachelor's degree in physical therapy will need to complete 11 required academic requirements and will need to complete 11 elective academic credits. The transitional DPT program is 60 credits for the bachelor level students. Thirty-eight credits for experiential learning will be awarded upon completion of the 22 minimum necessary academic credits for the degree. These experiential learning credits reflect 5 years of required clinical experience for bachelor level students.
Program components for the BSPT student are:
1.
Required USA Courses (11 Credits)
| Medical
Diagnostics |
2
credits |
| Pharmacology |
2
credits
|
| Imaging
for Physical Therapy |
2
credits |
| Capstone
Project or Clinical Residency |
5
credits |
2.
Other Coursework (11 credits)
You have the option of completing one of three tracks:
1)
A clinical specialization track where you will take
all courses in a chosen certification track.
As
a part of Certification for this degree, the Foundation
of Clinical Orthopaedics, a distance education course,
is required and is included in the credits listed.
2)
A clinical non-specialization track where you will
select courses from the University catalog that
will promote your professional development.
Click
here to
see a list of t-DPT courses and their descriptions.
Delivery Format
Courses in the Transitional DPT program are offered
in a variety of formats. As noted in the course
description, a prerequisite for a course may be
completion of a continuing education seminar. This
learning experience is then enhanced through completion
of assignments in a distance education format. These
assignments are submitted to the University for
grading in a specified time frame subsequent to
completion of the seminar.
Other
courses are offered strictly through a distance
education format. No seminar attendance is required
and all learning activities are completed at a distance.
This format is presented through a variety of delivery
methods including assigned readings, videos, CD-ROM
or via the Internet. All of these formats have assignments
that must be completed and returned to the University
for grading to receive course credit for the course.
Certain courses due to the equipment and/or other resource constraints are offered as block scheduled courses on the St. Augustine campus. These include courses in preparation of and testing for certification.
Up to five graduate credits may be transferred in from outside programs if approved by the Program Director. Click
here for transfer credit policies.
4.
Either a Capstone Project or a Mentored Clinical
Residency
(5 Credits)
The Capstone Project will complement your program
and may take the form of one publishable case report
or a manuscript on critical health care issues.
The outline of your project will be approved by
your assigned advisor. To learn more about the Capstone
Project, click
here.
- or -
The Clinical Residency or Fellowship is a mentored
experience proposed by the student to be approved
by the Program Director that will include 9-12
months of patient care plus a minimum of 200 educational
activity hours. To learn more about the Clinical
Residency/Fellowship click
here.
5.
Total Credits Needed (60 credits)
The minimum total credits required for the bachelor's degree in physical therapy is 60 credits. Thirty-eight credits for experiential learning will be awarded upon completion of the 22 minimum nessary academic credits for the degree. These experiential learning credits reflect five years of clinical experience.
| Required |
11
credits |
| Other
Coursework |
11
credits |
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FEES
The fees for the various seminars are listed on
our Continuing Education Seminar Calendar. Please
visit our online
calendar or call the University at 1-800-241-1027
and request a current list of seminars.
An estimate of an average total tuition for the t-DPT program is between $9,600 to $10,965. The cost will vary depending on the courses taken.
For
more information or if you have any questions about
the program, please email t-dpt@usa.edu
or call the Transitional DPT Program at 1-800-241-1027.
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