DEGREE TYPE
PhD
DURATION
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* base cost | cost per unit: $960
Key Summary
Introduction
Earn your DPT at Azusa Pacific University
You’ll elevate your career as you master the scientific foundation of human structure and movement. We’ll guide you through a comprehensive, problem-solving approach for patient care, blending evidence and consensus. Graduate as a confident generalist physical therapist, ready for different professional settings. Christian-guided principles fuel your journey, shaping you into a critical thinker, lifelong learner, and service-oriented practitioner. You’ll join a global community of PT professionals, promoting patient care excellence, and care for the whole person.
Gain Hands-on Experience
- Learn to apply evidence-based approaches in real-world scenarios.
- Gain hands-on skills for artful patient assessment.
- Develop practical techniques for effective patient care.
- Learn how to drive excellence in patient care while promoting human dignity.
Program Details
The Doctor of Physical Therapy program prepares graduates to practice as competent generalist physical therapists who have a solid foundation for postprofessional specialization. These graduates are guided by Christian principles and ethical values. They are critical thinkers and lifelong learners, supporting the global community and the physical therapy profession by functioning as service-oriented practitioners. They promote excellence in patient care, are guided by a belief in human worth and dignity, and are dedicated to the optimization of human health and function.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Financial Aid
Several types of financial aid are available to graduate students. The resources range from federal loans and state grants to, for some graduate programs, fellowships and scholarships.
Military Benefits
Military members—and in some cases their spouses and dependents—qualify for financial assistance covering tuition, housing, and books. Azusa Pacific is a Yellow Ribbon University and Military Friendly School, so you can be confident that you’ll receive the benefits and flexibility you need to complete your education.
Curriculum
Course Requirements
Graduation requirements include maintaining a minimum 3.0 program and cumulative grade-point average (GPA). The calculation is based upon courses taken in fall, spring, and summer semesters. See Grading and Academic Probation and Dismissal in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.
Year 1
Spring
- PT 701 Human Anatomy
- PT 702 Clinical Skills I
- PT 706 Seminar I
- PT 707 Professional Relationships
Summer
- PT 724 PT Clinical Skills II
- PT 754 General Medicine
- PT 726 PT Clinical Skills III
- PT 755 Research Methods in Physical Therapy
Fall
- PT 703 Clinical Neuroscience
- PT 705 Orthopedics I
- PT 752 Cardiopulmonary Patient Management
Year 2
Spring
- PT 704 Neurorehabilitation
- PT 748 Orthopedics II
- PT 760 Pediatrics
Summer
- PT 762 Seminar II
- PT 781 Integrated Clinical Decision-Making
- PT 750 Comprehensive Exams
- PT 769 Pharmacology
- PT 771 Clinical Experience I
Fall
- PT 742 Prosthetics and Orthotics
- PT 764 Current Concepts in Chronic Pain
- PT 774 Capstone I
- PT 776 Capstone II
- PT 798 Integumentary and Lymphedema Management
- PT 744 Professional Ethics
- PT 790 Physical Diagnosis Screening
Year 3
- Spring
- PT 773 Clinical Experience II
- PT 778 Diagnostic Imaging
Summer
- PT 711 Wellness
- PT 779 Special and Emerging Topics
- PT 768 Administration
- PT 785 Advanced Patient Management
- PT 783 Integrated Community Service and Milestones
Fall
- PT 775 Clinical Experience III
Total Units 123
Rankings
- 1 of 126 - Best Western Colleges according to Princeton Review’s 2023 Best Colleges Guide
Program Outcome
Students who successfully complete this program shall be able to:
- Deliver physical therapy as competent generalists in a variety of community settings to patients of diverse age, gender and cultural backgrounds.
- Pursue lifelong learning through professional growth and specialization.
- Incorporate knowledge of the Christian worldview into their understanding of current ethical, legal, and social issues in professional physical therapy practice.
- Analyze research to solve clinical questions, encourage critical thinking, and promote evidence-based practice.
- Provide for the medical and spiritual needs of the community as service-oriented practitioners who value human worth and seek to advance total patient care and the optimization of health and function.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
- Physical Therapists - Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary - Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine.