General Program Description

The curriculum leading to the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree is a 3-year, full-time academic and clinical experience consisting of six semesters and three summers of 116 graduate units. Eight full-time and fifteen part-time faculty supported by clinicians in over 250 affiliation sites offer students a comprehensive curriculum including didactic instruction, laboratory experience and clinical education. The clinical component consists of 30 weeks of full-time, off-campus clinical internships leading to the “Certificate in Physical Therapy” required for licensure. Admission is once a year in the fall semester with 32 students accepted. Classes are offered primarily during the day, and full-time study is required. The culminating experience in the final semester is a comprehensive examination designed to prepare students for licensure. In the third year students choose among courses in advanced orthopedics, movement impairment, Pilates for the Physical Therapy patient. Useful web links include: PT Department website: http://hhd.csun.edu/pt DPT Application: http://hhd.csun.edu/pt (download PDF file) Graduate Admissions: http://www.csun.edu/a&r University website: http://www.csun.edu Financial aid: http://www.csun.edu/finaid Housing: http://www.housing.csun.edu

Clinical Experiences
There are 30 weeks of full-time, off-campus, supervised clinical experiences though out the curriculum. Students are scheduled for a full six weeks the first summer, and two twelve week internships in the consecutive summers. Internships are scheduled during the summers; the first (6 weeks) follows the first year of academic preparation; the second (12 weeks) following the second year with the last internship (12 weeks) following the third academic year. Successful completion of the clinical component leads to the “Certificate in Physical Therapy” required for licensure eligibility.

Faculty
There are 8 full-time and 15 part-time faculty members. Faculty to student ratio is 1:16. Of full-time faculty, 100% hold post professional doctorates, all are licensed physical therapists, one is APTA board certified as an orthopedic clinical specialist (OCS), one is APTA board certified as pediatric clinical specialist (PCS), and another holds both orthopedic and neurologic certifications, (OCS, & NCS) two are CA licensed as a kinesiological electromyographer, and another is CA licensed to perform bone densitometry radiography.

Enrollment
The physical therapy program accepts 32 graduate students for each PT class once per year. The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is open to all college graduates with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline who have met prerequisite requirements and demonstrate academic promise. In Fall 2012, we received 1,200 applications for our DPT program. A member of the 23 California State University system, the university is one of the largest institutions of higher learning in California. In Fall 2012, student enrollment was over 31,000 served by approximately 1,900 faculty and a staff of 2,100.

Admission
Students must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college and a minimum “prerequisite” GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for admissions consideration. The GRE is required for all applicants. If an applicant’s undergraduate cumulative GPA is less than 3.0, they must score above the 50th percentile on one section if the GRE. All applicants must complete the following prerequisites with a C or better: three courses in the biological sciences including general biology, a human anatomy and physiology (as separate courses), two semesters of both physics and chemistry (for science majors), and two courses in psychology (intro and abnormal). All science courses must have laboratories. Candidates should be computer literate and achieve at least a 3.5 on the analytic writing portion of the GRE. Two hundred hours of clinical experience (volunteer or paid) supervised by a PT and three recommendation forms (two from a PT) are required. All applicants must apply to the Department of Physical Therapy through the Physical Therapy Computerized Application System (PTCAS). Applicants must apply to both CSUN’s Graduate School and the Department of Physical Therapy through PTCAS to be considered for admission. Department applications are due October 1, for the class starting the following Fall. Admission decisions are made by a selection committee in late December; accepted students begin in late August. Health and liability insurance, and CPR certification is required throughout the academic and clinical portions of the curriculum. A minimum GPA of 3.0 must be maintained each semester throughout the program and any grade below a “C” is considered unacceptable. The website for Graduate Admissions is http://www.csumentor.edu. The website for PTCAS is http://www.ptcas.org.

Outcomes
95% passed the State licensure examination in 2011 (1st time test takers); 98% passed the State licensure examination in 2010 and 96.3% passed in 2009.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
CSUN has four types of financial aid available to students and their families: grants, work study opportunities, loans, and scholarships. In Fall 2012, California resident tuition for students in the Doctoral program was $8164 per semester and $8164 for summer sessions. Nonresident students pay the resident registration fees plus $339.00 per unit. Additional costs include liability insurance, books, supplies and uniforms as well as housing, transportation and other living expenses. Students may apply to participate in the registration fee installment plan (IPP) to pay registration fees in a predetermined payment schedule. Average book costs are estimated at $625 per semester. The Financial Aid website is http://www.csun.edu/finaid

Student life
CSUN is located 25 miles from central Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. A car is a must for transportation in Los Angeles. Beaches and mountains are within a ½-1 hour drive. The Los Angeles/San Fernando area is served by LAX, Burbank, Long Beach and Orange County Airports. Los Angeles is a wealth of cultural and social diversity with museums, concerts, theatrical productions, and multiple outdoor recreational activities. Located one half mile north of the University’s academic core, the University Village Apartment Complex is a community of one and two bedroom apartment located on CSUN’s North campus. The complex includes fifty-six one-bedroom and forty-eight two-bedroom units. Off campus housing is plentiful. The housing website is http//housing.csun.edu. The PT program is housed in the CSUN’s Jacaranda Hall and has state of the art labs and equipment including a 3-D motion analysis system, a telemetered EMG system, force-plate, Biodex, telemetered O2 system, dexascan, balance master, Equi-test and Gait-Rite system for research and teaching.