General Program Description

This program is a branch of the physical therapist education program at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in St. Augustine, Florida. The curriculum and expected outcomes are similar between the two programs, but the faculty and location are available in the city of San Marcos in San Diego County. The University offers a DPT as a first professional degree for those candidates who have completed a baccalaureate degree and the recommended prerequisites. There are two delivery methods: a 7 trimester full-time campus-based program and a part-time online/weekend 12 trimester program (4 years). The seven (7) trimester full-time campus-based program currently program admits students at the beginning of the fall, spring, and summer terms. Students attend classes and labs an average of 30-35 hours per week. The part-time online/weekend program takes the campus-based curriculum and offers it in smaller segments of 7 to 11 credit-hours per term. Via distance education course delivery and weekend on-site labs, this model enables individuals to pursue a doctor of physical therapy degree, who for personal or financial reasons choose not to attend a full-time campus-based program. By substituting asynchronous and online education for most standard classroom participation and requiring no more than two weekends per month at the San Diego campus, an individual can earn the DPT degree in 12 trimesters. Successful completion of the program requires three full-time clinical internships. This “flexible” program admits a new cohort group in the fall and spring based on expected minimum enrollments. The Flexible DPT Program is accredited separately from the full time program.

Clinical Experiences
At the San Diego campus, full-time students will have three full-time internships that generally include clinical experiences in an in-patient setting, a rehabilitation setting and outpatient orthopaedic setting. These internships occur during the fourth and sixth trimester of enrollment. The part-time online/weekend students will participate in an orientation for different practice settings of physical therapy in their second trimester. Students will have three full-time internships that generally include clinical experiences in an in-patient setting, a rehabilitation setting and outpatient orthopaedic setting. These internships occur during the eighth and eleventh trimester of enrollment. At present, the DPT program has approximately 4,000 approved active sites for clinical education experiences. These sites are located nationwide.

Faculty
At the San Diego campus there are 15 core and 12 Associated faculty members. Of the core faculty 6 hold post-professional doctoral degrees, eleven are certified as clinical specialists, and nine are engaged in clinical practice. Faculty are actively engaged in clinically and educationally related research and are reviewers for scientific journals and of textbooks. The faculty to student ratio is 1:24. Faculty of the DPT Program in San Diego, working in conjunction with the Florida faculty, are responsible for all course management, up-dating of course materials, student interaction and assessment, course evaluation and curriculum planning, and coordinating lab activities with the lab instructor to ensure consistency in the part-time online/weekend program. Many of the lab instructors in the part-time program are local clinicians with training in content delivery, educational theory, and classroom/lab management.

Enrollment
The San Diego Campus currently has a total residential student enrollment of 363 and 73 in the Flexible DPT Program. Approximately 50 students are accepted into each residential class. For the part-time online/weekend program, the university admits a maximum of 30 students twice a year.

Admission
The university is a private institution, and applications are welcome from students from all states. Application due dates are December 15 for fall term admission, June 15 for spring term admission, and October 1 for summer term admission. Applications received after these dates will be processed and considered on a space-available basis. Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree prior to starting the DPT program. Recommended prerequisite courses are 6 semester hours in each: biology (anatomy and physiology, general chemistry), and physics (Kinesiology, Biomechanics). These science prerequisites should be taken within the past 5 years. Substitutions and advanced course standing will be considered. Candidates will be interviewed for each term generally within 6-8 weeks following the application due deadline. Notification of acceptance by the Admissions Committee occurs within 2 weeks of the interviews. Approximately 40% of qualified applicants are admitted to the program.

Outcomes
Based on outcome data from the St. Augustine program in San Diego, since Dec. 2009 when the first class graduated, 100% of those program graduates responding to surveys are employed.

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition at the San Diego campus for the full-time on-campus program in the 2013-2014 academic year is $13,816 per trimester. In-state and out-of-state tuitions are the same. Average book, supplies, insurance, professional association expenses, and miscellaneous educational costs per trimester are approximately $1,300. Room and board costs are estimated to be $1500 per month. A limited number of scholarships are available. Information about scholarships and private loan plans can be obtained by contacting the Student Services office.

Student life
All San Diego campus university students reside off campus. General housing information is available from Student Services Office, as well as a list of current rental properties. The university campus is located in northern San Diego county in the city of San Marcos. Located in three beautiful buildings, the facilities include laboratories, classrooms, library, computer lab, student lounges, and faculty/staff offices. The San Diego campus includes a fitness center for student use. Due to the regions moderate climate, recreational and sports opportunities are enjoyed on a year round basis.