General Program Description

The DPT curriculum includes eight semesters (115 credit hours) of graduate coursework, including 34 weeks of full time and 2 weeks of part-time clinical education experiences. The program is designed to meet the diverse needs of the college students of today and of the future. Students become self-directed learners through the active learning format that characterizes the program — skills that aid them in being resourceful scholars and clinicians. Faculty are committed to providing an environment which accommodates a variety of learning styles and fosters success.

Clinical Experiences
Students participate in three full-time clinical experiences during the second year of the program (6-7 weeks in length), followed by two full-time clinical experience (7 – 8 weeks in length) during the final semester of study. During the second and third semester, students participate in 2 part-time clinical experiences. Clinic sites are primarily in Southwest Florida, but may include other locations.

Faculty
There are eleven full-time faculty members. Seven faculty members hold academic doctorates, three hold DPT degrees, and two are PhD candidates. Five faculty members are certified as clinical specialists. The faculty to student ratio is 1:7.5.

Enrollment
The DPT Program at Florida Gulf Coast University admits an average class of 28 students annually (Fall).

Admission
The Department of Physical Therapy conducts a competitive admissions process. Students are admitted to the DPT program for the Fall of each year. For priority consideration, all application materials must be received by December 16th of the year in which entry is sought. Application materials received after December 16th will be considered on a space available basis. Admissions decisions are made based on materials and coursework completed at the time of the application. This includes: 1) baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university; 2) completion of all prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better (a grade of C- or less is not acceptable); 3) achievement of a GPA calculated for all prerequisite courses of at least 3.20 (on a 0 to 4 scale); 4) achievement of a GPA for all upper division coursework of at least 3.00 (on a 0 to 4 scale); 5) A minimum score of 4.0 on the Analytical portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); 6) A minimum total Quantitative-Verbal GRE score of 1000, with a minimum score of 400 on both the Quantitative and Verbal portions of the GRE if taken prior to August 2011 or Equivalent Quantitative-Verbal (combined and individuals) scores for GRE tests taken after August 1, 2011; 7) completion of Interview; and 8) submission of two physical therapist shadowing experiences of five hours each. Applications are submitted using the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS).

Outcomes
93.4% of admitted students graduate from the program (3-year average). 100% of students taking the licensure exam pass; and 100% of those program graduates are employed (3-year average).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition and fees for the 2014-2015 academic year are estimated at $373.38 per credit hour for in-state students and $1300.66 per credit for out-of-state students; liability insurance $38 per year, lab fees range from $0-140 per lab course. A comprehensive program of employment, loans, grants, and scholarships is available through federal, state, and institutional funds. This information is available upon request from the Office of Financial Aid.