General Program Description

This is a professional doctoral program designed to prepare health professionals who will function competently and creatively as members of a team of health professionals in a dynamic health care environment. The Program’s primary mission is to educate students to become generalist physical therapists engaged in contemporary practice with faculty and students committed to humanistic principles through education, scholarship, service and practice. The curriculum builds upon liberal arts education integrating the humanities, scientific theory, and clinical experiences to provide entry-level competence in patient care, administration, health care programming, scientific inquiry, and community education and service. Students are provided with early-integrated clinical experiences and participate in community service. This 36-month (nine-semester) program is full-time and year-round. Students begin classes in late May and graduate 36 months later. The academic demands and clinical requirements make it extremely difficult to work while matriculating in the program. The program is affiliated with two schools of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey: RBHS School of Health Related Professions (formerly part of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) and the Graduate School at Camden. Most classes are taught in Rutgers University space at the Stratford SOM campus of Rowan University. In general, there is 1 instructor in each class of 32 and 2 instructors in each laboratory session. Students must complete a major project and pass a comprehensive examination prior to graduation. The program’s web page is http://shrp.rutgers.edu/dept/PT/south/

Clinical Experiences
Course-related clinical experiences begin in year one of the program. Thirty-eight weeks of full-time clinical experiences are integrated through the curriculum. Fourteen of those weeks (2 affiliations) are scheduled in year two and 24 full-time weeks (generally, 2 affiliations) are completed in the third year. Affiliated clinical facilities are located throughout the United States.

Faculty
There are eight full-time core faculty and twenty-two adjunct faculty. Program faculty represent a broad spectrum of physical therapy practice and include twelve board-certified clinical specialists (4 full-time faculty and 8 adjunct faculty).

Enrollment
This joint degree program accepts 32 full-time students. In general, ninety full-time students are enrolled in 3 classes.

Admission
Applications are accepted beginning July 1st of each year. On-line application must be completed by October 1st. All application materials are due November 1st. Prerequisites include 2 lecture courses in the behavioral sciences, 1 course in statistics and 2 lecture/laboratory courses in each of the following: biology, chemistry, physics, and human anatomy and physiology. A baccalaureate degree, a competitive grade point average, competitive GRE scores, volunteer or work experience in at least two areas of physical therapy practice and three letters of recommendation are required. Classes begin on the Tuesday after Memorial Day each year. Applications are submitted through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (http://www.ptcas.org).

Outcomes
Ultimate pass rate was 97.18% for 2010-2012; 89.7% of admitted students graduated from the program (class of 2011).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Tuition for the 2014-2015 academic year is approximately $24,413.33 per year for in-state students and $ 40,195.33 per year for out-of-state students. Students pay institutional fees of approximately $ 4,474.32 per year. Average other expenses are $ 5,895.83 per year. Students are responsible for the costs of travel and housing for clinical education. Students are enrolled for a total of nine semesters. Scholarship funds for physical therapy students are limited. Financial aid in the form of loans and work-study assistance is available to qualified students. Limited fellowship and tuition remission funds are available through Rutgers-Camden. Limited scholarships are available through the Rutgers Foundation for SHRP students. All students are encouraged to seek independent funding sources for graduate study. For information about financial assistance, contact the Rutgers-Camden Financial Aid Office at 856.225.6039.

Student life
The DPT Program is located on the Stratford campus of Rowan University, where it shares space with Rowan’s School of Osteopathic Medicine and Rutgers University School of Health Related Professions, School of Nursing, and the School of Public Health. The campus is conveniently located to major highways and public transportation. This location provides easy accessibility to Philadelphia’s cultural experiences and the recreational activities of the Jersey shore. Student clinical affiliations are with one of the over 600 affiliated clinical sites across the country. Local clinical sites involve travel up to 1.5 hours from campus. The Stratford campus is conveniently located with many housing options available. On-campus housing and additional student amenities are available on the Rutgers-Camden campus for interested students.