General Program Description

The professional program spans a total of 35 months long with the majority of the didactic curriculum taking place during the fall and spring semesters and clinical internships occupying portions of the summers. Over the course of the entire professional program, students will complete a total of 42 weeks of full-time (40 hours/week) clinical internships. When not participating in full-time clinical internships, students can expect to carry an average of just over 16 credits per semester and spend approximately 20 hours per week in the classroom or laboratory settings. Students also have the opportunity to select from an array of advanced clinical training opportunities through an elective course during their final year of training that include manual therapy, pediatrics, vestibular, geriatrics, and acute care. Didactic coursework begins in early July and ends 35 months later with completion of the last clinical internship in early May that coincides with official University graduation. Approximately 7 periodic breaks from the classroom, lab, and clinic have been built into the curriculum to provide students the opportunity rest and reflect on their professional education. A total of 14 full-time faculty members and well over 25 part-time faculty members provide instruction in the academic courses, actively engage in research, and are engaged in clinical, academic and professional service.

Clinical Experiences
Students participate in a total of 42 weeks of full-time clinical internships ranging from a minimum of 6 consecutive weeks up to as many as 24 consecutive weeks at a select facility. The first full-time clinical internship experience (6 weeks) takes place approximately 1 year into the professional program and provides students the opportunity to acclimate to the clinical environment and gain experience and confidence in basic procedures and interventions. The second clinical internship is 12 weeks during the 2nd summer.The final internship can be a single internship that is 24 weeks in length or split into two 12-week internships. Throughout the clinical education experiences student expectations and responsibilities rise in accordance with their level of education. Over the course of the entire curriculum, students must successfully complete clinical experiences in both in-patient and out-patient facilities. Specialized clinical experiences such as sports medicine, pediatrics, dance, etc. are available to 3rd year students on their final internships. These clinical experiences are available in the Delaware Valley, across the United States, and internationally. The Director of Clinical Education and the student work collaboratively to obtain a suitable clinical placement that meets the needs of the individual student and their academic needs.

Faculty
All of the 14 full-time faculty members hold post-baccalaureate academic or professional doctoral degrees (7 PhDs and 7 DPTs) and of these individuals 40% also hold American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties certifications (4 Orthopaedic [OCS], 2 Neurologic [NCS], 1 Pediatric [PCS], and 1 Geriatric [GCS]). In addition, 3 of the OCS faculty members have also been recognized as Fellows of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT). The overall current faculty-to-student ratio is close to 1:10 with psychomotor labs receiving a faculty-to-student staffing ratio of approximately 1:12. Finally, several faculty members hold or have held federally-funded external grants with the aggregate faculty averaging over 30 peer-reviewed journal publications and abstracts per year.

Enrollment
Temple University enrolls just under thirty-nine thousand students of diverse cultural backgrounds are enrolled at the 8 domestic and international campuses of Temple University. Approximately 54% of enrolled students are female with over 44% of all enrollees self-classify as coming from minority ethnic groups. Currently, the Department of Physical Therapy has approximately 150 students enrolled in the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program with a projected capacity of 50-55 students per class. Another 130 students are enrolled in the post-baccalaureate on-line transition-Doctor of Physical Therapy (tDPT) program with an additional 6 students in the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program. Temple PT Program also has an APTA-credentialed Orthopaedic Clinical Residency with a 12 student capacity and currently consists of 6-10 students.

Admission
Students can matriculate into the DPT program through either an Accelerated 3+3 Pre-baccalaureate admission option for qualified students from Temple University or the more traditional Post-baccalaureate option for students from Temple University or for those students from outside Temple University. Regardless of the matriculation track, students are expected to apply to the DPT program through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) and meet all of the admissions criteria for their respective matriculation track including successful completion (“C” grade or higher) of all prerequisite coursework, Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, letters of recommendation, and a statement of personal goals. Specific details germane to each DPT Program matriculation track can be accessed and downloaded from the Department’s website. Applicants are encouraged to submit all materials prior to January 15 and acceptances will be issued until the class is full. For the cohort of students starting in the summer of 2013, 50 new matriculants came from a pool of over 1600 total completed applications. Should circumstance require additional inquiries beyond information provided at the Department’s website, please direct them to Dr. Stephen Carp, PT, PhD, GCS, Director of Admissions and Program Assessment at Temple University, 3307 North Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19140 or via email to [email protected]

Outcomes
Almost 90% of all students admitted to the program graduate (current 3-year average) and over 98% of recent graduates have passed the national licensure examination (the present publicly available 3-year average data for all accredited programs covers the graduating years 2011 – 2013). In addition, 99% of our program graduates that respond to surveys are employed (3-year average).

Tuition, fees and financial aid
Full-time tuition (including university-wide fees) for the 2013 – 2014 academic year stands at approximately $33,410 per year for in-state residents and approximately $44,763 per year for out-state residents. Room and board costs vary according to housing options. While almost all students receive some form of financial aid, a limited number of merit-based scholarships are also available. For information, contact Temple University Financial Aid Office, SFC Building, LB-41, Broad and Ontario Sts. Philadelphia, PA 19140. (215) 707-2667.

Student life
Temple University is a large urban campus located in one of the preeminent metropolitan areas of the United States. Temple and the city of Philadelphia offer a wide-range of athletic, cultural, and recreational opportunities on a year-round basis. While dormitories provide housing opportunities at the main campus, most students attending programs at the Health Sciences Center take advantage of community housing opportunities that exist throughout the metropolitan area. Philadelphia and the southern corner of Pennsylvania (including southern New Jersey and northern Delaware) provides an excellent and affordable public transportation system. Temple graduates can expect to become part of a world-wide network that includes almost one-quarter of one million alumni from over 150 different countries.