Physical Therapy

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Clarkson University is a 101 credit, full-time, post baccalaureate curriculum that runs fall, spring and summer semesters taking 2 and 2/3 years to complete.

The Department of Physical Therapy has state-of-the-art-technologies for clinical practice and research. Faculty in the department bring decades of clinical experience and scholarly vision to the classroom. Because classes are small, you will work closely with faculty members, which promotes professional growth and success.

Our program uses an experiential learning model, which uniquely prepares you to become a lifelong learner and expert clinician using an integrated case based approach to learning.  You will participate in 4 full time clinical experiences in addition to hands on integrated clinical experiences (ICE) which are interwoven throughout the didactic portion of the curriculum.

The Department of Physical Therapy also partners with Clarkson's undergraduate bachelor's degree programs to offer a Pre-Physical Therapy Advising Track for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy after earning their bachelor's degree. The benefits of being enrolled in the Pre-Physical Therapy Advising Track include having a Physical Therapy program adviser; special courses that introduce important aspect of the physical therapy profession, and the fact that at least 50% of the available seats in our DPT program are held for Clarkson Pre-Physical Therapy undergraduate students who successfully complete all of the requirements.

The Doctorate in Physical Therapy program at Clarkson University is a 101-credit, full-time, post-baccalaureate curriculum that takes two and two-third years to complete.

The Department of Physical Therapy is home to over a dozen faculty and professionals working together to create a one-of-a-kind experience for our students. Faculty expertise lies in a variety of areas, including quality of life in children with developmental disabilities, fibromyalgia and headaches, geriatrics and fall prevention, and leadership and practice management.

View Our Physical Therapy Faculty and Staff Listing and Profiles

The Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Clarkson University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education American Physical Therapy Association, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100 Alexandria, VA 22305-3085; telephone, 703-706-3245; email, accreditation@apta.org; website, http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call  (315) 268-6418 or email pthealth@clarkson.edu.

The program was originally accredited on Nov. 16, 2001, reaffirmed on Oct. 28, 2009, and reaffirmed again on April 26, 2017. CAPTE is the sole accreditation agency for physical therapy programs in the nation. Licensure through the state is required for practice as a physical therapist. Licensure is gained through successful completion of the National Physical Therapy Examination offered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. 

The program has determined that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure or certification in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands secondary to its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, based on the following:
CAPTE accreditation of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant program satisfies state educational requirements in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thus, students graduating from CAPTE-accredited physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information regarding state qualifications and licensure requirements, refer to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy website at www.fsbpt.org.

Our mission is:

• for graduates to be entry level physical therapists who emulate the core values of the profession in their physical therapy practice
• for faculty, graduates and students to contribute to the profession, community and society, through education, scholarship, service and practice.

Our Philosophy

Our program and its faculty believe that the program mission can best be accomplished through a professional curriculum based upon a strong liberal arts foundation. Further, we believe that the curriculum of the professional program should place at its center the process of clinical problem solving as a construct for: 1) the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes and skills; and 2) for the process of clinical decision-making in professional practice. The application of the clinical problem solving process is patient-centered and utilizes the ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the profession's body of knowledge through effective use of the professional literature and current information technologies. We believe that the problem-based learning model provides the optimal tools for developing graduates who value self-directed learning, who are prepared for the clinical decision-making demands of professional practice and who anticipate and respond to changes in the health-care delivery system.

We believe that role models who are professionally competent and personally committed to serving the greater community are best able to foster the behaviors of a socially responsible professional. We believe that in order to be effective, graduates must be sensitive to the diversity of individuals with whom they interact, and to regional differences in the practice of physical therapy.