Doctor of Physical Therapy

A Doctor of Physical Therapy or Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) degree is a qualifying degree in physical therapy. In the United States, it is considered a graduate-level first professional degree or doctorate degree for professional practice. In the United Kingdom, the training includes advanced professional training and doctoral-level research. A Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree is available in the US for those who already hold a professional Bachelor or Master of Physical Therapy (BPT or MPT) degree; as of 2015, all accredited and developing physical therapist programs in the US are DPT programs. Master's degrees in physical therapy are no longer offered in the U.S., and physical therapists beginning their education now study towards the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. In 1992, the University of Southern California initiated the first post-professional "transitional" (DPT) program in the United States. This "transitional" DPT takes into account a physical therapist's current level of knowledge and skill and purports to offer programs that upgrade clinical skills to meet the needs of the current health care environment. Creighton University followed by initiating the first entry-level DPT program in 1993. The Doctor of Physiotherapy has since been adopted in other countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Taiwan. In the United Kingdom and Australia, the PhD or Professional Doctorate in Physiotherapy is offered by a number of Universities. These programs are usually professional entry masters level programs, with the opportunity to undertake research to lead to a doctorate degree. Alternatively, these programs are masters pre-qualifying Physiotherapy courses with an enhanced research element in the final phase of the course that leads to undertaking a doctorate. The first full pre-qualifying Doctorate in Physiotherapy program in the United Kingdom was accredited in 2017 at Glasgow Caledonian University in Glasgow. The DPT degree prepares students to be eligible for the physical therapy license examination in all 50 US states.