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Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Degree Frequently Asked
Questions
Note: The term "professional" is used to describe a category of
degrees associated with a variety of professions. Consistent with APTA
House of Delegates policy, the term is also used to refer to entry-level
education for the physical therapist. For clarity, when "professional"
is used to refer to physical therapist professional education, the term
will be followed by "entry-level" in parentheses.
QUESTIONS
ANSWERS
- What is a "DPT"?
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) is a postbaccaluareate degree
conferred upon successful completion of a doctoral level professional
(entry-level) or postprofessional education program. The specific
nomenclature "DPT" is not a substitute or alternative for the physical
therapist clinical designator "PT."
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- I have heard about "professional,"
"transition," and "advanced clinical science" DPT degrees. What are
they, and how are they different?
All three DPT degrees are professional "clinical" doctorates and are
primarily intended for those clinicians who elect to practice physical
therapy or, depending on the degree, serve as academic or clinical
faculty in a physical therapist professional education program.
Consistent with the academic precedent, these "professional" degrees are
not considered in the category of "academic" degrees such as the MA, MS,
or PhD.
The "professional" DPT is the degree conferred upon successful
completion of a doctoral level physical therapist professional
(entry-level) education program. This program prepares the graduate to
enter the practice of physical therapy. (For a professional DPT program
list, see "How many professional (entry-level) DPT programs are
accredited?", "How many professional (entry-level) MPT programs have
decided to make the transition to professional (entry-level) DPT
programs?", and "How many institutions have decided to develop a
professional (entry-level) DPT program?")
The "transition" DPT is the degree conferred upon successful
completion of a postprofessional physical therapist education program.
The "transition" DPT is intended for practicing clinicians and typically
offers a didactic and, in some cases, a clinical augmentation that is
deemed necessary to meet current and future expectations for physical
therapy practice. This augmentation (knowledge, skills, and behaviors)
is defined by the difference in content between a practicing clinician's
entry-level education (whatever the year of graduation) and current
entry-level education that has not been otherwise acquired through
continuing education or specialization. As of April 2000, Creighton
University, University of Southern California, and University of St.
Augustine offer postprofessional "transition" DPT programs. Other
"transition" DPT programs are in various stages of development.
The "advanced clinical science" DPT is one of several degrees
conferred by institutions upon successful completion of a
postprofessional physical therapist education program. This program is
intended to provide an experienced clinician with advanced knowledge,
behaviors, and clinical skills, usually in a specific specialty area.
These programs may include specialization, certification, or clinical
residencies. Although there are many postprofessional "advanced clinical
science" doctoral programs, very few use the "DPT" degree nomenclature;
in fact, some postprofessional "advanced clinical science" doctoral
programs have dropped the "DPT" nomenclature in favor of less confusing
alternatives (eg, DPTSc, DHSc, etc.).
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- What is the difference between a
professional (entry-level) DPT program and a professional (entry-level)
MPT program?
The length of the majority of DPT programs is three years. Based on a
recent informal survey, accredited and transitioning DPT programs have
augmented the breadth and depth of content in the professional
(entry-level) program. The specific augmented content areas
include, among others, health systems screening and differential
diagnosis, pharmacology, radiology/imaging, health care management,
prevention/wellness/health promotion, histology, and pathology. In
addition, the final or culminating clinical education experience is
typically extended beyond the average of 15 weeks; some are 1 year in
length.
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- What is the difference between a
professional (entry-level) DPT program and an advanced clinical science
DPT program?
The DPT awarded upon completion of a physical therapist professional
education program is an entry-level degree, albeit a terminal one. The
advanced clinical science DPT is awarded upon completion of a
postprofessional education program that signifies and recognizes
advanced clinical skills. Many of these programs include specialist
certification or a clinical residency.
Top
- What is the difference between a
professional (entry-level) DPT program and the "transition" DPT
program?
The professional (entry-level) DPT is awarded upon completion of a
physical therapist professional education program; the "transition" DPT
is typically awarded to a licensed physical therapist upon completion of
a postprofessional education program and signifies augmented knowledge,
skills, and behaviors that are equivalent to CURRENT entry-level
education standards. This learner-centered augmentation provides the
physical therapist with knowledge, skills, and behaviors that have been
added to the professional (entry-level) curricula since the learner's
year of graduation.
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- What is the rationale for having
professional (entry-level) DPT programs?
The rationale for awarding the DPT is based on at least four factors,
among others: 1) the level of practice inherent to the patient/client
management model in the Guide
to Physical Therapist Practice requires considerable
breadth and depth in educational preparation, a breadth and depth not
easily acquired within the time constraints of the typical MPT program;
2) societal expectations that the fully autonomous healthcare
practitioner with a scope of practice consistent with the Guide to
Physical Therapist Practice be a clinical doctor; 3) the realization
of the profession's goals in the coming decades, including direct
access, "physician status" for reimbursement purposes, and clinical
competence consistent with the preferred outcomes of evidence-based
practice, will require that practitioners possess the clinical doctorate
(consistent with medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, veterinary medicine,
optometry, and podiatry); and 4) many existing professional
(entry-level) MPT programs already meet the requirements for the
clinical doctorate; in such cases, the graduate of a professional
(entry-level) MPT program is denied the degree most appropriate to the
program of study.
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- Are professional (entry-level) DPT
programs accredited?
Yes. The
Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education
(CAPTE) is responsible for the accreditation of DPT and MPT
professional (entry-level) education programs. The current standards are
contained in the 1998
Evaluative Criteria for Accreditation of Education Programs for the
Preparation of Physical Therapists. Effective January 1,
2002, CAPTE no longer accredited baccalaureate level professional
education programs.
Top
- Are there separate accreditation
standards for professional (entry-level MPT programs and professional
(entry-level) DPT programs? If not, why are programs different?
No. There is only one set of standards for postbaccalaureate
level professional (entry-level) education. The 1998
Evaluative Criteria for Accreditation of Education Programs for the
Preparation of Physical Therapists apply to masters and
doctoral level physical therapist professional education programs. All
accredited programs must meet this quality standard; however, programs
can and do regularly exceed the standard in one or more areas.
Differences do exist among accredited masters level programs and
between accredited masters level and accredited doctoral level programs.
For example, some of the differences are driven by institutional mission
and are attributable to compliance with the accreditation standards.
Other differences - noteworthy as they can be - are not attributable to
compliance with CAPTE's quality standard. Rather, these differences
should be attributed to decisions of the host institution and program to
enhance the quality and/or outcomes of the program beyond compliance
with CAPTE's quality standards. Many of the differences that exist
between and among programs are of the latter kind.
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- How many professional (entry-level)
DPT programs are accredited?
As of July 2009, there are 212 accredited physical therapist
professional degree programs. A listing of the programs can be
found at this
link.
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- How many professional (entry-level)
MPT programs have decided to make the transition to professional
(entry-level) DPT programs?
As of July 2009, 95% of the professional physical therapist
programs are accredited to award the DPT degree. Top
- Why do programs decide to make the
transition from the professional (entry-level) MPT to the professional
(entry-level) DPT?
Programs have decided to make the transition from the professional
(entry-level) MPT to the professional (entry-level) DPT for several
reasons, including among others: 1) The decision to make the transition
is the end result of a comprehensive assessment of an MPT program based
on current and future expectations and preferences for practice; 2) The
decision to make the transition is warranted on the basis of the greater
scope, rigor, depth, breadth, and length of a high-quality program; 3)
The decision to make the transition is based on the assumption that the
program will be better positioned to successfully recruit the most
qualified applicants in a highly competitive applicant marketplace; and
4) The decision to make the transition is perceived to be in the best
interests of tomorrow's practitioner.
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- Are postprofessional DPT programs
accredited?
No. Similar to other health care disciplines, there are no
specialized accrediting agencies such as CAPTE responsible for the
accreditation of postprofessional education programs for physical
therapists. However, the vast majority of the postprofessional education
programs reside in institutions accredited by recognized accrediting
agencies.
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- Is the professional (entry-level)
DPT degree appropriate for physical therapy professional education?
Yes. The professional (entry-level) DPT degree is currently conferred
by institutions that are regionally accredited and fully authorized to
confer the degree. The fact that some persons may oppose the DPT does
not make the degree any less "appropriate" for professional
(entry-level) education.
Top
- Is the DPT degree appropriate for
physical therapy practice and the profession?
"Appropriateness" for physical therapy practice and the profession
involves a subjective judgment; for clarity, the question is often
framed in terms of benefits and liabilities. Members of the academic and
clinical communities have identified the following benefits and
liabilities, among others.
Perceived Benefits:
- Professional (entry-level) DPT programs more accurately
reflect the scope, depth, breadth, and rigor of the high-quality
education preparation needed for current and future practice;
- The professional (entry-level) DPT program offers a sound
educational background that should better equip the graduate to enter
clinical practice able to examine, evaluate, diagnose, prognose, and
intervene in the management of impairments, functional limitations, and
disabilities of the cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and
integumentary systems;
- The DPT degree will better facilitate the consumer's
recognition of the physical therapist as a fully autonomous health care
practitioner who is a point of entry into the health care system;
- The DPT degree will better facilitate interactions with
medical colleagues on an equal basis;
- The professional (entry-level) DPT program offers greater
knowledge, skills, and behaviors related to the administration and
business aspects of physical therapy practice;
- Assuming an uncertain and unpredictable future, the DPT
degree positions the physical therapist to advocate and negotiate more
successfully on behalf of high-quality health care, the consumer, and
the profession.
Perceived Liabilities:
- The DPT is nothing more than an unwarranted inflation of
professional education;
- The physical therapy clinical science and its associated
body of knowledge does not justify doctoral-level preparation;
- Other health care providers, including physicians, will
not "like" physical therapists being called "doctor";
- The DPT degree only adds to the confusion of patients,
employers, and other health care providers about physical therapists and
physical therapy services;
- The necessary human and financial resources for
professional (entry-level) DPT programs are not adequate;
- The educational costs of the professional (entry-level)
DPT are prohibitive.
- Why do some educators object to the
DPT degree?
Educators may object to the professional (entry-level) DPT for a
variety of reasons, including among others:
- Doctoral-level professional (entry-level) programs require
increased human and financial resources that some programs cannot easily
acquire;
- Some institutions cannot make the transition from the
master's to the doctoral level because the state and/or the
institution's mission does not allow for the awarding of the DPT;
- The professional (entry-level) DPT program is longer than
the typical professional (entry-level) MPT program and, therefore, more
costly to the student;
- Professional (entry-level) DPT programs do not offer
benefits to the profession and physical therapy practice that are not
readily available in the MPT graduate;
- The DPT degree (nomenclature) adds to the current
confusion regarding the purpose, meaning, and significance of degrees
within the physical therapy profession.
- Why do some clinicians object to the
DPT degree?
Clinicians may object to the professional (entry-level) DPT for a
variety of reasons, including among others:
- Physical therapy practice does not require doctoral-level
professional (entry-level) education (ie, what physical therapists are
"asked to do" does not require a DPT);
- The professional (entry-level) DPT preparation will not
improve the quality of patient care;
- Professional (entry-level) DPT programs are likely to
stretch clinical education resources beyond the "breaking point;"
- Baccalaureate- and master's-level graduates are fearful
that DPT graduates will displace them in the workforce or diminish their
relative value in the health care marketplace;
- The generalized concerns that doctoral-level professional
(entry-level) programs run counter to current trends in health care and
that other health care providers, employers, and patients will resist,
if not resent, the DPT practitioner.
- Will APTA or The Commission on
Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) mandate
doctoral-level professional (entry-level) education?
APTA cannot and will not compromise higher education prerogatives or
mandate higher education decisions or degrees. The move from
baccalaureate- to postbaccaluareate-level professional education took
nearly 20 years. CAPTE's 1998 decision to narrow its scope of
accreditation activity to include only postbaccaluareate-level programs
came after the profession had reached agreement on the scope, breadth,
depth, and meaning of professional education and a critical mass of MPT
programs had been established (approximately 83%). Before CAPTE would
consider narrowing its scope of activity further, the profession would
have to agree that the DPT is the preferred degree, a consensus would
have to be achieved on all aspects of doctoral-level professional
education, a critical mass of professional (entry-level) DPT programs
would have to be established, and CAPTE's communities of interest would
have to support, at least in principle, a move to doctoral-level
professional education. Although such a move is conceivable at some
point in the future, it is not imminent.
- Does APTA have a formal position or
policy on the DPT degree? Does APTA advocate for the DPT degree?
No and yes. As of October 1, 2000, there is no "formal" APTA policy
or position on doctoral-level professional education. However, in June
2000, the House of Delegates endorsed Vision 2020 - a vision statement
for the physical therapy profession for the next 20 years. Vision 2020
contains a clear reference to "doctors of physical therapy" and thus
reflects support for doctorally-prepared practitioners and the clinical
doctorate as the first professional degree.
Apart from the issue of formal policies or positions, some APTA
members and leaders are strong advocates for doctoral-level professional
education. Consistent with a rationale for the DPT degree (See "What is
the rationale for professional (entry-level) DPT programs?"), these
persons believe that the DPT will enhance the quality of physical
therapy services and patient care, hasten the granting of pervasive
direct access and "physician status" for reimbursement, and ensure the
profession's continued growth, maturation, and services. Other APTA
members and leaders do not advocate for doctoral level professional
education (See "Is the DPT degree appropriate for physical therapy
practice and the profession?", "Why do some educators object to the DPT
degree?", and "Why do some clinicians object to the DPT degree?").
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- How does the DPT degree relate to
physical therapy licensure?
Licensure requires graduation from an accredited physical therapist
professional education program and a passing score on a state licensure
examination. There are no degree-specific requirements; the BSPT, the
MPT, and the DPT are all appropriate degrees for licensure.
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- Is the graduate of a professional
(entry-level) DPT program more competent than the graduate of a
professional (entry-level) BSPT or MPT program?
Some APTA members believe that this may be the case because of the
augmented didactic component and the extended, more mentored clinical
education experience. However, there are insufficient data to
demonstrate any correlation between the DPT and higher levels of
clinical competence or improved treatment outcomes. Moreover, it would
appear that there are no major economic advantages to the DPT.
In the absence of compelling data, perhaps the more important
question for any physical therapist should be: "How can the physical
therapy profession position itself to accommodate the changing
expectations for practice and the changing health care environment in a
future that is entirely uncertain?" The answer for some physical
therapists will include acquiring a "transition" DPT; for others, the
DPT will not offer sufficient benefit.
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- What implications does the DPT
degree have for the workplace and employability?
None for certain, though there may be individual exceptions. In the
current health care environment, and depending on the employer, the DPT
graduate will not necessarily be favored over the MPT or BSPT graduate.
Since licensure to practice does not distinguish among degrees; the
BSPT, MPT, and DPT are all permissible. As more professional
(entry-level) programs make the transition to or develop at the doctoral
level, the overall number of graduates will offer a credible basis for
the collection of data regarding employability and performance of the
DPT graduate. For now, the implications of the DPT degree for the
workplace and employability are unclear.
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- Are DPT graduates paid more than
BSPT or MPT graduates?
The transition to postbaccalaureate professional (entry-level)
education gave rise to the fear that a practitioner with a professional
master's degree would be paid more than one with a baccalaureate degree.
In retrospect, it appears that those fears were unfounded. Although
there may be instances where a DPT graduate is paid more than a BSPT or
MPT graduate, there are no data to support a correlation between the DPT
and higher levels of compensation. Data collected in the future may or
may not demonstrate such a correlation.
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- If I have a professional
(entry-level) BSPT or MPT degree, will I have to acquire the DPT degree
in order to practice in the future?
No. Again, licensure to practice physical therapy does not include
degree-specific requirements, only graduation from an accredited
program.
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- If not required for practice, why
would an MPT or BSPT graduate want to acquire a postprofessional
"transition" DPT?
Regardless of any specialization, a physical therapist might wish to
acquire new knowledge that was not a part of his/her professional
(entry-level) education. Depending on the learner's career goals,
practice setting, and need to demonstrate continued competence, a
"transition" DPT would signify and recognize the acquisition of
knowledge that could more strongly position the graduate in the current
practice environment and in the future health care marketplace.
Top
- How will I be able to acquire a
"transition" DPT?
Almost every institution with a professional (entry-level) DPT
program will have reason to consider, if not implement, a
postprofessional "transition" DPT for potential applicants within its
various communities of interest, including alumni. These programs will
probably vary in terms of: purpose/outcome; scope, depth and breadth of
content; accessibility and delivery; length; and cost. As of April 2000,
several postprofessional "transition" DPT programs are available. Also,
postprofessional "transition" DPT programs will be available only as
long as demand for the "transition" DPT degree exists.
Admission criteria for these programs will also vary; however, the
great majority of them will be learner-centered so as to recognize
experience and competence and accommodate a learner's unique
professional and educational needs.
Top
- If I choose to acquire a
postprofessional "transition" DPT, what mechanism would be used to
recognize competence, experience, and achievement since graduation from
a baccalaureate- or master's-level program?
Any postprofessional "transition" DPT program will need an assessment
process/tool that will document a practitioner's knowledge, skills, and
behaviors. Results from the assessment could lead to the "waiving" of
coursework, the substitution of electives for otherwise required
coursework, or the reduction of the normal credit hours required for the
degree.
Top
- Why can't the profession just use
"DPT" as a clinical designator, like "PT"?
At some point in the future, it may be possible to successfully argue
that "DPT" should be an additional clinical designator for the licensed
physical therapist. One requirement for such a decision would be the
existence of a "critical mass" of DPT graduates in physical therapist
practice. Of course, such a decision would involve changes in state
practice acts; authority would rest with state boards of licensure and
state legislatures. It is not inconceivable that an acceptable clinical
designator would be DPT.
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- Does the professional (entry-level)
DPT qualify a graduate to teach in a physical therapist professional
program?
Yes and no. The professional (entry-level) DPT would not qualify a
graduate to be a member of the academic or clinical faculty immediately
upon graduation. However, if the professional development of DPT
graduates, within the years following graduation, prepared them to meet
the qualifications for appointment as academic and clinical faculty,
there would be no reason to exclude these individuals merely because
they possessed an "entry-level" clinical doctorate, rather than an
"advanced" clinical doctorate or the academic PhD.
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- Does a professional (entry-level)
DPT program prepare a graduate to contribute to the profession's body of
knowledge and/or to clinical research in support of evidence-based
practice?
There is no agreement within the academic or clinical communities
regarding the scope, purpose, and appropriateness of a research
component in the curriculum of a professional (entry-level) education.
For that reason alone, there will continue to be considerable variance
in the degree level to which a DPT graduate is prepared to be a
contributor to, not just a consumer of, the profession's body of
knowledge and/or clinical research in support of evidence-based
practice.
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- What are the implications of the
professional (entry-level) DPT for clinical education?
Professional (entry-level) education programs may provide both
incentives and opportunities to design and implement alternative models
that provide for more expansive clinical education experiences. These
models would offer increased depth and breadth (eg, 1-year internship),
stronger clinical mentorship, and strengthened, more efficient and
effective academic/clinical partnerships.
The configuration of clinical education in a professional
(entry-level) DPT program will depend upon the mission of the
institution, the program vision and setting, and the preferred
educational outcome for program graduates. If the current configuration
of clinical education cannot achieve the desired practice expectations
for graduates at the level of competency desired by the profession,
employer, consumer, and payer, then a DPT program will need to consider
other possible models that can achieve what is necessary.
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[Last updated: 04/28/08 | Contact: education@apta.org]
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