Curriculum

The doctor of physical therapy (DPT) program is a three year professional graduate program with classes beginning in June and continuing year-round. Students must complete undergraduate prerequisites before acceptance into this competitive program.

Students take approximately five classes per traditional semester. Each course covers specific areas of physical therapy. “Grand rounds” with professional physical therapists, as well as clinical seminars enable students to gain practical experience. Four internships in total are required during the second and third summers, plus the final semester of study.

Click here to see the specific curriculum.

Internships

Internships are embedded in the physical therapy curriculum and provide essential experiences for students. Students are required to complete 32 weeks in internships; this generally breaks down to four, 8-week internships. Internships are managed and arranged by the director of Clinical Education in consideration of curricular requirements, contracted internship sites and student learning objectives.

Internship sites are located throughout the United States, but are predominately in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. The physical therapy program has fully executed contracts with more than 500 clinical sites across the United States.

Trips to hospitals and rehabilitation centers provide additional hands-on learning. Students observe at acute care hospitals; at rehab laboratories, they work with patients who have experienced strokes, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, or amputation of lower extremities.

Students also interact in class with guest lecturers with expertise in vital areas — oncology, women’s health, pediatrics or prosthetics, for example.

Students who pursue a health profession such as physical therapy are driven by a desire to help others. Through The University of Scranton’s program, students begin to be of service as they are working toward their degrees.

For example, Dr. John Sanko, associate professor, leads a yearly cultural immersion trip to the Navajo Nation. Students visit schools and hospitals in the area, sharing their knowledge. They interact with students and staff at St. Michael’s School for Children with Special Needs in Window Rock, Arizona. St. Michael’s students have conditions ranging from cerebral palsy to Down Syndrome and more, but there is no physical therapist on staff. Scranton students also visit families in their homes, which are often trailers or modest traditional structures without electricity. To learn more about service in the PT department, click here.

Additionally, yearly service trips to Guyana led by Dr. Barbara Wagner and Guatemala led by Dr. Peter Leininger are attended by students and faculty. 

Many students work with faculty in The University of Scranton’s Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Clinic for the Uninsured. This University program demonstrates the Jesuit ideology and reinforces the value of service to others. The Clinic has recently expanded with an extensive addition of rehabilitation and research equipment.