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UM Home > Academic Bulletin > Graduate Academic Programs > School of Medicine > Physical Therapy

Academic Bulletin

LIFE SCIENCES - SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
www.biomed.miami.edu

PHYSICAL THERAPY - Dept. Code: PTS
www.pt.med.miami.edu

The Department of Physical Therapy is committed to providing quality educational experiences that enable its graduates to effectively carry out the expanding responsibilities of physical therapists as autonomous health care providers practicing in preventive, evaluative, maintenance, acute care and rehabilitation settings, and in educational and research environments.

The individual and collective efforts of the members of the Physical Therapy faculty are directed toward attaining specific goals and objectives as expressed in the philosophic statement of the American Physical Therapy Association.

The Mission of the Department of Physical Therapy (revised in December, 2000; re-affirmed in 2006) in accordance with the Mission of the Miller School of Medicine is to provide excellence in physical therapist education, to expand evidence-based practice of physical therapy through research, to provide high quality care to all who need it, and to be a community partner.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY (D.P.T.)

Applicants should have a baccalaureate degree in a related field and 3.0, or ”B” average or better in the following courses:

English Composition/ Writing intensive course (3 semester or 5 quarter hours);
Introduction to Statistics (3 semester or 5 quarter hours);
Psychology (3 semester or 5 quarter hours);
General Biology (3 semester or 5 quarter hours);
General Chemistry with Lab (8 semester or 12 quarter hours);
General Physics with Lab (8 semester or 12 quarter hours);
Human Anatomy (3 semester or 5 quarter hours);
Human Physiology (3 semester or 5 quarter hours) or
Combined Anatomy and Physiology (6 semester or 9 quarter hours).

I. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Beginning July 1, 2009 we are now accepting applications only thru Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS), go to www.ptcas.org to apply.

A. Application deadline is December 1; We encourage you to apply early. Applications completed by November 1 will be reviewed for early consideration. Classes begin in May. Application requirements consist of the following:

1. Submission of all application materials to PTCAS. Completion of prerequisites, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

2. Demonstration of knowledge concerning the physical therapy profession by submitting:

a) Questions 1, 2, and 3 on the PTCAS documentation of a minimum of 100 hours of first-hand observation and/or work experience related to the practice of physical therapy.

b) This experience must be substantiated in writing by a registered/licensed physical therapist.


3. Submission of three (3) letters of recommendation addressing both the applicant’s moral character and potential as a physical therapist.

a) At least one letter must be written by a registered/licensed physical therapist, and one or more from faculty.

4. An interview with at least one member of the Physical Therapy Review Committee.

• Graduate Record Exam must be taken no later than November 30. Applicants must score a minimum of 500 on verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE, and a 4.5 on the analytical section

For more information contact:

Admissions Office
Department of Physical Therapy
5915 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 5th Floor
Coral Gables, FL 33146
phone 305-284-4535
email: physicaltherapy@miami.edu

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHYSICAL THERAPY (Ph.D.)

Application requirements: Applicants to the Physical Therapy PhD Studies Program must have a clinical degree in physical therapy from an accredited physical therapy program and be eligible for licensure to practice physical therapy in the United States. Students enrolled in the PhD in Physical Therapy program at the University of Miami work closely with a faculty mentor from their first days in the program. As a first step in the application process, the applicant must identify a track of interest and contact a faculty mentor in the selected track. Students are admitted to the program upon endorsement of a faculty mentor and completion of all admission requirements, with final selection made by the PhD Studies Committee. Stipend and tuition support is potentially available for qualified applicants.

Motor Control: Contact Edelle Field-Fote PhD, PT edee@miami.edu
Musculoskeletal Anatomical Sciences: Contact Philip Waggoner, PhD, PT waggoner@miami.edu
Musculoskeletal Prosthetics and Amputee Rehabilitation: Contact Robert Gailey , PhD, PT rgailey@miami.edu
Outcomes Research: Contact Kathryn Roach PhD, PT keroach@miami.edu OR Neva Kirk-Sanchez, PhD, PT nkirksanchez@miami.edu

The applicant must meet all the general admissions requirements of the University of Miami Graduate School. Additionally, stipulations include:

• Direct entry into the PhD program is dependent upon having any of the degrees below:

An entry-level Masters Degree in Physical Therapy
An advanced Masters Degree with a Bachelors Degree in Physical Therapy
A Bachelors Degree in Physical Therapy.

• An applicant with a Bachelors Degree in Physical Therapy, though able to commence course work in the PHD Program, will be required to complete the credits to equal that of Advanced Masters Degree in Physical Therapy before final admission to the PhD Program.

• Official Transcripts of all college work.

• Three completed recommendation forms with at least one form completed by a physical therapist.

• A letter indicating career goals and objectives.

• Licensure or eligibility for licensure, as a physical therapist in the State of Florida (must be licensed within 1 year of admission).

• GRE, The University of Miami requires a minimum of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative section. In addition you are required to take the analytical section.

Foreign applicants, who complete college and university work in a foreign country, must have all transcripts evaluated by the University of Miami’s Office of International Admissions.

The research areas of the faculty are diverse, reflecting the clinical and scientific emphasizes areas of the faculty. Please refer to the Faculty Section for specifics.

For more information contact:

Dr. Edelle Field-Fote, Assistant-Chair, PhD Studies
Department of Physical Therapy
5915 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 5th Floor
Coral Gables, FL 33146
phone 305-284-4535
email: physicaltherapy@miami.edu

DEGREE PROGRAMS

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY (D.P.T.)

The Department offers the clinical Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT). The DPT program recognizes the importance of in-depth basic and applied science knowledge and the humanities. As such, the curriculum is carefully sequenced to allow students to develop skills in both classroom and clinical settings.

Faculty also understand the importance of presenting problem-solving skills in conjunction with fundamental physical therapy concepts so that students will develop the professional attitudes and insights required for sustained and continued growth throughout their careers.

The entry-level doctoral program (DPT) is offered under the auspices of the Department of Physical Therapy, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHYSICAL THERAPY (Ph.D.)

The University of Miami Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Therapy program develops physical therapist students for leadership positions in academic and research settings. Along with guiding students in the development of requisite knowledge and skills, the program promotes professional socialization into the role of academic faculty. We believe preparation to teach and undertake research in a physical therapy curriculum at the university level requires excellence in three dimensions:

1) Expertise in a specified content area; 2) Advanced knowledge and skill in research methods, design, and implementation of analysis and communication of results; and 3) Proficiency in instructional design, teaching methods, and evaluation. The successful integration of these three dimensions, each complex in its own right, provides the means for the student to develop expertise in testing, analyzing, researching, and teaching about disorders that interfere with function. Unifying these three core areas is the process of socialization to the role of a faculty member, including an awareness of academic responsibilities and sensitivity to the needs of the adult learner.

In keeping with this philosophy, students develop breadth of knowledge through completion of coursework from three basic core areas: Concentration Core, Research Core, and Education Core. They develop depth by completing elective courses with the intent to build expertise in their respective areas of concentration. The successful graduate of this program will have the requisite knowledge and skills to integrate research findings and scientific theory with clinical observations. On this basis, the graduate will be prepared to perform original research aimed at developing new knowledge to enhance the scientific basis of clinical practice and theoretical principles that will advance the profession of physical therapy. The program offers opportunities for the student to gain skill in communicating theories, concepts and research findings and to experience the roles and responsibilities of an academic faculty member. Students complete a dissertation project in which they develop and conduct a unique and significant research investigation with the guidance of a Physical Therapy faculty member as research advisor.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY (D.P.T.)

Completion of the degree requirement for the DPT degree in Physical Therapy entails didactic studies, a completed research project, and clinical internships totaling 105 credits.

The University of Miami, Department of Physical Therapy has affiliations with 350 clinical sites locally and throughout the country.

Distant internships may incur additional expenses for the student.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHYSICAL THERAPY (Ph.D.)

The curriculum, for all three core content areas (Musculoskeletal, Motor Control, and Outcomes Research) consist of:

• 19 - 21 credits in a core concentration area (i.e., Motor Control, Musculoskeletal, or Outcomes Research) 12 credits in core education courses,

• 12 credits in core research courses,

• 6 - 21 credits in electives in area of concentration and

• 12 credits of Doctoral dissertation for a total of 60-75 credits.

• Credits may vary depending on educational background of applicants.

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