Physical Therapy Program

The Physical Therapy faculty believe learning flourishes in an environment where inquiry is modeled and fostered. Faculty create an atmosphere conducive to the exchange of information, ideas and skills. Learning is fostered in an environment that embraces diversity, mutual respect, a sense of interdependence, integrity and academic freedom.  

The establishment of lifelong learning requires active participation of both faculty and students where each values and respects the other‘s unique and diverse learning styles and experiences. Learning is rigorous and rewarding, leaving no one unchanged by the shared experience. Early learning occurs best in context and in an environment that nurtures personal and professional growth. This provides the best foundation on which more complex learning experiences are built. The Physical Therapy program provides this necessary foundation through contextual learning experiences within the concurrent expectation that the student generalize learned material in new contexts within the community.

Graduates of the Physical Therapy program must be mature, critical thinkers prepared for collaborative practice and leadership in the profession. They must anticipate and respond appropriately to ongoing changes in the health care environment. Such necessary competence includes intellectual inquisitiveness, a commitment to lifelong learning, skills and resources to adapt to changes in physical therapy practice.  

Graduates of the program reflect the diverse backgrounds, experiences and interests of the community that the University serves. Through active participation in inter-professional coursework and community experiences, graduates are skilled in effective communication, facilitating teamwork and model leadership within their work environments and in their communities. All graduates are exposed to experiences that cultivate cultural awareness and sensitivity to age, gender and cultural diversity. Skilled, knowledgeable, self-directed, adaptable, and compassionate graduates are prepared to meet the needs of patients, clients, the profession, and the community as autonomous practitioners.  

The program prepares graduates to enter contemporary practice in the profession of physical therapy. Graduates become proficient in employing current sources of information as they relate to learning and evidence-based practice.The faculty facilitates the development of an entry level physical therapist, who is able to adapt to change in a variety of practice settings and integrate evidence-based knowledge and skills into practice. Reflective of this, the academic program is designed to meet the diverse needs of the Doctor of Physical Therapy graduates of today and of the future.

Founded in 1996, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences was created with a dedication to innovation in the areas of Physical Therapy curriculum and teaching methodologies. The program offers the first university level doctoral program leading to the clinical doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT).  The clinical doctor of Physical Therapy is a three year (115 credits) program that is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).  The program utilizes a variety of instructional methods including traditional lectures, problem-based case studies and computer based instructional material to foster student learning to meet the APTA Vision 2020 of becoming Doctors of Physical Therapy.

Central to the mission of the Program in Physical Therapy is the mission and goals of Florida Gulf Coast University and the Marieb College of Health & Human Services. Reflective of this, the academic program is designed to meet the needs of the practicing physical therapist. The program allows physical therapists to augment their knowledge and skills to reflect contemporary physical therapy practice at the clinical doctoral level.

Students become proficient in employing current sources of information as they relate to learning and evidence-based practice. Students develop into self-directed learners through acquiring skills that aid them in being resourceful scholars and clinicians.

Eligible applicants must have graduated from a CAPTE accredited Masters or Baccalaureate degree program and hold a current license in the State of Florida.  Interested applicants should contact Dr. Ellen Donald, for an individualized plan of study.  The tDPT Program is designed to be a distant learning format.