Curriculum Overview
Our mission is to develop collaborative professionals in physical therapy practice, education, social responsibility, and discovery and translation of science to improve health.
UCSF/SFSU DPT Program Mission
Our curriculum is built on a strong theoretical foundation in the basic, medical, and applied sciences. Critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills are developed within an integrated program that prepares students to work collaboratively with patients across the lifespan to improve health and wellness, address disability challenges, and optimize function. A sample Plan of Study can be found here and individual course descriptions can be found in the UCSF Course Catalog and the SFSU Bulletin.
Registration Deadlines
Students are required to pay fees and file a study list each quarter in order to be considered a registered student. For more information, see the websites of the SF State Registrar's Office and UCSF Office of the Registrar.
Program Faculty
The UCSF/SFSU faculty includes leaders in the field, renowned researchers, and exemplary teachers. Many of the core faculty are currently practicing clinicians at a range of sites, including several UCSF Outpatient Faculty Practices, UCSF Health & Wellness Center, and UCSF Medical Center.
Clinical Education
Through dynamic learning experiences, students integrate the basic foundations of science into different paradigms and the treatment of patients with movement dysfunctions. Supplementing the didactic coursework are research experiences and structured clinical experiences.
Learn more about Clinical Education
Electives
The program offers extensive elective opportunities for students to explore new areas of interest or further their knowledge and skills in a particular concentration. Examples include research, running biomechanics, and pelvic floor PT to name a few. Students are also encouraged to identify new elective opportunities they would like the program to set up!
Interprofessional Education
As part of the DPT curriculum, all students participate in the IPE program at UCSF. Physical Therapy students work together with trainees in the other health professions to build skill sets that will ultimately increase patient safety, reduce errors, maximize efficiencies, and improve quality of care.
Learn more about Interprofessional Education
Qualifying Assessment & Culminating Experience
All learners must successfully complete the components of the Qualifying Assessment to advance to candidacy for the DPT degree. This assessment requires learners to:
- Achieve an overall 3.0 GPA at UCSF and SFSU, and in combination
- Pass all practical examinations and clinical experience courses to date
- Pass three clinically-based, board-style examinations that demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These exams cover knowledge consistent with completed program and clinical coursework in each area. Learners must achieve a score of 80% on each in order to pass, and may retake each exam once to achieve a passing score. If an exam is failed a second time, an oral examination will be given.
- Acute Care (cardiopulmonary, orthopedic, neurologic, multisystem patients), taken in second year
- Orthopedic (musculoskeletal outpatients), taken in third year
- Neurological (pediatric and adult neuromusculoskeletal patients), taken in third year
Within both the California State University and the University of California systems, a culminating experience at the doctoral level is also required. In our program, the PT 209AB and PT 910 Evidence-Based Practice courses support learners in developing an original in-depth research project. A manuscript-ready written submission and oral presention to faculty and peers must both be passed with 80% or better to graduate. If a learner does not receive an 80% on both, they may receive an incomplete grade and be required to repeat the oral presentation or continue to edit the manuscript until it satisfies the criteria to pass.