DPT Student Life

Students join our program with a wide variety of academic and cultural backgrounds and experiences. The program fosters an environment where we can all learn from one another - faculty, students, and staff. We also participate in numerous outreach events targeted to underrepresented populations in the physical therapy profession.

DPT and other health professions students participating in an iterprofessional session at UCSFServing Our Community

We offer elective opportunities to provide care from the Mission District in the heart of the city to an international experience in Malawi. Students can also participate in the Saturday UCSF Community Clinic at the Mission Bay Faculty Practice and Health & Wellness Center and get involved in student government and groups.

Two Universities, Three Campuses, and a Wide Range of Resources

Our program offers the best of both universities - access to world-renowned medical facilities and a focus on social justice. We're in the heart of San Francisco with great restaurants, cultural activities, and opportunities to get out into nature when you're not in class.

UCSF Student Lifehas information on registered campus student groups, basic needs assistance, student veteran/military support services, and more! 

The Division of Student Life at SFSU (DSL) believes every student should belong and matter, has the capacity to live a purposeful life, and can positively impact the world.

For more information and maps of each campus:

​Map of San Francisco showing UCSF Mission Bay, UCSF Parnassus, and SFSU campuses​

 

Additional Learner Resources

Student Disability Services (SDS) and Accommodations

Both UCSF and SFSU are committed to providing equal access to all of their programs, services, and activities for learners with all types of permanent and temporary disabilities, including physical, psychological, learning, and sensory disabilities, AD/HD, and chronic health conditions. We encourage applicants and current learners with disabilities to engage in a conversation early with UCSF Student Disability Services (SDS) to discuss what accommodations are possible. UCSF’s Student Disability Services (SDS) and SFSU’s Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC) facilitate equal access by coordinating reasonable accommodations and support services.

Reasonable accommodations are adjustments to policies, practices, and procedures that “level the playing field” for individuals with disabilities while preserving the integrity of academic standards and programmatic requirements. Examples include adjustments to exam administration, services such as note-takers or sign language interpreters, assistive technologies, and coordination of accessible housing.

If you have a disability, please contact UCSF Student Disability Services (SDS) to engage in a confidential, interactive process for determining accommodations for the classroom and/or clinical setting. The full registration process and necessary forms are outlined on the SDS website or you can contact SDS directly at 415-502-6595 or via email at [email protected].

If you are eligible for accommodations, the UCSF SDS Director will issue you a letter which you will need to give to your course director(s) at the start of each term in which you are requesting accommodations. SDS will provide a copy of your letter to the program co-directors and student affairs officer. Please also be sure to submit your letter to SFSU’s DPRC to access the recommended accommodations at SFSU. Note that accommodations recommended by UCSF’s SDS will be honored and coordinated by the SFSU DPRC. Accommodations are not provided retroactively.

Student Success Centers & Libraries

The UCSF Student Success Center (SSC) provides information on a wide range of services including Basic Needs, First Generation Services, Guardian Scholars, Learning Resource Services, Office of Career and Professional Development, Registered Campus Organizations, Student Rights and Responsibilities, Synapse (the student run newspaper), and Student Veteran and Military Support Services. The Resources for College of Health & Social Sciences (CHSS) Students page is a hub for resources at SFSU including Student Outreach & Academic Retention, Peer2Peer Mentor Collective, Advising, Basic Needs Initiatives and more.

You will have full access to the libraries at both universities, and are required to use these resources for course textbooks and materials.

Health and Counseling Services

All learners in the program must have health insurance while enrolled. Those who elect to use the UCSF Student Health Insurance Plan will have insurance under UCSHIP. All learners have access to confidential free counseling and psychological services at UCSF and low-cost counseling services at SFSU. Both universities offer a wide range of resources to support your health and wellbeing – at UCSF, check out Student Mental Health and Wellbeing, and at SFSU there is Counseling & Psychological Services and Student Health Services.

Fitness

Included in the UCSF registration fees is a membership to the fitness centers at UCSF Parnassus and Mission Bay campuses. SFSU also has several facilities including the Mashouf Wellness Center, though use of the center requires an additional fee to access, as registration fees are only paid to SFSU during the second and third summers in the program.

Career Services

The UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) offers a number of resources related specifically to the physical therapy profession, including sample resumes/CVs, cover letters, interview questions; programming and online resources on interviewing/negotiation, job networking, communication skills, and career exploration; and confidential individual appointments to discuss your professional and career development. The Office also hosts a job posting site for physical therapy positions.

The SFSU Career Center offers access to information regarding resume writing, networking and informational interviewing, navigating the job offer process, career assessments, and individual appointments with a career counselor.

Cohort Leadership Structure

As groups within the UCSF and SFSU communities, each cohort/class may be called upon to represent the program and to act as liaisons with the faculty, other organizations, and associations on both campuses. In addition, each cohort is expected to handle its own group needs, which can be managed through a class leadership structure. Leadership roles may include:

  1. Class President (or similar title): presents the group’s questions, decisions, or desires to an individual instructor or Program Director(s); appoints leads for various projects and responsibilities; meets with appropriate groups when necessary; attends faculty meetings as invited; assists administrative staff with programming as needed.
  2. Vice President: assists the Class President; forms subcommittees for various projects.
  3. Secretary or Secretary-Treasurer: keeps minutes of class meetings and is responsible for managing the finances of the cohort.
  4. Representative to the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA): represents DPT students at GPSA meetings; acts as liaison for the class with the GPSA; reports information and impending actions of the GPSA to the class.
  5. Cultural Liaison: represents the group’s regarding issues on cultural inclusion, including communicating questions, decisions or desires to an individual instructor, Department Chair, Program Director, Dean or others.

Group activities depend upon each cohort’s interests and goals. It is expected that the class will take the initiative in and be responsible for organizing their own extracurricular activities and seek guidance from registered campus organizations (RCOs) and faculty as appropriate. Every cohort is required to represent themselves through class officers and participate in GPSA activities.

Additional projects may include running fundraisers (with guidance from the GPSA) to raise money for class projects; volunteering to give tours or recruitment presentations; forming or joining group sports teams at either campus; taking on “campus or professional causes”; organizing short classes and review sessions to enhance each other’s learning; or participating in health fairs or other community and outreach activities.

Class visibility at each university depends upon the collective efforts of the cohort. Thus, it is important for the class to communicate effectively, actively participate in the larger GPSA community, and present a professional image.

Class Officer Appointments & Qualifications

All class officers are required to meet academic and professional expectations in order to be nominated and maintain their elected roles. Expectations include:

  1. Maintaining an overall cumulative 3.0 GPA, as well as a 3.0 GPA at both UCSF and SFSU at all times.
  2. Maintaining “B” or “Pass” letter grades in courses at both UCSF & SFSU.
  3. Meeting the program’s professional expectations at all times.

Learners on academic notice at the time of elections may not run for a leadership position. If an elected class officer does not satisfy the expectations above for two consecutive academic terms, they will be required to step down. This is not viewed as disciplinary, but rather as a supportive effort to help the learner succeed in reaching their academic goals. Class officers who have stepped down due to academic notice may opt to be reinstated following removal of the notice.

Representative to the Assembly of Golden Gate District, California Chapter, APTA

The Assembly of Representatives is the legislative body of the California Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (CPTA). Each geographic area within the state elects APTA members from their district to be representatives at the Assembly, which meets twice per year. In addition, every DPT or PTA program within a district is invited to select a student to represent each class at the Assembly. The UCSF/SFSU program is located within the Golden Gate District, which sponsors a student representative from each class to attend both Assembly meetings each year and serve as the class liaison with the CPTA Student Special Interest Group.

By the end of the Fall quarter, each entering cohort elects a class member to serve a two-year term (September 1 of the first year through May 31 at the end of the second full year) as their representative to the Assembly. This individual should be ready to actively participate in the professional and political activities of the local and state physical therapy association. Responsibilities include:

  1. Attendance at all Golden Gate District meetings (held quarterly - usually July, Sept, Feb and May).
  2. Attendance at all Assembly of Representatives and Student Special Interest Group meetings during their term (beginning with Saturday-Sunday in October of their first year and ending with the third Friday-Saturday in May of the second year); attendance during the first year of their term as the program’s alternate and during the second year as the program’s official student representative.
  3. Per the Golden Gate District’s additional guidelines and responsibilities to be elected and retain office, the student representative must:
  • Be an APTA student member in good standing.
  • Be elected by their classmates.
  • Be in the first year of the school program when elected.
  • Be in good academic and professional behavior standing throughout their term of office.
  • Fully carry out the student representative responsibilities (as follows) to the satisfaction of the District and the Chief Representative: 1) provide at least two reports each year to their classmates regarding APTA, Golden Gate District, and Assembly business; 2) actively represent classmates at Golden Gate District meetings, at the Assembly, and with the Student Special Interest Group; 3) attend all pre-Assembly preparatory meetings as called by the Chief Representative of the District and all Golden Gate District meetings; 4) attend both the Forum and Assembly meetings in the spring and fall of both years of their term (except in an emergency). The student rep must notify the Chief Rep one month prior to any of the meetings that they will be unable to attend; 5) fully orient the alternate student rep to the process should the student representative be unable to attend a specific Forum/Assembly; 6) in the second year of their term, serve as a mentor for the new first-year student representative.

Conference Registration Awards

The program may provide limited funds, dependent upon availability, for conference registration fees if you are presenting at a professional conference. If you are interested, please discuss the opportunity with your faculty or research advisor and get approval first. You will need to pay the conference registration fees using your own funds and then request reimbursement through a UCSF/SFSU Graduate Program in Physical Therapy Student Conference Grant. Note that proof of payment is required to apply for the grant, and the application must be submitted to the Student Affairs Officer at least ten (10) working days in advance of the conference date.

After you attend the conference, we ask that you provide confirmation of attendance and write a one-paragraph summary of your experience for a spotlight article for the program’s website or newsletter.

Policies and Deadlines

DPT Student Handbook

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.

 

 

​APTA Reach Platinum​ Our program is proud to reach the Platinum Level for the Reach 100% Student Membership Challenge sponsored by the APTA!