Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Our condensed two-and-a-half-year curriculum allows you to enter the field faster, and our students typically receive several job offers before graduation. Because you graduate in December instead of the May date typical of other PT programs, you’ll have a head start on board exams, additional certifications, advanced training opportunities and the job market.

For Saint Joseph’s graduates who responded to the alumni survey, 100% were employed within one year of passing the licensure examination (2022-23).

At Saint Joseph’s, you’ll learn in many different environments — not just in the classroom. Starting in your first professional year, you’ll be exposed to patients and clients through our integrated clinical experiences and pro-bono clinics. In the latter part of the program, you'll participate in three full-time 12-week clinicals nationwide under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist.

Our faculty includes doctorally trained, clinically certified specialists who represent just about every practice area. And they practice what they teach — most are expert clinicians and many engage in rehabilitation research. All of them are outstanding instructors invested in your success.

State-of-the-art research facilities housed inside Glasser/Woodland Hall -- including the physical therapy department's Patricia Leahy Motion Analysis Lab and BTE Technologies™ Rehabilitation Lab -- give you a taste of completing necessary PT research to inform clinical practice.

You’ll have the opportunity to engage in physical therapy research — a rarity among PT programs today. Our faculty of active practitioners conduct research in areas such as biomechanics, oncology, pediatrics and treatment interventions.

The simulation labs on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the Interprofessional Education Complex provide spaces for students to learn advanced clinical practice skills.  Multiple ProBono clinics allow students to provide evidence based care to patients in underserved communities.  Students are able to apply knowledge from courses in the curriculum to patient care in a practice setting while being mentored by faculty.

View required courses for this program in the academic catalog. Please contact us if you have any questions about the program curriculum.

Information and Resources

• Department of Physical Therapy Student Handbook/Policy & Procedure Manual
• Department of Physical Therapy Clinical Education Policy & Procedure Manual

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: www.capteonline.org. If you need to contact the program/institution directly, please call 215.596.7086 or email efolkins@sju.edu.

 

Physical therapists must be licensed to practice, and must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, which is administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. This exam does not need to be taken again for licensure to transfer to another state, provided that one's score satisfies the scores for each individual state in which one practiced. The only requirement to take the examination is graduation from a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education-accredited program, such as the University's DPT program.

Please note that felony and conviction may delay or prohibit clinical education placement, which could delay graduation, certification through National Physical Therapy Examination and could prevent state licensure.

The tuition for DPT students entering fall 2025 is as follows.

• $47,598 - Year 1
• $47,598 - Year 2
• $31,732 - Year 3

*Pricing does not include room and board; health insurance; or any professional, clinical or transportation fees. Visit our Tuition & Fees page for a detailed cost breakdown.

Financial aid may be available to you to help offset the cost of your degree. Explore your options on our Financial Aid page.

Additional Information Regarding Clinical Experiences: Students are expected to travel for clinical experiences. Costs incurred for travel, housing, tolls, food, parking, etc. are the responsibility of the student. In addition, students are responsible for health and safety requirements such as fingerprinting, required by most clinical experience sites. Students may use federal or alternative educational loan funding to help with the miscellaneous costs related to clinical experiences. Contact the Financial Aid Office for further information.

The costs reflected in the Student Financial Fact Sheet are for students who enter the professional phase of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in the summer of 2024. Program-related costs and other associated expenses are highly variable depending on location of clinical rotation sites.

Visit the Department of Physical Therapy website to view the technical standards that apply to all clinical training students in Saint Joseph’s DPT program.

Requirements:

You must meet the following requirements to be considered for admission to the DPT program:

• Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college
• Complete all prerequisite courses listed below by the end of the spring term preceding enrollment at Saint Joseph’s
• 3.00 cumulative GPA and a 3.00 math/science GPA with a “C” or better in all prerequisite courses
• Interview: An invitation-only interview is required for admission into the program. Interviews begin in October and continue until all seats are filled.

GRE scores are not required. Shadowing hours are not required but highly recommended of all applicants.

Prerequisites:

Required prerequisite courses should be completed by the end of the spring term preceding enrollment at Saint Joseph's:

• Chemistry, with lab (2 semester sequence, 8 credits)
• Biology, with lab (2 semester sequence, 8 credits)
• Physics, with lab (2 semester sequence, 8 credits)
• Anatomy & Physiology (2 semester sequence, 8 credits-inclusive of labs I and II.)
• Statistics (3 credits)
• Social Sciences (9 credits total, including 6 credits of Psychology)
• English-Writing Intensive (3 credits)

Applications for Academic Year: 2025-2026 will be available via the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) in June. No supplemental application is required. Please submit all documentation directly to PTCAS.

Graduate applications must be submitted by March 3 for review. 

If you’re applying as an international student, you must provide proof of English Language Proficiency and Certification of Finances along with your application. Check the graduate admission page for additional requirements.

When entering Saint Joseph’s after receiving your Bachelor’s degree, you can earn your Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2.5 years. After earning your DPT you’ll need to obtain a license in the state in which you decide to practice to work as a physical therapist, which requires passing a state licensure exam.

Physical therapists make a median annual salary of $91,010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This salary may be higher for high-paying specialties, including:

• Sports medicine
• Cardiovascular
• Geriatrics
• Neurology
• Pediatrics

The two-year graduation rate was 92% (2023-2024). 

The two-year ultimate pass rate on the national licensure examination was 97% (2022-2023). The first-time pass rate was 80% (2023-2024). 

Please take a look at our Student Financial Fact Sheet for a breakdown of the cost requirements over the duration of the DPT program.