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2018-2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Physical Therapy, Orthopedic Manual Therapy Concentration DScPT (On-Campus)

The Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy (DScPT) degree represents the highest clinical specialty doctorate in the world. It is an advanced degree for bachelors, masters, and doctoral trained physical therapists. 

It is a unique degree designed to not only train the clinician to become a direct access provider and a competent researcher, but will also train the clinician to become a specialist in orthopedic manual therapy.

Andrews University partners with the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy (NAIOMT), an APTA accredited fellowship program, to provide the clinician with the skills needed to become a certified manipulative therapist.

This degree will further enhance key areas such as medical screening, differential diagnosis, education, research, therapeutic exercise prescription, imaging and laboratory science, along with clinical leadership. 

This degree truly allows the clinician to become a master clinician, a teacher and a researcher.  Many of our graduates are faculty members at Universities within the United States and Canada attesting to the terminal nature of this degree.

Program Description

This degree is designed to prepare the clinical specialist in orthopedic manual therapy and incorporates courses from the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy.

Total Credits - 64

Degree Core Requirements - 23

Research Curriculum - 15

Concentration - 26

Admission Requirements

  1. Students must have graduated from an approved school of physical therapy and be licensed to practice physical therapy in their country of origin or county in which they live.
  2. Students must have the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree.  Students with a bachelor’s degree must have two years of experience working in an orthopedic setting as a physical therapist prior to applying.
  3. Students must submit graduate application.
  4. Students must submit an original copy of all academic transcripts from any institution where classes were taken.  In addition, if the transcripts are not written in English, a copy in the original language as well as the English translation are required.
  5. Students must submit a copy of physical therapy license.  If license is not in English a translated copy must be submitted as well.
  6. Students must submit a minimum of three satisfactory recommendations: one from a currently practicing physical therapist, one from a medical doctor or supervisor, and one from another person familiar with the candidate.
  7. Foreign trained physical therapists must complete the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) application and fully satisfy course content, credit and requirements. Candidates must also submit PTET scores if requested.
  8. For U.S. and Canadian trained candidates holding only a Bachelors degree in physical therapy, completion and submission of the APTA Physical Therapy Evaluation Tool (PTET) proving competency towards an entry-level master’s degree in physical therapy is required.
  9. English Proficiency - Students whose language of education is not English must submit a minimum TOEFL or MELAB score of 80.

Graduation Requirements

  • A minimum of 50% of credits must be taken at regular tuition for degree conferral.* Exception: For candidates completing the DPT-DScPT option, a minimum of 70% of credits must be taken at regular tuition for degree conferral.
  • Level II certification through NAIOMT or equivalent certification from another approved program. Completed by registering for PTH 742 - Level II Practical Exam  .
  • Level III/IV Manual Therapy Certification through NAIOMT or equivalent certification from another approved program. Completed by registering for and passing PTH 845 - COMT Practical Comprehensive Examination  
  • No grade lower than “C” (2.00) in any course.
  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.
  • Successful completion of the capstone project. Completed by registering for 6 credits of PTH 898 - Dissertation Project  
  • Satisfactory completion of the program exit interview.