Doctor of Physical Therapy

Tufts University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is comprised of multiple colleges and schools, including the School of Medicine. Tufts is student-centered in its approach, dedicated to creating, applying, and sharing knowledge. It is a part of our mission and commitment to foster an inclusive and collaborative environment where students and faculty work closely together.

Tufts DPT faculty are excellent teachers, researchers, and advocates. Faculty have advanced training in the best practices for engaging online teaching and learning and are known for being approachable and knowledgeable. As researchers, Tufts DPT faculty have published hundreds of research articles and garnered millions of dollars of grants. They are also regarded as leaders in their profession and strong contributors to the profession through professional service. Tufts DPT faculty are professionally active including service to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and as journal reviewers and editorial board members. We encourage you to learn more about our teams.

The Tufts DPT curriculum for each program follows an accelerated hybrid model that allows students to begin their professional practice sooner than other programs. Our evidence-based curricula gives students from around the country access to an online virtual classroom.

Both programs provide onsite clinical skills lab sessions. These are immersive learning sessions that reinforce decision-making, critical hands-on skills, and learning activities that physical therapists need to excel. Onsite learning spaces allow for interprofessional collaboration, simulation-enhanced education, and team-based activities to be integrated throughout the curricula.

The clinical education training consists of 31 weeks of full-time clinical training in a variety of clinical settings nationwide. We have preferred clinical partners that uphold Tufts standards of quality and excellence throughout the clinical education training. The Tufts DPT clinical education curriculum offers integrated and full-time clinical experiences to maximize students' market readiness. The clinical education team aligns each program's curriculum with accreditation requirements while remaining student-centered and considering each student's professional goals and personal needs. We encourage you to review our clinical education plan.

Tufts DPT has been intentional about building a diverse community of learners and providing services to support our students. Support outside the classroom is an integral part of any educational process for student retention and success. Given the accelerated curriculum and distance learning, student professional growth and emotional support are vitally important. The confluence of the academic coaching or learning communities, the Office of Student Services, and Talk One2One counseling services help address each student's individual needs at the program, institution, and community level. These relationships and services demonstrate a commitment to addressing our students' diverse retention and remediation needs.

At Tufts, we value student-centered learning with a commitment to quality education. Tufts DPT faculty are readily accessible to meet with students to assist in course work and career planning. They are focused on student growth and serve as an added pillar of support, walking together with students along the journey of academic and professional growth.

Conveniently, Tufts University offers two DPT programs located in Boston and Phoenix.

Our programs offer flexibility for students to live anywhere in the country so long as they can travel to their program’s location for intensive, hands-on clinical skills training experiences. Tufts DPT uses best practices for face-to-face live class sessions and engaging virtual learning strategies. The onsite clinical skill labs are engaging, dynamic, and energetic. Students enjoy larger group collaboration and intimate 10:1 student to faculty ratios to ensure they receive the feedback that is critical to hands-on learning. Tufts DPT curriculum includes a service-learning project and interprofessional educational activities with other Tufts School of Medicine programs.