Doctor of Physical Therapy

The Tufts DPT Curriculum is a 2-year program that allows students to begin their professional practice early. Our 2-year evidence-based curriculum gives students from all over the country access to an online virtual classroom. The immersive clinical skills learning lab training sessions on the Tufts School of Medicine campus provide decision making and critical hands-on learning activities that physical therapists need to excel in the clinic.

Tufts DPT program the flexibility for students to live anywhere in the country so long as they can travel to Boston for eight intensive hands-on clinical skills lab training experiences. Tufts DPT uses best practices for face-to-face live class sessions and engaging virtual active learning strategies. The immersive skill training sessions that occur on campus are engaging, dynamic, and energy filled. Students enjoy a mix of larger group collaboration mixed with small 1:12 student to faculty ratios to ensure feedback provides critical hands-on learning. Tufts DPT curriculum is delivered across six academic semesters, including a service-learning project and interprofessional educational activities with other Tufts School of Medicine programs.

Tufts University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Tufts University awards baccalaureate, master, and doctoral degrees and comprises multiple colleges and schools, including the School of Medicine. Tufts is student-centered in its approach, dedicated to creating and applying knowledge, and has six libraries with more than one million volumes and multiple centers and institutes for research. At the institution, research is a top priority to Tufts University. It is a part of our mission and commitment to fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment where students and faculty work closely together.

Boston has a well-deserved reputation as an intellectual and medical hub. In large part, Boston's economy and reputation are derived from its advanced teaching and research facilities, including 100 colleges and universities within the Greater Boston Area. For our students and faculty, after class activities they can enjoy this city, which is filled with world-class museums, universities, theaters, and gourmet dining just minutes away in all directions. Boston offers a wide diversity of people, shopping opportunities, world-class museums, and four-star entertainment, food and drink. Downtown Boston is big enough to offer all the standard metropolitan activities but small enough to walk.

The skills and practice acquired in the gross anatomy course are essential to the whole medical school experience and offering students a quality learning environment is crucial. The contemporary human anatomy lab provides opportunities for DPT students to solidify learning. Simulation Education is increasingly focused on case-based scenarios, small group, and team-based learning. Simulation-based learning gives our students improved critical thinking and hands-on skills, sensitivity, and confidence. Onsite learning spaces allow for interprofessional collaboration, simulation-enhanced learning, and team-based learning integrated throughout the curriculum.

Tufts DPT faculty are not only excellent teachers, but they are clinicians and researchers. Many are Ph.D. trained and/or Board-Certified Clinical Specialists who bring their expertise to the classroom throughout our innovative curriculum. Faculty have been trained in the best practices for online teaching and learning, engaging learning activities, and virtual classrooms. Faculty are known for being approachable and knowledgeable, which is ideal for graduate-level learning. We encourage you to look at our faculty.

Tufts University values student-centered teaching 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 academic coaches to help ensure academic and professional success for every student in the program.

Tufts DPT faculty are regarded as leaders in their profession and strong contributors to the profession in teaching, research, clinical mentorship, and professional service. All of our Tufts DPT faculty are highly involved in the profession, APTA, and other professional associations.

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 ensure the Tufts quality and excellent standards throughout the clinical education training. Tufts DPT clinical education curriculum offers integrated and full-time clinical experiences to maximize students' market readiness. The clinical education team aligns our clinical education 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 program plan.

Tufts DPT has been intentional about building a diverse community of learners and providing services to support our students. Academic coaching is an integral part of any educational process for student retention and academic success. Academic coaching takes on greater significance in the DPT program, given the accelerated curriculum and distance learning. The confluence of the Academic Coaching, the Office of Student Services, and Talk One2One counseling services provides an environment that addresses 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.