School of Health & Human Sciences
Graduate Programs
Physical Therapy
Doctor of Physical Therapy
To be eligible to apply for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, you need to meet the following requirements. All prerequisite courses must be at least three credit hours and be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or higher. All science courses must be at a level for science majors and include a lab.
- Completed—or will complete—a bachelor’s degree in any major from a regionally-accredited institution
- Earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 and a math/science prerequisite of 3.2
- Completed all prerequisites with a maximum of two outstanding courses by the application deadline
- Statistics* (must include a study of descriptive and inferential statistics)
- Human anatomy* (one semester with lab, OR Human Anatomy & Physiology I with lab)
- Human physiology* (one semester, lab preferred OR Human Anatomy & Physiology II with lab)
- General Chemistry* (two semesters with labs that are inorganic focused)
- General Physics* (two semesters with labs)
- Introductory Psychology
- Human Lifespan Development course (must include the study of development from birth to death; more than one course may be required)
- Completed observation of a physical therapist for a minimum of 40 hours is required. These 40 hours are preferably performed in two different physical locations with a variety of patient types in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Ideally, 20-plus hours would be performed in each of the two settings. However, a minimum of 40 hours performed in any setting will be accepted.
Curriculum Requirements
Year 1 (summer) | 8 credits
- OCTH-T 570 Introduction to Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 890 Functional Client Factors for Occupational Therapy (5 credits)
Year 1 (fall) | 15 credits
- OCTH-T 541: Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy Practice (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 557: Group Process and Professional Communication in OT (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 561: Theory and Reasoning in OT (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 590: Fieldwork Level I A (1 credit)
- OCTH-T 671: Biomechanics of Human Occupation (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 767: Evidence-Based Decision Making in OT (3 credits)
Year 1 (spring) | 17 credits
- OCTH-T 544: OT Practice: Rehabilitation, Disability, and Participation (4 credits)
- OCTH-T 549: Case-based seminar I (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 559: Measurement & Assessment in OT (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 567: Applied Research in OT (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 591: Fieldwork Level I B (1 credit)
- OCTH-T 643: OT Practice: Children & Youth (4 credits)
Year 2 (summer) | 6 credits
- OCTH-T 545: OT in Health Promotion & Chronic Conditions (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 651: Doctoral Capstone Seminar I: Project development (1 credit)
- OCTH-T 762: OT as Health & Academic Educator (2 credits)
Year 2 (fall) | 12 credits
- OCTH-T 655: Technology in OT (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 663: Community-Based and Population Focused Practice in OT (3 credits)
- OCTH-T 675: Translational Neuroscience (5 credits)
- OCTH-T 748: Trauma Informed Practice in OT (1 credit)
Year 2 (spring) | 16 credits
- OCTH-T 543: OT Practice: Mental Health (4 credits)
- OCTH-T 645: OT Practice: Older Adults (4 credits)
- OCTH-T 649: Case-based seminar II (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 650: Orthotics & Physical Agent Modalities in OT (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 661: OT in Team Based Care (1 credit)
- OCTH-T 690: Fieldwork Level I C (1 credit)
- OCTH-T 780: Doctoral Capstone Seminar II: Needs Assessment (2 credits)
Year 3 (summer) | 6 credits
- OCTH-T 795: Fieldwork Level II A (6 credits)
- OCTH-T 781: Doctoral Capstone Seminar III: Plan Development (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 796: Fieldwork Level II B (6 credits)
- OCTH-T 860: Leadership, Advocacy & Ethics in OT (5 credits)
- OCTH-T 881-884 Advanced Topics in OT elective courses (2 credits each)
- Students will choose two elective courses to take.
- OCTH-T 881: ADVANCED TOPICS IN OT: HAND/UPPER EXTREMITY REHABILITATION (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 882: ADVANCED TOPICS IN OT: PEDIATRICS (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 883: ADVANCED TOPICS IN OT: NEUROREHABILITATION (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 884: ADVANCED TOPICS IN OT: SEXUALITY IN OT REHAB (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 885: ADVANCED ELECTIVE IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: OT IN WOMEN'S HEALTH (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 886: ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 887: ADVANCED TOPICS IN OT: PRACTICING TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 889: ADVANCED TOPICS IN OT: OT IN ACUTE CARE/ICU (2 credits)
Year 3 (spring) | 9 credits
OCTH-T 830:- Leadership Seminar & Capstone Project (2 credits)
- OCTH-T 880: Doctoral Capstone Experience (7) (14 weeks)
The doctoral capstone experience
The doctoral capstone is the final stage in your journey to earning your doctoral degree. You will be immersed in a 14-week experience at a community site of your choosing. The purpose is to develop in-depth knowledge related to occupational practice and prepare you for your career. During the 14-week period, you will collaborate with a community partner to create a meaningful, evidence-based project.
The two key factors of the capstone are the experience you gain at the community site and the project which you develop with the community partner.
Year 2 | semester 1 (Y2 summer)
- Introduction to the capstone process
- Explore populations and needs of the community
- Identify your interests, values, and identity in order to begin the site matching process
Year 2 | Semester 2 (Y2 spring)
- Match with both a site and a mentor
- Prepare and analyze a needs assessment in collaboration with the site, leading to your capstone purpose and development of an evidence-based capstone project
Year 3 | Semester 3 (Y3 spring)
- Gain in-depth knowledge in your focus area by being on-site for 14 weeks
- Complete, analyze, and disseminate your capstone project
Postprofessional OTD
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to apply for the PPOTD program, you need to meet the following requirements:
- Completed entry-level occupational therapy education from an accredited institution; accreditation should be provided by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) in the United States or by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) if international.
- Completed a master’s degree in any academic field. A master's in OT fulfills both degree requirements.
- Earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale within the master’s degree program.
- Currently hold occupational therapy licensure in the United States. International applicants must currently have or meet the requirements for licensure by the WFOT.
- Completed at least 18 months of clinical practice as an OT practitioner at the time of application.
Admissions will be determined based on the following criteria:
- Leadership potential, assessed through CV or resume, personal statement, and admissions interview.
- Ability to engage in advanced graduate work, assessed through letters of reference and GPA of prior graduate-level coursework.
Curriculum Requirements
The 12-month plan of study for the IU postprofessional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (PPOTD) is online except two required on-campus capstone sessions (fall capstone preparation retreat and the spring capstone pre-defense meeting). All courses must be completed in order to earn the degree.
Semester 1 (fall) | 11 credits
- OCTH-T 721 Leadership & Advocacy (3 cr.)
- OCTH-T 750 Advanced Practice Capstone Project Proposal (2 cr.)
- OCTH-T 755 Teaching in Occupational and Rehabilitation Sciences (3 cr.)
- OCTH-T 764 Planning & Evaluation (3 cr.)
Semester 2 (spring) | 10 credits
- OCTH-T 765 Introduction to Dissemination & Implementation Science (3 cr.)
- OCTH-T 770 Introduction to Community Engaged Health Research in Occupational Therapy (3 cr.)
- OCTH-T 790 Advanced Practice Capstone Project Plan (4 cr.)
Semester 3 (summer) | 9 credits
- OCTH-T 760 Current Issues in Occupational Therapy (3 cr.)
- OCTH-T 840 Self Directed Unit of Study (3 cr.)
- OCTH-T 850 Advanced Practice Capstone Project Completion & Presentation (3 cr.)
