Doctor of Physical Therapy
The faculty of the Department of Physical Therapy at UT Southwestern School of Health Professions is committed to providing students with the highest quality of academic and clinical education, sufficient to attain licensure and yield graduate physical therapists who are autonomous clinical practitioners with a generalist background. Graduates from this Program will be prepared to assume leadership roles in rehabilitation services, prevention and health maintenance programs, and professional and community organizations.
The fundamental objective is to graduate students who will provide optimal physical therapy care for communities, groups, and individuals. To achieve the primary professional objective of facilitating the individual’s optimal function within the community, the physical therapist must master substantial breadth and depth of knowledge in the basic and applied sciences, incorporate critical thinking skills, exercise humility, demonstrate integrity and professional behaviors, and bridge theory with practice.
The graduate must be able to examine, evaluate, diagnose, prognose, and intervene accurately in the management of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities of the neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, and integumentary systems. School of Health Professions graduates should be capable of preservation and restoration of movement and physical function through evidence-based clinical practice, interdisciplinary research, and professional education. Of equal importance, our graduates focus on promoting health and wellness as a means for improving the quality of life of their patients and clients.