Doctor of Physical Therapy accreditation

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Northern Arizona University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org.

Mission

To create transformational educational experiences and empower graduates to provide person-centered value-based care to improve the health and quality of life for those they serve.

Vision

To ignite and lead the transformation of physical therapy education.

Program cost and financial information

Once you are accepted into the DPT program, a variety of scholarships, tuition waivers, and student loans may be available to you. The actual amount of scholarship money that is available each year varies. Additional information regarding financial assistance may be obtained from the NAU Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

Curriculum and progression

Year 1

Semester 1 (Fall)

• Contemporary PT Practice 1
• Movement Sciences 1
• Patient Management 1
• Residential PT Immersion 1
• Capstone

Semester 2 (Spring)

• Contemporary PT Practice 2
• Movement Science 2
• Patient Management 2
• Capstone

Semester 3 (Summer)

• Movement Science 3
• Patient Management 3
• Capstone

Year 2

Semester 4 (Fall)

• Clinical Education Experience 1 (8 weeks)
• Patient Management 4
• Capstone

Semester 5 (Spring)

• Clinical Education Experience 2 (12 weeks)
• Contemporary PT Practice 3
• Patient Management 5
• Capstone

Semester 6

• Clinical Education Experience 3 (12 weeks)
• Capstone

Degree total credits: 90

Program outcomes

Flagstaff Mountain Campus two-year average

Graduation rate for Class of 2023 and 2024	98%
Class of 2023 and 2024 first-time pass rate	81%
Class of 2023 and 2024 ultimate pass rate	97%
Class of 2022 and 2023 employee rate	100%

Phoenix Bioscience Core two-year average

Graduation rate for Class of 2023 and 2024	97%
Class of 2023 and 2024 first-time pass rate	89%
Class of 2023 and 2024 ultimate pass rate	100%
Class of 2022 and 2023 employment rate	100%

NAU DPT state licensure information

The program has determined that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure or certification in all states, the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands secondary to its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, based on the following:

CAPTE accreditation of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant program satisfies state educational requirements in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thus, students graduating from CAPTE-accredited physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For more information regarding state qualifications and licensure requirements, refer to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.

Visit the full listing of NAU’s Professional licensure by state.

Application process

The NAU DPT Admissions Committee receives the PTCAS application and verifies NAU application requirements and reviews for a decision.

Admissions requirements

Applicants must adhere to all the following items below to process and review an application:

• Applicants must complete and submit a Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) application to NAU.
• Applicants must have completed a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or they must have a plan with in-progress coursework in PTCAS to complete the degree prior to starting the DPT Program. 
  • Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE®)
  • No minimum score requirement to apply.
  • No restriction on timeframe for when the GRE was taken.
  • Official GRE scores must be submitted by the applicant to PTCAS through the Educational Testing Service (ETS) using NAU's PTCAS GRE code of 7668. Follow the instructions and send your GRE general test scores from ETS to PTCAS.
• Casper Assessment ($66 fee)
  • Online situational judgment test that evaluates aspects of applicants' social intelligence and professionalism such as ethics, empathy, problem-solving, and collaboration.
  • Applicants complete the CASPER test outside of the PTCAS application. The CASPER test is required to be complete prior to application review by the NAU DPT program.
  • When registering to take the CASPER test, select and complete the CASPER assessment cycle that aligns with your PTCAS application cycle. Example: If you submit a PTCAS application for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, please select the CASPER assessment for the 2025-2026 cycle.
• Two letters of recommendation
  • At least one must be from a physical therapist.
  • The other must be from a physical therapist, professor, advisor, supervisor/employer, or health care professional.
• Prerequisite course requirements from a regionally accredited institution:
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • A grade of a C or better (a C- is not acceptable) in each prerequisite course.
  • Applicants are allowed to have a maximum of 3 prerequisite courses in progress at the time of application.
  • All prerequisites courses must be completed prior to starting the DPT program.

Courses	Semester hours	Quarter hours	NAU equivalent courses
General Chemistry I & II with labs*	8	12	CHM 151, CHM 151L, CHM 152, CHM 152L
General Physics I & II with labs*	8	12	PHY 111, PHY 112
Anatomy and Physiology I & II with labs OR one course in Anatomy with lab and one course in Physiology with lab	8	12	BIO 201, BIO 201L, BIO 202, BIO 202L
General Psychology	3	4.5	PSY 101
Statistics	3	4.5	EPS 525, PSY 230, STA 270

*The chemistry and physics courses must be a two-semester, eight credit-hour or equivalent course sequence. A course sequence is a correlated pair of courses offering in-depth coverage of a specific field and must be at a level such that the courses would be acceptable as prerequisites to advance toward a baccalaureate degree in that discipline. The sequence may be 3 courses at a quarter-based institution.

Additional requirements

Citizenship types eligible to apply for Residential DPT Program

U.S. citizens, permanent resident of the U.S., Canadian citizen, Foreign (non-U.S.) citizen with a visa.

• Send WES foreign evaluation for Canadian courses to PTCAS.
• Send WES foreign transcripts evaluation to PTCAS (recommended).
• English translation required for original foreign transcripts. Non-US citizens must attend the Flagstaff campus. Transcripts must also be submitted with supplemental application to the Northern Arizona University Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. Do not send transcripts to the physical therapy program unless directed to do so.

International students

• The Northern Arizona University Doctor of Physical Therapy Program accepts international students. We do not accept transfer credits from other programs. Please visit the NAU Office of Graduate and Professional Studies international graduate admissions page for more information and requirements.

To secure acceptance or accept with conditions

Applicants offered a program seat must:

• Confirm offer decision no later than 6 calendar days of the offer letter sent date.
• Complete and submit a NAU Office of Graduate and Professional Studies Application no later than 13 calendar days from the offer letter sent date ($75 fee).
• A non-refundable enrollment deposit must be received by NAU's DPT Admissions Committee no later than 20 calendar days from the offer letter sent date. The non-refundable deposit is applied to submitting student's first semester tuition.
• Submit measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) immunization documentation to Campus Health Services (CHS) no later than 27 calendar days from the offer letter sent date.

Applicants accepted with conditions must complete the following prior to the start of the DPT program, or they will be administratively withdrawn:

• Submit proof of a conferred Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Official transcripts must be sent to NAU's Office of Graduate and Professional Studies Admissions confirming award of a Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution no later than July 10th of the matriculation year.
• Submit proof all prerequisite courses received a grade of C or better (C- or lower not accepted) with a cumulative prerequisites GPA of 3.0 out of a 4.0 scale achieved. Posting of finished outstanding coursework in PTCAS is required no later than the end of the Academic Update period.

Enrolled students will be responsible for the cost and completion of health and safety requirements. Further detail is provided to students during the admissions process and within the program.

• There are potential additional requirements students may be responsible for by clinical sites.
• Applicants must have and maintain the statutory requirements that will be needed for licensure. While requirements vary from state to state, the NAU DPT programs require that students meet background clearance requirements of the State of Arizona to permit their participation in clinical experiences in AZ as part of the program. Applicants must be able to obtain a LEVEL 1 Fingerprint Clearance card from the state of AZ. For more information, please review the Arizona Statute. A criminal background check may also be requested depending on clinical site requirements or probable cause.

There are potential additional requirements students may be responsible for by clinical sites. The clinical education experiences require travel to the clinical site and the student is responsible for their lodging and associated living costs.

Transfer of Credit Policy

Transfer credits are not accepted by the NAU DPT Program. The entire DPT Program of Study must be completed at NAU.