Doctor of Physical Therapy/Master of Public Health Dual Degree

This dual-degree program prepares physical therapists for careers as leaders who will span the boundaries between physical therapy and public health. Graduates from the program will:

Be high-quality, public health-oriented practitioners for people and communities with potential or existing movement dysfunction
Contribute to the knowledge base in population health through nationally recognized research
Drive efforts to improve population health and reduce health disparities.

Curriculum

Students complete coursework and clinical requirements to satisfy the requirements for both degrees. DPT courses are scheduled during the day, while MPH courses are offered in the evenings. Students begin MPH coursework the summer before matriculation into the DPT program and then take one or two MPH courses each term along with the regular DPT courseload. The required professional experiences for each degree coordinate so that MPH applied practice and culminating experiences coincide and complement DPT clinical education and the synthesis research project. Students will work closely with their faculty adviser to plan coursework, applied practice experience and culminating experience to complete both programs in three years.

Year 1

Term	DPT Courses	MPH Courses
Summer (Year 0)	None	Introduction to Epidemiology Introduction to Biostatistics Environmental Health Science Qualitative Research Methods
Fall	DPT Coursework	Foundations of Public Health I Topics in Public Health for the Physical Therapist
Winter	DPT Coursework	Foundations of Public Health II Topics in Public Health for the Physical Therapist
Spring	DPT Coursework	Foundations of Public Health III Topics in Public Health for the Physical Therapist
Summer	Clinical Experience 1	Public Health Elective

Year 2

Term	DPT Courses	MPH Courses
Fall	DPT Coursework	Intermediate Biostatistics Topics in Public Health for the Physical Therapist
Winter	DPT Coursework	Introduction to the US Healthcare System Topics in Public Health for the Physical Therapist
Spring	Clinical Experience 2	None
Summer	DPT Coursework	Topics in Public Health for the Physical Therapist 2 Electives

Year 3

Term	DPT Courses	MPH Courses
Fall	Clinical Experience 3	Applied Practice Experience in Public Health Topics in Public Health for the Physical Therapist
Winter	Clinical Experience 4	Culminating Experience in Public Health
Spring	Graduate	Graduate

How to Apply

Interested applicants must first receive an admission offer for the DPT program, made on a rolling basis between early October and early December.

Once admitted, students must apply to the Master of Public Health program via The Graduate School, submitting the following online by the May 1st, application deadline:

A personal statement (one to two pages, single-spaced) on how the MPH degree will impact their physical therapy education and future career goals
Two references: One may be a reference used for the DPT application (the individual will be required to submit their reference again via TGS application); the second should be a different individual from the DPT application who is able to address the applicant's ability to succeed in a dual-degree program and/or to become a leader in the field of public health

Only applicants admitted during the current DPT admission cycle will be considered for the DPT/MPH track; if the dual-degree application is submitted in error, application fees will not be refunded.

Financial Aid

A benefit of the dual-degree program is the cost-effective method for earning the MPH: Rather than full tuition for the MPH degree, students only pay a surcharge added to their DPT program tuition. The current surcharge rate for DPT/MPH students is $14,678 per academic year.

Contact Us

Complete our information request form to get in touch and find out more about the DPT/MPH program.