Program Overview
The Department of Physical Therapy offers an entry-level Doctorate of Physical Therapy* (DPT) degree. The program is a 3-year, 9-semester full-time, graduate program that will prepare graduates to be competent and compassionate licensed physical therapists working toward optimizing health and physical function across South Texas and beyond. Students will engage in didactic and hands-on experiences to develop the knowledge and skills to master the evaluation and treatment of people impacted by injury and disease across the spectrum of physical therapy practice including those with musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiopulmonary, and multisystem disorders. Under the guidance and mentorship of expert faculty, students will work individually and collectively to develop and hone their evaluative skills, clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and application of evidence-based practice to practice in a complex and dynamic healthcare system.
Students will master clinical excellence through the development of original research projects, interprofessional collaboration, and multiple hands-on clinical experiences. Graduates will enter the workforce with the skills and knowledge to practice in clinical, research, and academic environments and rapidly become leaders in the profession as clinicians, scientists, and advocates. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) coursework is based on the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) Standards for an entry-level doctoral program.
The first class for the program will start in June 2025. Graduates from the first graduating class will be eligible to sit for the licensure examination in the summer of 2028. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy typically offers test dates in January, April, July and October each year.
Applications Instructions
STEP 1: Submit a completed PTCAS application by October 31st.
STEP 2: Submit the non-refundable UTRGV graduate application fee to process your application to UTRGV. The fee is $50 for domestic applicants and $100 for international applicants. You will receive an email from gradadmissions@utrgv.edu with payment instructions. Payment can be made online using a credit card or electronic check.
Possible Career Options
Graduate Application Deadlines
Graduate Program Coordinators
Cost of Attendance
The healthy environment of UTRGV is what I like the most. Here both the faculty and students not only seek to improve each day but also enthusiastically support those who seek to improve and learn.
Accreditation Information
* Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states. Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT; www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT's website.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, on 1 November, 2024. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.