»Doctor of Physical Therapy

You will participate in research activities with faculty members including assignments based upon your interests and talents. During the program, you will complete a series of courses intended to develop the critical skills necessary to evaluate the evidence for physical therapy practice. You will have the opportunity to choose your level of participation in actual research projects.

The curriculum grid is a tool by which students can track their course load semester-by-semester over the entire three-year DPT program. Click here for full size version.

See the graduate catalog for course descriptions and other general program information. For information on how to apply to the program, visit our admissions section.

The Department of Physical Therapy is committed to providing accurate and reliable information regarding the successful student outcomes for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program.  Chapman University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the DPT program is also nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). 

As you search for the ideal education program, understanding the programs and their educational outcomes may provide important information to help with your decision making.  We have provided you with information regarding entering class information, as well as the licensure pass rate, employment rate, and graduation rates for recent graduates.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. 

      Chapman University DPT program has excellent licensure pass rates, historically exceeding both State and National average rates.  For the previous 5 years, overall, 100% of the DPT program graduates have successfully passed the licensure examination (see Table).  In addition, the content area scores demonstrated by Chapman DPT graduates are consistently higher than the US National Averages. 

For more information on the licensure pass rate for Chapman University DPT program, please feel free to examine our 2012 FSBPT report  from the Federation of States Board of Physical Therapy Examination or our 2012 FSBPT Content Area  report for comparison of Content Area Scores from Chapman University DPT graduates and US test takers. 

The Department of Physical Therapy at Chapman University annually surveys the graduates in part to determine how successful the search id for employment.  Using the definition of employment rate set by CAPTE [“the percent of graduates who were employed as PTs … within six months of passing the licensure examination], we are pleased to report that our graduates demonstrated a 100% employment rate.  In fact, over the past 5 years, our graduates have reported a 100% employment rate!

The number of students who matriculated is compared to the number that graduated for the DPT program at Chapman University over the past 3 years. is presented.  The three year average graduation rate is 87%. 

• American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)


• California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA)

• Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT)
• Physical Therapist.com


• Physical Therapy Board of California (PTB)

• World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT)