• Doctor of Physical Therapy (click here for more detailed information) 

Welcome to the website for the Division of Physical Therapy at MUSC, the home of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program.  The program at MUSC has been educating physical therapists and providing post-professional education opportunities for physical therapists since the early 1970’s.  The program has an outstanding group of faculty and students who strive towards excellence.  The faculty of the program teach, perform scientific inquiry, and provide service to the university, community, and the profession.  Many of the faculty are involved with clinical practice.  We have full-time or adjunct faculty who are board certified in cardiopulmonary, neurological, pediatric, and orthopaedic physical therapy.  The faculty are passionate about physical therapy and providing an outstanding educational experience for the students in the program by working diligently to enable each and every student to maximize their potential to become a successful Doctor of Physical Therapy.  To achieve this, the administration, faculty and current students strive to create a warm and welcoming environment for all.  The program not only emphasizes classroom and laboratory activities that are evidence-based; but professional and personal development, and service are common threads throughout the learning experience.

The DPT curriculum is three years in length, beginning in May of each year.   The curriculum emphasizes the foundation sciences in the first year, with clinical courses beginning the second semester of the first year.  Clinical rotations are placed during the second and third years of the curriculum.  Extensive use is made of instructional technology, with the classrooms equipped with state of the art educational technology.  Students practice clinical skills on each other, on volunteer patients, and in the clinical setting under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist.  The majority of the clinical instructors during full-time clinical rotations are credentialed clinical instructors, and many are Board Certified Clinical Specialists.  Along with the core faculty, instructors are brought in from across the country to offer outstanding educational experiences in their areas of expertise.  

Graduates from the program have expressed great satisfaction with their education and are proud to be a part of the MUSC PT program family.  Graduates have gone on to assume leadership positions in the profession, complete clinical residencies, receive specialization board certification, and have very productive careers in physical therapy. 

As you explore your professional career interests, I invite you to review our mission and to further investigate the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at MUSC.  If you feel you are ready to help us achieve our mission as a member of our program, we encourage you to apply to become part of the DPT program at MUSC.

Division of Physical Therapy, College of Health Professions - Mission Statement

The mission of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Division of Physical Therapy is to prepare autonomous, compassionate, competent, and ethical entry-level physical therapy practitioners who are able to evaluate and utilize scientific literature in order to provide competent patient / client management, with sensitivity to diversity and culture.   We seek to improve the health of the citizens of South Carolina and beyond by emphasizing health promotion, prevention, and the restoration and maintenance of optimal physical function across the curriculum.  The Division promotes advancement in the areas of physical therapy education, scholarship, and service, and supports interprofessional activities in these areas.

Program Goals in Support of the Mission:

1. Prepare compassionate, competent, and ethical entry-level physical therapists, who are sensitive to diversity and culture.
2. Prepare graduates with the skills necessary for autonomous practice
3. Prepare graduates who are able to evaluate and use scientific literature, and who are life-long learners and critical consumers of the literature.
4. Prepare graduates to provide competent patient care and management 
5. Prepare graduates who will improve the health of SC citizens by restoring and maintaining optimal physical function, health promotion, prevention.
6. Facilitate the training of physical therapists for evidence-based and specialty clinical practice.
7. Develop a faculty that promotes the advancement of physical therapy education through sound education principles and professional development, including the use of contemporary educational technology.
8. Develop a faculty to promote the advancement of scholarship.
9. Prepare graduates who promote the advancement of service.
10. Support intraprofessional and interprofessional activities in education, scholarship, and service.

David Morrisette, PT, PhD, OCS Certified Athletic Trainer, Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists Interim Director and Associate Professor Division of Physical Therapy College of Health Professions Medical University of South Carolina 151 B Rutledge Ave Charleston, SC 29425 Phone: (843) 792-2961 Fax: (843) 792-0710 Email: morrisdc@musc.edu

For more information, please contact:

Susan Johnson Student Services Program Coordinator College of Health Professions 151-B Rutledge Avenue, MSC 962 Charleston, SC 29425-9620 Phone: (843) 792-5377 Fax: (843) 792-0710 E-mail: johnsoss@musc.edu