DPT to Ph.D. Fast Track

Texas Woman’s University offers one of the few entry-level DPT to Ph.D. fast track programs in Texas, helping to meet the need for qualified physical therapy faculty.

It is expected that over the next five to ten years, physical therapy faculty from schools across the nation will enter retirement, leaving a demand for new faculty with both clinical skills and academic knowledge in order to prepare future PT professionals. To help meet this demand, TWU has developed a fast track Ph.D. program that includes:

• A three-plus-three year format for earning both the DPT and Ph.D. degrees
• Entry-level courses dedicated to projects related to proposal development, IRB approval or the collection of pilot data
• A final DPT clinical rotation (internship) that may be completed concurrently with an advanced practicum (required Ph.D. course) in research, scholarship or teaching (other Ph.D.-level courses also are available in the DPT program)
• A minimum of 38 credit hours for the Ph.D. program following the DPT degree
• Additional 90 post-baccalaureate semester credit hours for the Ph.D., which includes approved credits transferred from DPT coursework

Admission requirements

This program is only open to internal candidates currently enrolled in our entry-level DPT program. Current students may apply in either semester two or in semester five.

Program requirements

The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 60 semester credit hours beyond the master’s degree, including six semester credit hours for the dissertation. A full listing of required courses for graduation is available in the course catalog. 

In addition to the required coursework and research, there is also a residency requirement as well as a qualifying exam and an oral final exam.

Take the next step.

For additional information including how to apply, please contact:

• Dallas campus: Sharon Wang-Price, PhD
• Houston campus: Wayne Brewer, PhD