Physical therapy educators are concerned about the lack of validity of the annual US News and World Report (USN&WR) Assessment of Graduate Programs in Physical Therapy.  

As a result, the Education Section of the American Physical Therapy Association adopted the following position statement (available at http://www.aptaeducation.org/news.cfm#41 [1]):

Applicants should be aware that all physical therapist professional education programs in the US are subject to accreditation “standards that assure quality and continuous improvement in the entry-level preparation of physical therapists, and reflect the evolving nature of education, research, and practice.”  While the Education Section of APTA recognizes that there are proprietary organizations that rank physical therapist education programs, the profession encourages prospective students to provide their own comparisons through careful examination of information on program and APTA websites, and visits to the campuses to talk with enrolled students and program faculty.

Because we agree with this position, Samuel Merritt did not participate in the USN&WR Assessment of Graduate Programs in Physical Therapy.  As a result, it is our understanding that Samuel Merritt College will not be included in the USN&WR rankings because any program that does not participate in the survey is not ranked.

The Commission for Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) has standards for PT education and only programs that meet those standards are accredited by CAPTE. Samuel Merritt’s DPT program is accredited by CAPTE, and successfully meets those standards. 

The decision about which physical therapy program to attend is personal and based on the factors that are important to each person.  Physical therapy education programs in the United States represent a rich diversity in approaches to entry-level physical therapy education.  In addition to geography and size, we recommend that potential students consider the program and institution’s mission, philosophy, curriculum, learning outcomes, faculty expertise and other personal factors when selecting a program.

The American Physical Therapy Association website listing of physical therapy education programs [2] includes important data to help you select the best physical therapy program for you.

Information about Samuel Merritt’s DPT Program that you may find helpful in decision making and choosing a DPT program:

• Value and Cost of your DPT education at Samuel Merritt [3]
• Samuel Merritt’s Department of Physical Therapy Mission Statement [4]  
• Why choose DPT at Samuel Merritt? [5]
• Samuel Merritt DPT home page [6] (links to curriculum, tuition, faculty, admissions, etc.)