Doctor of Physical Therapy

Mission
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Samuel Merritt University prepares graduates to provide highly skilled, compassionate, person-centered care using evidence-informed practice to positively transform society and the experience of care in diverse communities and evolving systems. We are dedicated to advancing physical therapy through a life-long commitment to learning, critically reflective practice, scholarship, service, and socially responsible advocacy for patients, their support networks, the public, and the profession.

Vision
We envision a future where reflective practitioners shape a diverse, inclusive profession that champions excellence, reimagines systems, and dismantles health inequities. 

Learning Outcomes
Samuel Merritt University DPT graduates are prepared to:

• Competently provide physical therapy for individuals with movement dysfunction across the life span in the most common practice settings.
• Use sound clinical reasoning to guide physical therapist practice by integrating best available evidence from the literature, clinical experience, and patient/client’s perspectives and values.
• Provide person-centered physical therapy with compassion, caring, and humility.
• Integrate an understanding of structural and social determinants of health into their practice.
• Engage in critical reflection to learn from practice.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively as members of interprofessional teams.
• Participate in disease prevention, health promotion, and wellness services for the care of self, individuals, and groups.
• Promote the profession through participation in professional associations, service to the community, and socially responsible advocacy for patients, their support networks, and the public.
• Act with sound reasoning, cultural humility, integrity, and courage to pursue just resolutions of ethical problems that affect individuals, systems, and society.
• Exhibit continuous professional development in behaviors, attitudes, and characteristics consistent with excellence in practice.
• Use data, information, and technology to support effective decision-making in complex and evolving systems.
   

At SMU, you will join a program and an interprofessional health sciences community made up of a diverse student body and faculty, all dedicated to transforming the experience of health and healthcare for diverse populations. You will have multiple opportunities for hands-on, active learning during the classroom portions of the curriculum. These innovative learning experiences occur early and often, building on your strengths and challenging your growth as you study to become a physical therapist.

Simulation-Based Learning
High integration of simulated and standardized patient immersive active learning experiences are strategically placed throughout our curriculum, starting early and continuing often, in order to situate learning in realistic clinical scenarios prior to full-time clinical education experiences. The DPT Program uses SMU’s accredited Health Sciences Simulation Center (HSSC) for many of these hands-on learning opportunities. Students have lab sessions in the HSSC training rooms to gain familiarity with hospital-based equipment such as hospital beds, gurneys, and patient lines/tubes that are common in hospital, emergency department, and critical care settings. Students have simulated or standardized patient interactions, where actors realistically portray patients, in every term of our program. Additionally, we use the HSSC for high-fidelity simulation experiences with simulation manikins, where students simulate work with critically ill patients and practice other hands-on skills. In small groups, students practice patient encounters in a realistic manner, review their interactions via live and recorded video/audio, and debrief discussing the experience with faculty and student observers to learn from their successes and mistakes. Explore SMU’s Health Sciences Simulation Center in more depth. 

Community Participant Labs
Opportunities for student learning enhancement through work with community members who have diagnosed neurologic conditions or symptomatic orthopedic conditions occur in multiple courses through the curriculum. Contribute to our community’s health as part of your course work. Learn more about Community Participant Labs at SMU.

Pro Bono Experiences
Our Pro Bono Experience course series provides students with the opportunity to work collaboratively with peers and faculty to provide pro bono services to underserved members of the local community. These courses are scheduled in each year of the curriculum. They provide students with supervised practice in applying and refining what they have learned in their academic courses before they go out on their full-time clinical experiences. Explore our Pro Bono Experiences in the SMU DPT program. 

Advanced Technology
At SMU, you will gain experience with electronic health records throughout the program while in the classroom setting to review simulated patient records, document patient interactions, or when exploring cases. Experience cutting-edge AI interfaces for remote therapeutic monitoring and clinician decision support with faculty engaged in this technology's development. Students learn real-time ultrasound technology to better visualize human anatomy and physiology in action in multiple courses to enhance their learning and understanding of human movement. Our students also get a deeper look at human motion at SMU’s Motion Analysis Research Center (MARC). Here, as part of their biomechanics courses, students use high-tech equipment to test, observe, and measure various aspects of gait, movement, and balance. Discover all the MARC has to offer students and their learning. 

Patient/Client Management Course Series
Students are immersed in the multiple patient populations and practice settings unique to physical therapist practice throughout the curriculum in this course series. This includes specific courses related to body systems (musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and pulmonary), life span (pediatrics course and geriatric threading through multiple courses), and special topics (including wounds, burns, prosthetics/amputation, and pelvic health). A unique Complexity in Care course uses simulation-based learning experiences to address management of complex situations and conditions in a variety of practice settings. Learning is focused on developing proficiency in movement observation, psychomotor skills, and clinical reasoning used in practice. Integration of current research into decision-making, along with understanding a patient’s unique biopsychosocial lived experience, results in evidence-informed practice. Each trimester’s Patient/Client Management courses build upon each other, while learning in one course is reinforced in other courses. 

Volunteer Opportunities
Not all learning happens in the classroom. Our students are active on campus and in the community. From on-campus clubs to involvement with the Global PT Day of Service, to professional activities of the California Physical Therapy Association, California Student Special Interest Group, and the American Physical Therapy Association's PT Moves Me campaign, SMU’s DPT students are engaged both locally and nationally.

At Samuel Merritt University (SMU) and in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, we believe in educating the next generation of rehabilitation professionals committed to working toward health equity. A student body that resembles our local community and can work with patients from different backgrounds is important to us. Our DPT program enrolls students who contribute to the growth in diversity of physical therapists in the U.S.

SMU figures are self-reported by entering students. The 2026 figures reflect the Fall 2026 entering class (N=57).

* Most recent aggregate DPT program data for percentage of students enrolled in programs by race/ethnicity. Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education report, updated April 17, 2025. Accessible at CAPTE aggregate program data.

Graduation, Employment & Licensure Rates

Graduation Rate
Average Rate of Most Recent Two Years     98.9%
Class of 2025     97.8%
Class of 2024     100%

Graduation rate is the percentage of students admitted to the DPT program who complete the program within 150 percent of program length as defined by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

Employment Rate
Average Rate of Most Recent Two Years     100%
Class of 2024     100%
Class of 2023     100%

Employment rate is the percentage of graduates who sought employment and were employed in physical therapy (full-time or part-time) within 1 year of graduation as defined by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) Pass Rates

First Time Pass Rate
Average Rate of the Most Recent Two Years: 82.6%

First Time Pass Rate            (National Average)
Class of 2026      89.2%        (88.3%)
Class of 2025      77.6%        (84.9%)
Class of 2024      79.1%        (85.2%)
 

Ultimate Pass Rate
Average Rate of the Most Recent Two Years: 93.0%

Ultimate Pass Rate              (National Average)
Class of 2026       89.2%      (91.1%)
Class of 2025       95.9%      (96.7%)
Class of 2024       97.7%      (98.4%)   
 

From the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, Samuel Merritt University, Basic Pass Rate Report, 8/20/2026.

The mission of Samuel Merritt University is to produce highly skilled and compassionate Doctors of Physical Therapy (DPT). Candidates must develop a robust foundational and applied sciences knowledge and requisite clinical skills, at a level deemed satisfactory by the faculty. Candidates must demonstrate appropriate application of knowledge and skills, effectively interpret information, and contribute to person-centered decisions across a broad spectrum of clinical situations in all settings.

Candidates with disabilities bring unique perspectives that contribute to the diversity of the candidate population and will create a diverse health care workforce of culturally competent practitioners who can meet the needs of their patients and clients. These requirements may be achieved with or without reasonable accommodations, the cost of which will be borne by the institution. These standards should not serve as a deterrent to any candidate with disabilities who desires to pursue education to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We welcome and value candidates with disabilities, and strive to ensure they feel supported, understood, and safe. 

Candidates with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center immediately to begin a confidential conversation about possible accommodations necessary to meet these standards and support learning. Fulfillment of the technical standards for graduation from the DPT program does not guarantee that a graduate will be able to fulfill the technical requirements or essential functions of any specific clinical position.

The DPT program has the responsibility to the public to assure that its graduates can become fully competent and caring physical therapists, capable of providing benefit and not doing harm. Therefore, the program is committed to admitting and graduating persons who demonstrate intelligence, integrity, compassion, humanitarian and social concern, and physical and emotional capacity adequately to perform the duties of a physical therapist who embodies and enacts professionalism in all interactions.

The following technical standards, in conjunction with the academic standards, are requirements for admission, promotion, and graduation. The term “candidate” refers to candidates for admission to the DPT program as well as current DPT students who are candidates for retention, promotion, and graduation.

Observational and Situational Awareness Skills

The candidate must demonstrate situational awareness, which includes the ability to perceive informational and environmental cues in real-time in order to work safely and effectively within the environment of care and assess the condition of the patient/client and changes in that condition. One major component of the practice of physical therapy is the assessment and management of movement disorders. Therefore, the candidate must have the ability to perceive movement patterns and identify abnormalities in movement.

A candidate must acquire information as presented through demonstrations and interactive learning experiences in foundational and applied sciences, and in courses where professional skills and abilities are taught. In addition, a candidate must be able to evaluate a patient or client and their environment accurately and assess relevant contextual cues. Candidates must be able to obtain and interpret information through comprehensive assessment of patients/clients, correctly interpret diagnostic representations of patient/client data, and accurately evaluate patient/client conditions and responses.

Communication Skills

Candidates must exhibit interpersonal skills to enable effective caregiving of patients and clients, including the ability to communicate effectively in English with all members of interprofessional healthcare teams, patients/clients, and their families in person and in writing. This information must be communicated effectively in a succinct yet comprehensive manner and in settings in which time available is limited. Candidates must be able to clearly and accurately record information and accurately interpret verbal and non-verbal communication. Communication includes the candidate’s ability to make a correct judgment in seeking supervision and consultation in a timely manner.

Patient/Client Care Skills

The candidate must have the ability, within reasonable limits, to safely assist a patient/client in moving. The candidate must also have the ability to move both their body and the patient/client in three-dimensional space in order to perform tests, measures, and interventions. A candidate must be able to perform or direct diagnostic procedures and therapeutic interventions, including the interpretation of movement patterns and interventions to improve movement abilities.

Additionally, the candidate must be able to ensure the physical safety of a patient/client at all times. A candidate must be able to provide or direct general care and emergency treatment for patients/clients and respond appropriately in a timely manner to emergency situations. Candidates must meet applicable safety standards for the environment and follow standard precautions.

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative, and Cognitive Skills

Candidates must be able to learn through a variety of modalities, including but not limited to: classroom instruction; laboratory instruction, including cadaver lab; small-group, team, and collaborative activities; individual study; preparation and presentation of reports; and use of computer technology. A candidate must effectively assimilate, understand, interpret and apply complex information and data to the clinical reasoning required to function within the DPT program curriculum. This includes, but is not limited to, the ability to: comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand spatial relationships of structures; effectively participate in individual, small-group, and lecture learning modalities in classroom, clinical, and community settings; learn, participate, collaborate, and contribute as a part of a team; synthesize information both in person and via remote technology; perceive and interpret causal relationships to make accurate, evidence-based conclusions; and formulate a hypothesis and investigate the potential answers and outcomes, integrate knowledge of psychosocial factors, and reach appropriate and accurate conclusions. A candidate must be able to find sources of information and knowledge, acquire knowledge through various modalities, and possess the ability to be a lifelong learner.

Behavioral Attributes, Social Skills, and Professional Expectations

A candidate must be able to exercise good judgment, promptly complete all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients/clients, and develop mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients/clients and caregivers, and other healthcare team members. The skills required to do so include the ability to effectively handle and manage heavy workloads, function effectively under stress, adapt to changing environments, display flexibility, demonstrate resiliency, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical care of patients and clients.

Candidates must be able to understand the basis and content of ethical physical therapist practice and demonstrate the professionalism required in such practice. They must possess attributes that include compassion, empathy, altruism, integrity, responsibility, and tolerance. Candidates also must demonstrate the ability to respect boundaries and care for all individuals in a respectful and effective manner regardless of gender identity, age, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other protected status.

Candidates must understand, and function within, the legal and ethical dimensions of the practice of physical therapy, and maintain and display ethical behavior commensurate with the role and responsibilities of a doctor of physical therapy in all interactions with patients/clients, faculty, staff, students, and the public. Candidates must preserve patient/client confidentiality and protect private information, and adhere to applicable laws, regulations, statutes, and policies.

Candidates must demonstrate the emotional stability to function effectively under stress and to adapt to an environment that may change rapidly without warning and/or in an unpredictable manner. Candidates must exhibit contextually appropriate interpersonal skills including the ability to provide, accept, and apply feedback in a professional manner.

Engagement and motivation throughout the educational process are expected of all candidates. Candidates must perform effectively in the presence of rigorous intellectual and emotional demands inherent in the DPT program, including both academic and clinical components that occur within set time constraints, and often concurrently. Candidates must maintain sufficient general good health and self-care in order not to jeopardize the health and safety of themselves and all those with whom they interact in the academic and clinical settings.