School of Public Health - Physical Therapy DPT

Physical Therapy DPT - Syllabus

PT 7095 Doctoral Project

Fall, 2006

Course CoordinatorS: Program Faculty

Office Hours: By Appointment

Credit Hours: 4

Lecture: Variable

OVERVIEW: The Doctoral Project is a major program requirement that serves as the capstone of a student’s academic work in the Program in Physical Therapy. Successful completion of the project generally requires planning, preparation, and execution beginning in the Summer semester of the second academic year through the Spring semester of the third year. Students select their project area from a number of faculty-sponsored offerings in the areas of clinical research, education, or service. Students may work in groups of up to three on a general project area, but a separate manuscript must be completed by each student that fully addresses a substantive aspect of the area. The project is presented and defended to faculty in an open format during the Spring semester of the third year.

DESCRIPTION: The Doctoral Project is a major academic requirement for the DPT degree in Physical Therapy. The project provides evidence of the ability of a student to integrate information gained over the entire curriculum, focused on a particular area of physical therapy service.

To fulfill the requirements for the Doctoral Project, students will identify an area of focus during the Spring semester of the first year of study. It is expected that some of these projects will evolve from the Community Service Project and others from faculty research. However, projects may also be generated from topics discussed in course work, from volunteer activities, and from personal interests. For projects not offered by the faculty, students need to show the feasibility of the project and identify a faculty advisor willing to sponsor the project. Students will formerly propose their Doctoral Project in the Summer semester of year two, and carry out their project from that semester through the Fall semester of year three. In Professional Practice III (Fall semester, year three) students will report on the progress of their projects, discuss their projects with their classmates in a seminar format, and work on the writing of their manuscript. Students may work in groups of no more than three for certain topics, but will be required to independently produce and defend a manuscript that reflects their work. The manuscript will be due by April of the Spring semester of the third year.

The activities that underlie the Doctoral Project may include: educational activities, such as a teaching practicum or the planning and implementation of a continuing education program for practicing physical therapists; clinical research activities carried out with a faculty person or set of clinicians; or projects involving administration, political activity, or physical therapy/public health service delivery. The end products are an oral presentation and a manuscript that each reflect: 1) an insightful and well-written synopsis of the research or service activity the student has performed, 2) professional literature that supports the student’s rationale for carrying out the research project or service activity, and 3) a clear understanding of the relevance of the project to physical therapy service.

OBJECTIVES:

Learning objectives will be determined by respective students and faculty advisors.

EVALUATION:

Evaluation of the Doctoral Project will be carried out by the Faculty Advisor and a second reader who may be one of the program faculty, a faculty person from the School of Public Health, or an external reader. The project will be graded as Honors, Pass, or Not Acceptable. Acceptance of the Doctoral Project will be contingent on consensus of the faculty and the Dean of the School of Public Health. A Doctoral project that is not accepted will need to show appropriate modifications prior to resubmission.

TIMELINE:

Refer to ‘Class of 2008 Guidelines for the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Doctoral Project’

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