4 Best Online DPT Programs In Florida

Practicing physical therapists in Florida with only a master’s degree can enroll in one of the online DPT programs in Florida to broaden their skills and knowledge and advance their careers without disrupting their current workflow. This blog post will guide you on how to achieve this.

DPT stands for Doctor of Physical Therapy, it is a more advanced degree program in physiotherapy that equips you with an advanced skillset that you can apply in your daily practice. The degree will teach you the latest techniques, as well as practices, that will help you better improve the lives of the people you treat.

To earn this degree, you must enroll in an accredited DPT program and complete the required coursework which may include clinical rotations so that you can effectively gain new hands-on skills that you can then apply to your patients.

There are two different tracks to earn a DPT degree; the traditional track takes 3 years for a licensed PT to complete or 7 years from a freshman and then the accelerated PT track takes 2 years for a licensed PT to complete or 6 years from a freshman.

This simply means that if you already have a bachelor’s or master’s degree and are a licensed physical therapist who wants to advance your career, then the traditional DPT track will take you 3 years to complete while the accelerated DPT track will take you 2 years to complete.

But if you just graduated high school and want to become a physiotherapist, the traditional track will take you 7 years while the accelerated track will take you 6 years to complete. And at the end of your program, you will earn both a bachelor’s degree and a DPT degree at the same time. Get your license and begin practicing.

Now, for those already practicing – who this blog post is actually meant for – there are three different study formats to earn your DPT degree. You can either take a transitional DPT program online or enroll on-campus or take a hybrid DPT program which is a combination of online and on-campus instruction. You can only use one of these formats to earn your DPT degree.

I recently published an article on 2-year DPT programs you can find online and offline which are offered by various universities across the US. However, this blog post is targeted to only the online DPT programs in Florida. So that practicing physical therapists in Florida looking for a DPT program online can find one that meets the requirements of the state.

You can also enroll in the program even if you are not in Florida, it is online after all which means you can take it from any part of the world. However, even though the program says it is “100% online” you must still come to the campus multiple times in a semester for necessary on-campus instructions.

online DPT programs in Florida

Best Online DPT Programs In Florida

Here are the best online DPT programs you will find in Florida:

  • Transitional DPT Program – Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy – Florida Southern College
  • Professional DPT – NSU Florida
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy Flex Program – The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

1.     Transitional DPT Program – Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)

FGCU is ranked among the most affordable online colleges for a Doctor of Physical Therapy by Guide to Online Schools. The program enrolls licensed physiotherapists with an accredited bachelor’s or master’s degree in Florida. The cost of the program is $532.78 per credit hour.

Link to Program

2.     Doctor of Physical Therapy – Florida Southern College

The DPT program at Florida Southern College is one of the best in the state as it equips entry-level physiotherapists with advanced skills that can bring a positive impact on their patients and their communities. The program consists of 108 credit hours and can be completed in 2 and a half years.

Link to Program

3.     Professional DPT – NSU Florida

The Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences at Nova Southeastern University, Florida is offering an innovative professional Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The program combines on-campus instructions with online teaching to make it flexible for learners.

To apply for the program, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with a minimum of 3.0 CGPA, submit 3 letters of recommendation, a GRE test score, a minimum of 3.0 prerequisite GPA, and a minimum of 3.0 science and math GPA.

Link to Program

4.     Doctor of Physical Therapy Flex Program – The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

The DPT program at the University of St. Augustine has two formats; Residential and Flex. The Flex program is our of focus because it is online while the residential is on-campus. Although the Flex program also has in-person lab work you only need to come to the campus for that. All other coursework is done online.

The Flex DPTT consists of 131 credit hours and 12 trimesters that take 4 years to complete.

Link to Program

Unfortunately, there aren’t many online DPT programs in Florida as the majority of them are offered on-campus. You can also look them up and plan them to fit into your schedule.

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