The Hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy (Hybrid DPT) Program at MUSC

We are dedicated to your success from day one. Our innovative coaching model is designed to foster a supportive and collaborative community, ensuring that you feel connected and valued from the start. When you secure your spot, you will be paired with a dedicated faculty coach who will support you throughout your educational journey.

Your faculty coach is there to celebrate your achievements and help you navigate academic and personal challenges. Our intentional matching process ensures you form a meaningful, personal connection with your faculty coach and fellow students within the same coaching group. This close-knit community becomes your support system helping cultivate a strong sense of belonging and empowering you to thrive. Your faculty coach meets with you both formally and informally, individually and in groups, to provide you continuous encouragement and guidance throughout your time in the program.

Using our cutting-edge MUSC learning platform, our passionate professors engage students in lively discussions through interactive presentations, videos, and real-world case studies, fostering a collaborative learning environment despite the physical distance. With real-time interaction and small group activities, students will feel connected to their faculty and classmates, making the most of every learning opportunity.

Beyond the classroom, we encourage students to engage in extracurricular and community outreach initiatives within their local communities. Whether students volunteer at local clinics, participate in faculty-led research projects, or participate in advocacy efforts, they'll have ample opportunities to enrich their educational experience and make a meaningful impact.

Twice each semester, you’ll visit our vibrant Charleston, SC MUSC campus for 6-12 days of immersive, hands-on clinical lab experiences. Under the guidance of our expert faculty and skilled lab instructors, you will engage in dynamic activities that include developing clinical reasoning skills, practicing examination and assessment techniques, prescribing and adapting therapeutic exercises, and solving complex problems through simulated cases and patient encounters. Our expansive 21,000-square-foot clinical hybrid lab space is designed to provide a spacious, beautiful, and conducive learning environment explicitly tailored for hybrid students.

Our state-of-the-art clinical lab spaces enhance lab activities. Access to three modern buildings, equipped with classrooms, clinical skill laboratories, an anatomy lab, and a simulation center within the library, enrich the educational experience at MUSC. The college’s research facilities include biomechanics/motion analysis labs, an exercise physiology lab, a neuromuscular performance lab, and a transcranial stimulation lab.

The hybrid-lab campus is located in downtown Charleston, close to The Citadel and College of Charleston campuses. MUSC provides an ideal setting for academic medical education and personal growth. Charleston, a rapidly growing port city on the Atlantic coast, consistently ranks among the best small cities in America. The location's favorable climate and numerous cultural, sporting, and entertainment events make it attractive for people of all ages and backgrounds, offering a perfect blend of historical charm, architecture, arts, beautiful beaches, and fine dining when traveling to lab immersions. 

The Doctor of Physical Therapy at the Medical University of South Carolina is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 843-792-3326 or email chp-recruit@musc.edu.

For questions or concerns about the program's accreditation or to make any reports to CAPTE, please visit their site.

This accreditation means that our degree program meets or exceeds established national standards for a professional program leading to the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Whereas accreditation applies to training programs, licensure applies to individuals. Our program prepares students for and makes them eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE), which all individuals must pass in order to practice physical therapy. Passing the licensure exam is necessary, but it may not be sufficient to practice physical therapy in a given state. You can find additional requirements for practicing physical therapy in each state at the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.