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Department History
The Physical Therapy program at Fresno State University has 30+ years experience transitioning from a BS degree (1973) program to MPT program in 1993. In 1997, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education granted accreditation for a 3 year Masters in Physical Therapy. In 2000, the Department of Physical Therapy proposed a revised two-year 68 unit MPT degree program. In addition the program proposed a 124-unit B.S. degree with a pre-Physical Therapy option, which incorporated the prerequisites coursework for the MPT program. These changes enabled the program to develop and identify a larger undergraduate applicant pool, streamline the student's preparation and completion of the MPT program, and bring our program in line with current Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) requirements for post-baccalaureate professional education in Physical Therapy. The proposed changes enable students entering CSUF as a freshman to complete an MPT degree in 6 years. The 2 year MPT degree program is designed to articulate with a baccalaureate degree in the Pre-PT Option Interdisciplinary Health and Rehabilitation degree. Today, after 9 years of graduate education at the Master's level, the Department of Physical Therapy is offering a professional joint Doctor of Physical Therapy with the University of California, San Francisco. Similar to the transition from the baccalaureate degree to the master's degree, our graduates will be better prepared to carry out their unique roles in the profession of Physical Therapy. In response to the changes in health care and increased responsibilities for practicing physical therapists, Fresno State University will be the second public university to offer the joint professional DPT in California.