AIC Adds Doctorate In PT
SPRINGFIELD — Students entering the physical therapy profession will soon be able to earn a doctoral degree from American International College in Springfield.
The new degree, a doctor of physical therapy, is a six-year program with three years at the undergraduate level and three years in the professional phase. The undergraduate portion of the program begins in the fall of 2005, the graduate phase starts in 2008.
Currently AIC is one of only two area colleges offering a master’s degree in physical therapy.
Edward Swanson, director of the division of physical therapy at AIC, said the new degree is in keeping with the visions and needs of the profession. “The base of knowledge in physical therapy is so extensive, that a clinical doctoral degree is needed for students to master academic and clinical skills.”
Another reason for the doctoral program is the change in access to physical therapists. “Patients, in many cases, can have direct access to therapists without seeing another medical professional,” Swanson said. “A clinical doctoral degree is essential in order for physical therapists to correctly diagnose and treat patients.”
The doctoral program in physical therapy will prepare students for entry-level practice by providing professional coursework and clinical experiences. “By offering a doctoral program, it keeps the college on the cutting edge of the profession, both educationally and in practice,” according to Swanson.
The doctor of physical therapy program is the second doctoral program to be offered by AIC. In 1983, the college began offering a doctoral degree in educational psychology with a concentration in learning disabilities.
“For incoming freshman, the doctor of physical therapy is a six-year program with three years at the undergraduate phase and three years within the professional graduate phase of the program,” said Swanson. “Following the fourth year of successful coursework, the student is awarded a bachelor of science degree in interdepartmental science,” he said.