Examine the Curriculum

WesternU's DPT-Advanced program continues to grow in numbers via the recommendation of our alumni and students. Additionally, our graduates are in high demand and receive enthusiastic endorsements from their colleagues in the health-care community.

As a DPT-Advanced student, you will study via our web-based curriculum, which uses a cooperative learning approach allowing you to integrate your education with your current clinical practice.

Flexible Adult Learning
Our program is designed for adult learners who have life roles other than "student". The goal is to enhance your current clinical decision-making skills and knowledge while allowing you to maintain personal and professional commitments. In this program, you and your advisor will customize your program to meet the requirements of the doctoral degree.

Not sure if a doctoral degree will work into your schedule? Take a class before formally applying to the program to get a feel for what to expect. Should you enter the program at a later stage, that course can count toward your doctoral credit hours. Contact Mindie Moore for more information.

Web-Based Courses
Before taking your first web-based course, you will attend an on-campus orientation that teaches you how to access courses, navigate through Blackboard, and use electronic library resources.

Our curriculum is designed to emphasize cooperative learning while building upon your clinical expertise. During web-based courses you will work in groups, participate in online discussions, and apply collective problem-solving skills to resolve case-based scenarios. This process teaches you to work clinically as an evidence-based practitioner, submitting comments based on research evidence and best clinical practice.

Weekend Seminars
Each course offers one or more on-campus seminar weekends. Weekend classes may be held Friday afternoon through Saturday, all day Saturday only, or Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon. Seminar sessions may include:

• lecture/group discussion
• skills workshops
• student presentations/projects
• examinations

Supportive Faculty
Caring about students and helping them achieve success is a hallmark of all WesternU faculty. Our DPT faculty:

• are respected practitioners and scholars in their field, many with 15-20+ years teaching experience.
• are APTA board certified in a variety of clinical specialties and all have doctoral degrees.
• are committed to a humanistic approach to medicine that sees the patient as a person first.
• treat students as colleagues.
• are active clinically and therefore are up-to-date with the latest interventions and technologies.
• are experienced with distance learning.
• know that there is life outside of school and understand students' needs.
  

Academic Support
Additionally, you can draw on the expertise of the Learning Enhancement & Academic Development Office (LEAD). LEAD staff arrange for individual and group peer-tutoring sessions, one-on-one stress relief sessions, and workshops on topics such as time management, test-taking skills, and learning styles.

Library and Learning Resource Center
As a DPT-Advanced student you'll have the opportunity to use the Harriet K. and Philip Pumerantz Library. Renovated in 2001, this four-story 34,000-square-foot building includes:

• an extensive collection of approximately 30,000 volumes. 
• journal subscriptions to approximately 500 print journals and access to more than 8,000 electronic journals.
• electronic databases, available both on- and off-campus through the library's web site.
• interlibrary loan.