About Us

About Us

The Idaho State University (ISU) Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program has been producing effective and caring physical therapists for over 30 years. The ISU DPT Program is a professional entry-level degree program that prepares students for licensure to practice as physical therapists. The Program emphasizes student interaction with patients and clients during classroom, practicum, and clinic experiences. Students engage in interprofessional education activities with an emphasis on service and advocacy. The ISU DPT Program offers an affordable 34-month program with an excellent student-to-faculty ratio within a safe and friendly community. The program was re-accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) in 2016. 

The DPT faculty are clinically engaged and directly supervise and instruct students in the clinic with direct patient care beginning in the first year of the program. The faculty are dedicated to teaching and take the time to provide comprehensive instruction and one-on-one attention when needed. The faculty has a blend of qualifications from grant-funded researchers to clinical specialists. The Program emphasizes critical reflection and evidence-informed practice to challenge students to be lifelong learners and to move the profession forward through their careers. We work to empower students and physical therapists to drive the future of our profession through innovation and advocacy.

Our curriculum uses a series of blended courses with lecture and lab components using synchronous videoconferencing and face-to-face instruction. Courses are delivered to two campus locations through traditional face-to-face instruction with learners and instructors interacting in the same physical space and over synchronous distance-learning video teleconference instructional technology (VTIT). All courses are supplemented with online delivery of learning and assessment materials using the institutional Learning Management System (LMS) such as Moodle or Canvas. Applicants to our program must be comfortable with technology and be proactive, self-directed learners.

We deliver our program over two campus locations. The main campus is in Pocatello, Idaho and the second campus is in Meridian, Idaho at the Sam and Aline Skaggs Health Science Center. Students apply to the ISU DPT Program, not to a specific campus. Accepted students are assigned a campus upon enrollment in the program. Campus preference and applicant situations are taken into consideration but campus preference is not guaranteed. The Pocatello campus is located on the main ISU campus which provides students with all the amenities of a traditional university atmosphere in a small Western town. Students on the Pocatello campus enjoy close proximity to world-renowned destinations like Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. The Meridian campus is located minutes away from downtown Boise which is the urban and legislative center of Idaho. The Boise area is home to many excellent outdoor recreation areas, provides students with a wide range of metropolitan activities and cultural offerings, and serves as Idaho's gateway to the West Coast and the Pacific Northwest. Both campuses provide students with a library, health care, and student services. Both locations have spectacular outdoor recreation opportunities, safe, family-friendly communities, and fun social amenities.