Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Doctoral Degree
Hybrid Program
- Next Start Dates
- January 03, 2023
- Apply By
- November 30, 2022
A DPT Program with Educators Committed to Your Success
With our future-focused model, we attract inspired faculty from across the nation. They have extensive experience working in physical therapy and contributing to the field through publications, presentations and professional associations. Our faculty are dedicated to helping you reach your learning goals and mentoring you throughout your doctoral experience.
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On this page:
“The team that we've created is probably the best team I've ever worked with in my 17 years of educator experience. We are a committed group who are looking forward to creating the future of what we think DPT education should be.”
Petra Williams PT, PhD, NCS
Professor
Meet Your Faculty
All our faculty members are doctorally prepared, ensuring you get the highest level of instruction and support.
Meet Your Faculty
Carl DeRosa, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA
Program Director and Professor, Rasmussen University (00:10):
Hi, I'm Dr. Carl DeRosa. And I'm the program director at, uh, Rasmussen University for the doctor of physical therapy program.
Brett Windsor, PT, PhD, MPA
Professor, Rasmussen University (00:19):
Hi, I'm Dr. Brett Windsor. I'm a professor at Rasmussen University in the PT program.
Daniel Lee, PT, DPT, PhD, GCS, COMT
Director of Curriculum Integration and Delivery; Associate Professor, Rasmussen University (00:24):
Hello, my name is Dr. Daniel J. Lee. I'm the director of curriculum integration and delivery for Rasmussen University.
Karen Mueller, PT, DPT, PhD, NBC-HWC
Professor, Rasmussen University (00:33):
I'm Dr. Karen Mueller and I'm a professor in the physical therapy program at Rasmussen University.
Petra Williams, PT, PhD, NCS
Professor, Rasmussen University (00:39):
Hi, I'm Dr. Petra Williams. I'm a core faculty member in the Rasmussen DPT program.
Deborah Zagray, PT, DScPT, CMPT
Director of Clinical Education; Associate Professor, Rasmussen University (00:45):
My name's Dr. Debbie Zagray and I am the director of clinical education. So, I am in charge of all things related to, uh, the clinical education for the students.
Ray VanWye , PT, DPT, PhD
Professor, Rasmussen University (00:56):
Hello, my name is Dr. Ray VanWye. And I'm core faculty here at Rasmussen University.
Petra Williams, PT, PhD, NCS
Professor, Rasmussen University (01:00):
The team that we've created is probably the best team I've ever worked with in my, uh, 17 years of educator experience. Um, we are a committed group who are looking forward to creating the future of what we think DPT education should be. Um, we've all left different places that we really loved to come together to create this program. Um, and I'm really excited about what we're gonna be able to do.
Brett Windsor, PT, PhD, MPA
Professor, Rasmussen University (01:23):
The group of people we've got in this program are phenomenal. Never been so happy with a group of people in my professional life.
Daniel Lee, PT, DPT, PhD, GCS, COMT
Director of Curriculum Integration and Delivery; Associate Professor, Rasmussen University (01:29):
We are excited to take this educational journey with you. You will transform by the time you've graduated, and we promise that we will make you the best physical therapist you can be.
Karen Mueller, PT, DPT, PhD, NBC-HWC
Professor, Rasmussen University (01:42):
I love the connections that I make with students in the classroom and in clinical settings. There is something invigorating for me about being able to share information with students and have a dialogue and see the excitement that they get when the light goes on. And when I see them grow, it just makes me so excited. It’s so gratifying to see their growth as they move through the program.
Carl DeRosa, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA
Program Director and Professor, Rasmussen University (02:09):
The good part about this challenge is that the faculty are, are going to be working with, very closely with, students on meeting and, and exceeding, you know, those, uh, those challenges.
Karen Mueller, PT, DPT, PhD, NBC-HWC Professor, Rasmussen University (02:23):
I would say, you are going to learn more than you ever thought possible. It will change your life in really positive ways. You're gonna work really hard. You are going to learn what it takes to be a successful physical therapist. We're gonna prepare you to do that, and we're gonna do it together with … We'll support you in the process, and we'll make sure that you are competent when you are ready to leave this university.
Hi, I'm Dr. Carl Derosa. And I'm the program director at Rasmussen University for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
My teaching interests are largely in the area of anatomy, biomechanics, orthopedic physical therapy in particular. And, over the last five, six years, started to also teach in the area of health and wellness, in physical therapy practice. Additional parts of the curriculum that I teach are the business aspects of physical therapy practice.
Well, I've written several textbooks. The textbooks are primarily dealing with orthopedic physical therapy, mechanical low-back pain, mechanical neck pain, mechanical shoulder pain. I also have publications in the area of anatomy and biomechanics, but that really relate to some of these the orthopedic conditions. In addition to that, because of my background in business and physical therapy, I've been able to publish several articles related to creating the value proposition in a physical therapy practice, how to put more value into your physical therapy practice and just the general smooth running of a physical therapy operation with a lot of different clinicians in that practice.
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Program Director, Professor
As Program Director, I work with and lead a team of core faculty in developing and implementing an innovative, competency-based education program—one of the first in the country.
My research interests:
- Human anatomy and biomechanics
- Orthopedic and sports physical therapy
- Health and wellness
My name's Dr. Debbie Zagray, and I am the director of clinical education, so I am in charge of all things related to the clinical education for the students.
I have a lot of a variety in my teaching interests. I'm interested in some of the communication aspects. I have taught in, in a PTA program as well as a PT program. So, I also do simulation activities such as virtual reality medical actors in scenarios for PT students. And I'm hoping to incorporate a lot of that into our program.
Simulation is definitely a big scholarly interest for me. I am working with Dr. Petra Williams on some research and opportunities for our students right now, in terms of simulation that will be used in their learning experiences. And also, because we are a hybrid program that is also competency based, looking at how that affects the student learning and their readiness for their clinicals.
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Director of Clinical Education, Associate Professor
As the Director of Clinical Education, I am your go-to person for anything and everything related to clinical education. My goal is to provide you with high-quality clinical education experiences that will help you fall in love with physical therapy.
My research interests:
- Competency-based education
- Hybrid DPT programs
- Simulation
Hello. My name is Dr. Daniel J. Lee. I'm the director of curriculum integration and delivery for Rasmussen University.
So, I am a board-certified geriatric specialist. I'm a certified orthopedic manual therapist. And I also specialize in limb loss rehabilitation.
Primarily my research interests are in working with individuals with limb loss. And so I've created a mobile app that helps individuals with lower-limb amputations manage from day to day with their prosthesis, along with their function. And I also work on developing outcome measures to help those with limb loss.
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Director of Curriculum Integration and Delivery, Professor
My goal is to make sure our DPT curriculum translates into a positive learning experience. I work as a conduit between the many moving parts of the program, ensuring that no student gets left behind.
My research interests:
- Geriatric physical therapy
- Limb loss rehabilitation
- Prosthetics and orthotics
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Associate Professor
My research interests:
- Professional development for physical therapy practice in a school-based setting
- Fitness, health and wellness for children with disabilities
- Essential pediatric competencies in professional physical therapist education programs
- Identifying the amount of meaningful experiential learning
- Comparing the benefits and challenges of different curricular models
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Associate Professor
My research interests:
- Neurologic physical therapy
- Post-concussion rehabilitation in an interdisciplinary team setting
- Fitness, health and wellness for individuals with Parkinson’s disease
- Factors influencing successful transition from clinician to academician
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Associate Professor
My research interests:
- Human anatomy instructional methods
- Pain neuroscience education
- Treating patients with persistent pain
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Professor
My research interests:
- Simulation
- Clinical reasoning and clinical decision-making
- Strategies to improve student learning
I'm Dr. Karen Mueller, and I'm a professor in the Physical Therapy program at Rasmussen University.
My clinical background is in neurologic rehabilitation, but I have always had an interest in the psychosocial elements of patient care. And so, I would say that my interests in teaching are the communication, ethics and professional behaviors component. I'm also really interested in health and wellness. And so in the last few years, I've gotten a lot of training in that and recently became a national board-certified health and wellness coach. So, I'm really excited to integrate those principles into our curriculum.
Clinical interest is an emphasis on neurologic rehab. My early clinical practice was in stroke, spinal cord and brain injury rehab, but my overarching interest is in wellbeing. And so, over the years, I've developed an interest in health and wellness, communication and ethical practice. So I have really morphed those skills as to be the major areas that I am now working and teaching in.
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Professor
As one of the core founding faculty of the DPT program, I look forward to collaborating with students and colleagues to create a vibrant learning community that supports our collective well-being. My greatest hope for our students is that their experience in our program will lead each of them to a rewarding and meaningful career in our profession.
My research interests:
- Health and well-being of physical therapists and physical therapy students
- Professional communication and collaborative care
- Professional identity formation and moral reasoning among physical therapy students
- Physical Therapist Intervention in hospice and palliative care
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Associate Professor
My teaching responsibilities include orthopedic and musculoskeletal coursework as well as social determinants of health and population health.
My research interests:
- Clinic reasoning in orthopedic physical therapy
- Adverse events associated with manual or manipulative therapy
- Assessment of vital signs in outpatient orthopedic practice
- Social determinants of health and the effects on outcomes in orthopedic physical therapy practice
Hi, I'm Dr. Petra Williams. I'm a core faculty member in the Rasmussen DPT program.
I've been a physical therapist since 1994 and a neurologic clinical specialist since 2006. I specialize in working with adults who've experienced life-changing conditions, such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease. And my clinical practice has informed my teaching practice.
I have been an educator in DPT programs since 2005. And my teaching load primarily focuses in on neuroscience and pathophysiology—some of those classes that are a little challenging. But I enjoy teaching them because I teach students how to think during those classes. And then I also focus in on neurologic rehab.
I have two areas of scholarly activity. The first area is looking at elements of student resilience and success in programs and as clinicians. There's a lot of concern about distress and mental health issues. And along with one of my colleagues, Karen Mueller, we are very interested in creating not only research, but rolling that into content that facilitates self-care and resilience as part of the DPT education process. We want to make that as fundamental to education as the clinical sciences are.
My second arm is using technology to improve DPT education and, in particular, using 360-degree video cameras to create virtual reality experiences for our students. And what we've been doing is placing cameras where a student might be in a patient's room and turning the camera on and capturing whatever happens. And those experiences allow a student to be in a really challenging healthcare situation that—without having to physically be there—they get a chance to stop and look and stare. And these are fully immersive. So, the headset is on and it really gives the students a sense of physical presence in this environment—and kind of this power of invisibility as they look over the clinician's shoulder to see what's happening.
So I think this is a great opportunity for DPT education in general. And, in particular, for this program.
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Professor
My role, along with my fellow founding core faculty team, is to create and deliver foundational and clinical science courses that will prepare the DPT student to thrive as a physical therapist in clinical practice. My teaching focus includes neuroscience, movement science and neurologic physical therapy. As a DPT educator, I am accountable to our students’ future patients. As the breadth and depth of our profession continues to grow, my personal mission is to equip students with a solid foundation to create the future of our profession.
My research interests:
- Neurologic physical therapy
- Use of 360° digital video/audio in PT education
- Factors influencing burnout and strategies to foster well-being and mental health
- Evidence-based teaching strategies in competency-based education
Hi, I'm Dr. Brett Windsor. I'm associate professor at Rasmussen University in the PT program.
I'm a musculoskeletal guy or /musculoske-LEE-tal/, as we say in Australia. So I do all the orthopedics—looking at the spine and the peripheral joints. Also got a lot of interest in clinical reasoning. I've done a lot of regulatory work over the years, too—so business, practice affairs, regulations, laws and rules is kind of an area. And I love talking about innovation in clinical practice.
What I'm interested in is making sure that we find out what you know, and how you know it—and assess you in a narrative-based format.
So most of my research has been in that area. I'm also interested in clinical reasoning and manipulation in the spine.
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Professor
My teaching focus includes musculoskeletal physical therapy, business operations and innovations around medical informatics to drive clinical outcomes.
My research interests:
- Assessment of clinical reasoning
- Pragmatic clinical expertise
- International clinical education
Hello. My name is Dr. Ray VanWye and I am core faculty here at Rasmussen University.
My specialty is in cardiopulmonary physical therapy, I'm board certified. I also have a background in exercise physiology.
So, my recent research has been in blood flow restriction, and I'm also getting into a couple different areas as far as writing books. So primary care, physical therapy, health system and policy—and I'll soon be starting a book on cardiopulmonary physical therapy.
My background was in exercise science. Without becoming a physical therapist, I wouldn't be able to help patients the way I can today. The education is beyond exercise. It's helping a patient walk with a walker, get out of bed the first day after surgery. There's so many things that physical therapists can do.
Again, the other area would be with physicians. Physicians specialize. We have the ability to be generalists and work in many areas and specialize, and that's what makes physical therapy, to me, very exciting.
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Professor
As a core founding faculty member, I provide exercise physiology and cardiopulmonary physical therapy expertise. My goal is to help you embrace your role as a Doctor of Physical Therapy by emphasizing clinical reasoning and leadership.
My research interests:
- Cardiopulmonary physical therapy and exercise physiology
- Screening and primary care physical therapy
- Leadership, administration, management and professionalism
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Accreditation
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)7
Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.
Rasmussen University-Graduate Studies North (MN) is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. On June 1st, 2022, the program submitted an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage. Submission of this document does not ensure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the professional phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in professional courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not ensure that the program will be granted accreditation.
Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Completion time is dependent on transfer credits accepted and the number of courses completed each term.
- Graduates of the Health Sciences Associate’s degree program with a specialization in Pharmacy Technician meet the education requirements needed to apply for a Pharmacy Technician license or registration from the board or pharmacy or equivalent agency in the following states: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WI, WY. Other eligibility requirements may apply, please check with the board of pharmacy or equivalent agency in your state of residence. This program may not meet the educational requirements needed to apply for a Pharmacy Technician license or registration in states not listed above, please check with the board of pharmacy or equivalent agency in your state of residence for further information.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, [salary data accessed July 2022] www.bls.gov/oes/. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [career information accessed July 2022] www.bls.gov/ooh/. BLS salary data represents national, averaged earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Study. Unemployment rates and earnings by educational attainment, 2020. Accessed on March 31, 2022. Data is for persons age 25 and older who are full-time wage and salary earners. https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [career information accessed March 31, 2022] www.bls.gov/ooh/. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
- Completion time depends on maintaining full-time study and completing all scheduled courses with the cohort.
- CAPTE Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education is a registered trademark of American Physical Therapy Association.
- American Physical Therapy Association is a registered trademark of American Physical Therapy Association.
- TOEFL iBT is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service.
- Students are responsible for costs associated with all travel expenses for the immersion lab experience and clinical education experiences.
- GRE® is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service.
- Students are required to travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota, five times throughout the program for 6 to 11 days each time. Students are responsible for costs associated with all travel expenses for the immersion lab experience and clinical education experiences.
- NPTE is a registered trademark of Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.