I’ve addressed this topic in the past using other peoples research. Recently I was able to sit down and discuss education with a DPT a DO and some MDs. With that and a little bit of research of 8-10 school course catalogs I’ve come up with the following comparison chart. Please leave your comments and corrections if you have any. It was difficult to compare the schools because the clinical education is so varied and can’t truly be put into a catalog. I have taken the liberty of approximating the hours because some schools even of the same type varied so much. This table is just to give you an idea of how the education compares between these particular health professions. I threw in the Bachelors of Science degree just for comparison. In most cases the BS is required prior to these doctoral degrees.
DC
DPT
DO
MD
BS
Total Semester Credits
275
120
250
320
125
Total Clock hours
4125
1800
3750
4800
1875
1 semester credit = 15 clock hours
Each degree has its different focus. Even without the obvious clinical courses here are some example courses and their approximate semester credits by degree, to show the different emphasis.
DC
DPT
DO
MD
Anatomy
25
6
18
15
Physiology
14
5
10
8
Pharmacology
2
2
8
10
Radiology
18
2
5
3
Pathology
10
2
20
25
Obstetrics/Laboratory/Psychology
10
0
25
25
I was at first shocked that the Doctor of Physical Therapy program was about the same as a BS because speaking with the students they said that they spent much more time than in undergraduate studying, but then I realized that it is only a 3 year program. While they do cram a lot into their program it is still significantly less than all of the other Doctoral programs, and that is reflected in their scope of practice.
I gathered much of my information for the DPT from the University of North Florida website and discussions with their admissions dept. Much of the DO data was from A.T. Still University’s curriculum here . DC info was f rom Palmer and UWS . MD Info was the most difficult to locate as many of their programs cannot easily compare line by lineto other programs. I tried to rely on interview information with MDs as well as admissions staff. One site I did use was for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
I’ve addressed this topic in the past using other peoples research. Recently I was able to sit down and discuss education with a DPT a DO and some MDs. With that and a little bit of research of 8-10 school course catalogs I’ve come up with the following comparison chart. Please leave your comments and corrections if you have any. It was difficult to compare the schools because the clinical education is so varied and can’t truly be put into a catalog. I have taken the liberty of approximating the hours because some schools even of the same type varied so much. This table is just to give you an idea of how the education compares between these particular health professions. I threw in the Bachelors of Science degree just for comparison. In most cases the BS is required prior to these doctoral degrees.
Each degree has its different focus. Even without the obvious clinical courses here are some example courses and their approximate semester credits by degree, to show the different emphasis.
I was at first shocked that the Doctor of Physical Therapy program was about the same as a BS because speaking with the students they said that they spent much more time than in undergraduate studying, but then I realized that it is only a 3 year program. While they do cram a lot into their program it is still significantly less than all of the other Doctoral programs, and that is reflected in their scope of practice.
I gathered much of my information for the DPT from the University of North Florida website and discussions with their admissions dept. Much of the DO data was from A.T. Still University’s curriculum here . DC info was f rom Palmer and UWS . MD Info was the most difficult to locate as many of their programs cannot easily compare line by lineto other programs. I tried to rely on interview information with MDs as well as admissions staff. One site I did use was for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center