Master of Science in Physical Therapy

Master of Science in Physical Therapy

Offered by the Graduate School

Other Program Information

Identity​

Becoming Part of the Program

Identity​

Mission

We are a Catholic institution of learning dedicated to advancing the frontiers of knowledge in the theoretical and applied fields through quality graduate education that is comprehensive and responsive to the needs of society.

We are committed to the formation of scholars and high-quality professionals who are ethical, competent, compassionate, and committed to the service of their respective professions, the Church, the nation, and the global community.

Vision

We envision a Graduate School that stands for excellence and innovation and that is globally recognized for its distinct degree programs and quality research outputs.

Overview

The Master of Science in Physical Therapy program is designed for self-directed physical therapists who are strongly motivated to gain advanced competencies as clinicians, educators, administrators and researchers.

Goals and Objectives

The Graduate School commits itself to develop: 

  1. Competent professionals who, inspired by the ideals of St. Antoninus of Florence, promote excellence in the production, advancement, and transmission of specialized knowledge and skills in the sciences, the arts, and community service; 
  2. Scholarly researchers and creative thinkers who, kindled by St. Thomas Aquinas’s ardour for truth, aspire to become fonts of intellectual creativity and, in their quest for quality research, are proficient and critical in assessing and communicating information in various fields that impact the professions, the Church, the nation, and the global community; 
  3. Professional Christian leaders who, touched by St. Dominic de Guzman’s apostolic fire and warmed by Mary’s motherly care, articulate ethics and truth, high level of moral maturity in resolving issues and promoting social justice and compassion for the poor, and care for the environment; 
  4. Globally engaged citizens who, with ardent advocacy for life, promote a deeper understanding of tolerance and justice as well as linguistic, religious, and cultural diversities as a result of the precise evaluation of modern problems and inquiries; 
  5. Committed scholars who, nurtured by the dogmas of Christian faith and values, are dedicated to the pursuit of truth through the promotion of an intellectual culture that values academic rigor and freedom of scientific investigations; and 
  6. Lifelong learners who, empowered by St. Antoninus of Florence’s zeal for learning, are committed to the advancement of a higher culture through a continuous search for intellectual inquiries and new knowledge as well as faithfulness to Catholic intellectual traditions. 
Program Intended Learning Outcomes

When you successfully complete the Master of Science in Physical Therapy Program, you will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate advanced and highly proficient competencies in the application of physical therapy theories, skills, and professional behaviours to various work settings and within diverse roles. 
  2. Seek, interpret, and utilize existing scientific and documentary evidence and effectively communicate the same to relevant stakeholders in written and oral form.
  3. Work collaboratively with patients/clients, carers, colleagues, and other health professionals while being capable of independent practice relevant to societal and professional context at all times demonstrating ethics and expected professional behaviors.
  4. Demonstrate highly tolerant, culturally sensitive, flexible, and adaptable ethical behaviors in multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural settings.
  5. Exercise sound analytical ability coupled with supporting evidence in making informed decisions about problems encountered in a range of physical therapy roles.
  6. Value lifelong learning and actively engage in continuing professional development as attributes of a competent physical therapist.

Becoming Part of the Program

Application

Click here for the Admission Policies and Procedures of the Graduate School.

Fees

Go to THIS PAGE and look for the “Graduate School” tab for the tuition fees.

Program Curriculum

Pre-Requisite Courses

St. Thomas and Critical Thinking
A course on Aristotelian and symbolic Logic that focuses on the fundamental laws of thought. It provides guiding principles in order to enhance critical and reflective skills that would facilitate correct and responsible judgment and reasoning. It gives an opportunity to be in control of one’s thinking activities. 

 

Health Research Methods
This course provides students with the basic knowledge of all research paradigms and designs (quantitative and qualitative) and designs specific methods to be able to draft a research methodology plan. It also provides students the ability to critique various research studies.

Core Courses

Evidence-Based Health Care
This course provides students with the opportunity to become critical and educated consumers of research. Students learn to critically evaluate the quality of published and unpublished literature using structured methods. They are taught how to use library databases and the internet to search for literature and this provides them with the confidence to evaluate the strength of the evidence in clinical topics and how to present this in a logical form. This course introduces the concepts of evidence-based practice and teaches students to undertake systematic and exhaustive searching, critical synthesis of the evidence, and make recommendations based on the synthesized evidence. Students are required to complete a full systematic review and present their reviews in a colloquium. 

 

Biomechanics and Motor Control
This course allows the student to explain the concepts of motor control and motor learning, based on an analysis of human movement. Students learn how a movement happens what factors affect it. It involves an analysis of tasks related to daily activities, exercise, sports, and occupation that are commonly affected in patients seen in physical therapy. 

 

Clinical Reasoning and Differential Diagnosis in Physical Therapy 
This course provides an opportunity for the student to apply clinical reasoning given an orthopedic, neurologic, and pediatric case. This course enables the student to decide which assessment or evaluation procedure, both subjectively and objectively, should be used in order to comprehensively come up with a physical therapy diagnosis/impression, problem list, and physical therapy goals.

Major Courses

Educational Strategies for Health Professionals 
This course prepares health professionals to be better educators of learners in various settings, including students, patients, clients, family and caregivers, colleagues, and other health professionals, through an in-depth understanding of teaching-learning principles and the application thereof to instruction in different practice settings. Focus is on instructional planning, teaching, and evaluation of learning for audiences in different practice settings. 

 

Leadership and Management 
This course is the study of the management of academic organizations, rehabilitation centers, or units in hospitals, community centers, and public health agencies. Emphasis is on methods of application of managerial functions including health program planning, evaluation and health policy formulation. 

 

Clinical Practice 1 (OrthopedicPhysical Therapy) 
This course provides students with the opportunity to acquire skills in using different manual therapy treatment such as Maitland, McKenzie, Mulligan and Neurodynamics. Students will also be able to make a clinical impression by correctly reading and interpreting X-ray, CT, MRI, MSUS and EMG findings of common musculoskeletal conditions. Additionally, the course provides students with the opportunity to understand different surgical procedures and evidence-based guidelines used in the treatment of patients with musculoskeletal conditions. 

 

Clinical Practice 2 (NeurologicPhysical Therapy)
This course provides students with the opportunity to become a critical Physical Therapist. Students learn to make a sound clinical judgment in the assessment and management of Neurologic and Paediatric conditions. They are taught how to apply in clinical practice. 

This course introduces the concepts of assessment and sound decision making in Neurologic and Paediatric conditions. Students are required to present case analysis both in written and oral aspects in relation to the assessment and intervention plan. 

Summary of Program Requirements
Degree Requirements
Units
Prerequisite Courses
6
Core Courses
12
Major Course
 
      Research Track
10
      Clinical Track
14
Cognate Courses
3
Written Comprehensive Exams
 
      Thesis Writing I
3
      Thesis Writing II
3
      Thesis Writing III
3
TOTAL
40