SCU Launches Accelerated Doctor of Physical Therapy Program in Phoenix Metro

Two-year online-hybrid program expands SCU’s physical therapy education to Arizona amid growing national demand for practitioners.

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is expanding its Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) education to Arizona with the launch of an accelerated, online-hybrid program at its Phoenix Metro location in Tempe.

Designed to prepare students for a growing profession while allowing them to earn their degree on an accelerated timeline, the program combines online coursework with immersive, hands-on laboratory training and clinical education. The inaugural cohort will begin August 30, 2027, and applications are now being accepted.

Demand for physical therapists continues to rise, driven in part by an aging population and the growing prevalence of chronic conditions. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET projects employment of physical therapists to grow 31 percent between 2022 and 2032, underscoring the need to prepare more practitioners for the profession.

“The need for physical therapists continues to grow, and their role reaches far beyond recovery from injury,” said Kellee Harper-Hanigan, PT, DPT, PhD, WCC, FNAP, Program Director for SCU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy – Phoenix Metro program. “Developing this new SCU program in Tempe will prepare more practitioners to help patients manage pain, improve function, and maintain independence throughout their lives.”

The full-time program spans six consecutive terms across two years, which is accelerated compared to the three years the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports as typical for DPT education. SCU’s Phoenix Metro program will include:

• Largely online coursework paired with in-person lab immersions at SCU’s Tempe, Arizona location
• Clinical education through more than 500 sites nationwide, including inpatient, outpatient, school, home health, sports medicine, neurological rehabilitation, and community settings
• Curriculum designed to prepare students to think critically and adapt clinical decisions to each patient
• A whole person approach to care that considers the patient’s goals, daily life, environment, and support systems
• Interprofessional education with students from other health disciplines

“As a wound care therapist, there is a saying that you ‘treat the whole patient, not just the hole in the patient.’ That principle is an integral part of our approach to PT education,” Dr. Harper-Hanigan said. “Our students are not solely a checklist of competencies to complete. They are future clinicians developing as whole people who will offer that same whole-person care to their future patients.”

SCU currently offers a DPT program at its Los Angeles Metro campus in Whittier, California. The Phoenix Metro program will expand the university’s accelerated physical therapy education footprint to a second campus. Prospective students can learn more, request information, register for a virtual information session, or apply through SCU’s Phoenix Metro DPT program page: https://www.scuhs.edu/doctoral-degrees/doctor-of-physical-therapy-phoenix-metro/?content=overview