Department of Physical Therapy

Professional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program

Overview of the Professional DPT Program The Professional Doctor of Physical Therapy program prepares individuals to become licensed physical therapists. The program is three years in length and requires a Baccalaureate degree for regular admission and the prerequisite coursework listed below. Other requirements for admission to the program include a minimum overall GPA of 3.00 and 3.00 in sciences. The GRE must also be taken and 45 hours of observation hours at three different physical therapy clinics/facilties are required. A minimum of 30 hours of the prerequisite sciences must be successfully completed before the application deadline. DPT Brochure (pdf), updated January 2009, includes program description and admission process. Prerequisite Course List (pdf) - courses required for admission to the DPT Program (48 credits). Arkansas Courses Equivalent to UCA DPT Program Prerequisites at 4 Year Colleges & Universities (for transfer credit).  Link to Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS).  http://acts.adhe.edu Clinical observation documentation form (pdf) to record required observation hours with a physical therapist.

BS Degree in Health Sciences - PrePT

UCA offers a BS Degree in Health Sciences with a Physical Therapy emphasis (for pre-PT majors) that meets the prerequisites for admission to the professional DPT program (see information below). Applicants with a bachelor's degree from other institutions must also successfully complete the prerequisite courses (see Prerequisite Course List (pdf)). 

• Advising Course Checksheet (pdf) or
• 8 Semester Program Completion Plan (pdf), a 4 year Plan of Study.
• Pre-PT Academic Advisor
  • Ms. Charlotte Fant
  • Email:  cfant@uca.edu.
  • Phone: (501) 450-3611.

DPT Application Information

Admissions for 2010 will be processed through The American Physical Therapy Association's PTCAS at http://www.ptcas.org.  In addition to completing steps at the PTCAS website, the UCA Supplemental Application for PTCAS must be completed and returned to the UCA PT Deparmtment.

The DPT Brochure (pdf) provides information about admission requirements and pre-requisites. 

International Students

In order to be considered as an applicant in the UCA DPT professional program international students must:

• achieve a minimum score of 600 on the Test of of English as a Foreign Language (TOFEL) paper/pencil exam OR minimum score of 250 on the TOFEL computerized exam.  The TOFEL score of 250 on the computer exam is equivalent to 600 on the paper/pencil exam.
• provide an analysis of all international courses completed in the past to include:

        (1) number of semester credit hours for each class,

        (2) grade for each class, and

        (3) courses offered at UCA with which each class is equivalent.

Furthermore, an overall GPA submitted by the company analyzing the previous coursework is not sufficient - each course must be analyzed.  For additional information, please see http://www.uca.edu/international/.

Further Information

Contact the Department of Physical Therapy at 501-450-3611 for further information.