DPT Program

The Professional Doctor of Physical Therapy program prepares individuals to become licensed physical therapists. Following a selective admission process, a new class of 56 students are invited each fall semester to begin study in the three year Professional DPT Program .  The curriculum includes 123 credits (graduate level) where students progress from foundational sciences and skills to application to patient care concluding with full-time clinical internship rotations at clinical education facilities in and out of the state.  The DPT Curriculum Sequence (see below) outlines professional program courses for each semester; a description of those courses can be viewed in the UCA Graduate Bulletin (see Physical Therapy course description). 

Accreditation

The UCA Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).  CAPTE can be contacted at accreditation@apta.org or 1111 North Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA  22314.  

Student Outcomes

Performance of UCA DPT graduates over the past two years is as follows:

• Graduation Rate:  98%
• 1st Time Pass Rate on National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE):  95%
• Ultimate Pass Rate on NPTE:  98%
• Employment Rate:  100% (of students passing the NPTE)

Requirements

The professional DPT program requires a Baccalaureate degree as well as specific prerequisite coursework.  Students attending UCA for their undergraduate work may declare a BS Degree with a major in Health Sciences - Physical Therapy Emphasis.  Other requirements for admission to the program include a minimum overall GPA of 3.00 and GPA of 3.00 in sciences.  At the time of application a minimum of 30 hours of the prerequisite sciences must be successfully completed (before the application deadline).The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) must also be completed as well as 45 hours of observation of a physical therapist at three different physical therapy clinics or facilities where students must use the clinical observation form (see below) for documentation.  Students enrolled in the DPT program must perform certain essential functions in order to participate in and complete program requirements.  A list of these essential functions and the departmental policy is provided below.  The UCA DPT Program Brochure (below) provides a complete description.

Application

The UCA Department of Physical Therapy application deadline is October 1^st each year.   For 2013 Admissions, application to the Professional DPT Program includes completing an on-line application at the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) website as well as the UCA Supplemental Application (below) and the Clinical Documentation Form (below).  

Documents and Links:

Estimated Cost of Program

As of the Fall 2012 semester, GRADUATE tuition and hourly fees for Arkansas residents AND residents of states contiguous to Arkansas (Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas) total $278.02 per graduate semester hour.  Out of state residents (of states non-contiguous to Arkansas) for Fall 2012 pay $503.82 per graduate semester hour.  University fees paid per semester total $126.50.  In addition, the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences Fee is $14.00 per credit hour and the Lab Fee is $5.00 per credit hour. In example, the first semester of the DPT Program totals 17 credit hours; combined tuition and fees for 2012 for an in-state graduate student totals $5,175.84.  No lab fee is required during the full-time clinical work. Students seeking financial aid should make known in their application for aid the actual per semester hours in the DPT Program as noted in the curriculum sequence on page 7. Tuition and fees are subject to change at any time.  Information on tuition and fees is available from the UCA Student Accounts office at http://www.uca.edu/studentaccounts.

International Students

All international students applying to the DPT program must also meet the requirements for international students (see below) and submit an application through the UCA International Affairs office (see below) in addition to their application to the DPT program through PTCAS.

    Requirements for International Students

    International Affairs

    International Admissions

Pre-PT Academic Advisor: 

Ms. Charlotte Fant

Email:  cfant@uca.edu

Phone: (501) 450-3611.