Undergraduate Bulletin
Document Number 3.04.10
Physical Therapy
Chair and Professor: Dr. Reese, 450-3611
Department Advisor: Ms. Charlotte Fant, 450-5541
Professor: Dr. Bandy
Associate Professor: Dr. Liu
Assistant Professors: Dr. Fletcher, Mr. Forbush, Dr. Garrison, Dr. McGee, Dr. Taylor, Dr. Wang, Dr. Yates
Instructor II: Dr. Maresh, Ms. Stephens
Instructor I: Dr. Booth
[1] Physical Therapy: A Dynamic Health Care Profession
Physical therapists provide physical therapy services to patients/clients who have impairments, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease, or other causes. These services include:
1. Examination of individuals with impairment, functional limitations, and disability or other health related conditions in order to determine diagnosis, prognosis, and interventions;
2. Alleviation of impairment and functional limitation by designing, implementing, and modifying therapeutic interventions;
3. Prevention of injury, impairment, functional limitation, and disability, including the promotion and maintenance of fitness, health, and quality of life in all age populations; and
4. Participation in consultation, education, and research.
Therapeutic interventions provided by physical therapists include, but are not limited to, therapeutic exercise; functional training in self-care, home management, and community work activities; manual therapy techniques, prescription, application, and fabrication of certain assistive, adaptive, orthotic, protective, supportive, and prosthetic devices and equipment; wound management; airway clearance techniques; electrotherapeutic modalities; and physical agents and mechanical modalities.
Salaries in Arkansas for new PTs are approximately $60,000. The median annual earnings of all physical therapists in the United States were $66,200 in 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $55,030 and $78,080. Source: U.S. Department of Labor; Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-2009 Edition. http://www.bls.gov/oco.
[2] Mission
The mission of the Department of Physical Therapy is to develop outstanding physical therapy professionals who are practicing autonomously in the global clinical and research communities and to model excellence in education, research, and service.
[3] Accreditation Status
The BS in Health Science with an emphasis in physical therapy does not require specialized accreditation. The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) curriculum is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
[4] Bachelor of Science in Health Science, Physical Therapy Emphasis
The purpose of the bachelor of science (BS) degree with a physical therapy emphasis is to qualify graduates of the program as candidates for the professional DPT degree. In addition to the baccalaureate degree, students applying for the DPT program must meet specific grade point averages, have designated prerequisite courses, observe in the clinic, and take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The BS in Health Science with physical therapy emphasis does not prepare a graduate for licensure or employment as a physical therapist or a physical therapist assistant.
Students who are interested in applying to the UCA professional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program are encouraged to pursue the BS in Health Science with a physical therapy emphasis. This degree is specially designed to assist students completing prerequisite course work to obtain a baccalaureate degree in order to meet application requirements for the professional DPT program. For more information on the professional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, the student is referred to the UCA Graduate Bulletin or Physical Therapy website at http://www.uca.edu/pt/dpt.html.
The BS in Health Science degree with an emphasis in physical therapy requires a total of 124 semester credit hours, of which 40 credits must be upper division. Degree requirements are as follows (see individual departments for course descriptions):
[4.1] General Education Requirements (47 hours)
Health Sciences - Physical Therapy Emphasis majors must include the following courses in their general education selections: MATH 1390, PSYC 1300, BIOL 1440, and CHEM 1450 or CHEM 1402.
[4.2] Other Required Courses (43 hours)
BIOL 2406 & BIOL 2407
BIOL 2420
BIOL 3370
BIOL 4311 or BIOL 4351
CHEM 1451 or CHEM 2450
CSCI 1300
H SC 3123
PHYS 1410 and 1420
PSYC elective
Statistics (PSYC 2330 or MATH 2311 or SOC 2321 or ECON 2330)
WRTG 3310
[4.3] Guided Electives (21 hours: 7 courses from the following):
H ED 3305 Human Sexuality
H ED 3320 Epidemiology Research
H ED 4300 Community Health
H ED 4301 Health Education in the Medical Care Setting
H ED 4302 Health Education in the Worksite
H ED 4312 Drug Education
H ED 4343 Health Strategies for Multicultural Populations
H ED 4395 Contemporary Health Concerns - Women
KPED 3331 Care and Prevention of Exercise and Sport Injuries
KPED 4300 Exercise Physiology
MGMT 3305 Social Issues in Management
MGMT 3315 - Diversity/Multicultural Communications
NUTR 3370 Advanced Nutrition
NUTR 4315 Sports Nutrition
PSYC 3325 Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 3350 Psychology of Women
PSYC 3351 Psychology of Learning
PSYC 3360 Social Psychology
PSYC 4320 Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 4325 Physiological Psychology
SOC 3310 Racial and Ethnic Relations
SOC 3350 The Family
SOC 3361 Gender Roles
SOC 3370 Criminology
SOC 3381 Death and Dying
SOC 4331 Social Gerontology
SOC 4334 Medical Sociology
SOC 4335 Health Organizations
SOC 4343 Health Strategies for Multicultural Populations
[4.4] Additional Electives (13 hours)
The Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Health Sciences - Physical Therapy Emphasis requires a total of 124 semester credit hours, of which 40 credit hours must be upper division.
[5] Courses in Physical Therapy (PTHY)
Follow this link for PTHY course descriptions: course link.