DPT Program Information
The Professional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program prepares individuals to become licensed physical therapists**. A clinical doctorate degree is awarded after 3 years of study following completion of a bachelor’s degree. The graduate level DPT curriculum includes 124 credits where students progress from foundation sciences and skills to application to patient care concluding with full-time clinical experiences at clinical education facilities in and out of the state. Following a selective admission process, 60 students are invited each year to begin study in the three-year Professional DPT Program.
- The UCA DPT Brochure describes the profession, job outlook, admission requirements, application process, interviews, recent admissions statistics, and the course sequence. The brochure is updated annually.
- Prospective students may also view the Pre-PT Pathway web page and the UCA DPT Program Factsheet.
- The UCA DPT Course Check-sheet is a list of courses needed in addition to a bachelor’s degree to apply to the UCA DPT Program.
- Course equivalency at four-year colleges & universities in Arkansas for the DPT prerequisites are provided in the Prerequisite Course Transfer Guide.
- UCA DPT Curriculum Sequence
- UCA uses the APTA Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) for application to the DPT program.
Open House – April 12, 2025
DPT Open House will be held on Saturday, April 12th. Prospective students are invited to the PT Center to visit and learn more about the DPT Program at UCA.
Faculty, students, and our Program Advisor will be available to visit with you. This is event is drop-in, come and go, between 10 AM and 12 PM.
UCA DPT Student Outcomes
92.9% = First Time Pass Rate on the NPTE (2023, 2024)
100% = Ultimate Pass Rate on the NPTE (2023, 2024)
94.1% = Graduation Rate (2023, 2024)
100% = Employment Rate (2023, 2024)
Updated 2/11/2025
UCA DPT – TOP 25%
U.S. News & World Report released the 2024 Best Graduate Schools rankings on April 10, revealing the excellent performance of University of Central Arkansas programs including Physical Therapy #58, Occupational Therapy #92 and Speech Language Pathology #136.
The UCA DPT Program continues to rank best among DPT Schools nationally. UCA is ranked among the top 25% of DPT Programs according to U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best Grad Schools review.
Best Physical Therapy Programs (usnews.com)
DPT Accreditation
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the University of Central Arkansas is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org; website:http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call (501) 450-3611 or email at pt@uca.edu.
Estimated Cost of Program
2024-dpt-student-financial-fact-sheet-revised-11.22.2024 is a CAPTE-mandated form that allows prospective students to make accurate comparisons of the cost of a DPT education.
The estimated total cost for the three years of the UCA DPT program is well below the national average for public and private universities. A UCA education is a great value for your investment. Every year, UCA attracts students from contiguous states and across the U.S. and most DPT students can qualify for in-state tuition.
*Based on 2022 CAPTE Aggregate Data national means for total education cost (excludes room and board) and regional data collected from 2022 FactSheets from contiguous states.
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.
Admission Requirements – the UCA DPT Brochure provides a complete description of the program and admission process.
- Bachelor’s Degree & Prerequisite Courses – the professional DPT program requires a Baccalaureate degree as well as specific prerequisite coursework. Students may declare a major of their choice and incorporate the required prerequisite courses.
- GPA requirements – application to the program requires a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.00 and a GPA of 3.00 in sciences, including all biology, chemistry and physics coursework taken.
- Science Coursework – at the time of the October 1st application deadline a minimum of 20 of 31 hours of required prerequisite sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) must be successfully completed.
- GRE – The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) must be completed and score received by school prior to the October 1st admission deadline.
- Essential Functions – Students enrolled in the DPT program must perform certain essential functions in order to participate in and complete program requirements.
- UCA utilizes the APTA Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) for applications to the DPT program.
Physical Therapy Center
UCA DPT Early Assurance Program
The Early Assurance Pathway (EAP) is designed for UCA undergraduate students and provides two options for entry including:
(1) First Year Application Deadline: Selection of this option should be confirmed with the pre-PT advisor by October 1 of the first year at UCA. Students who begin study at UCA as a freshman and score at least a 30 on the ACT (from high school) or 1360 on SAT (verbal and math) will be assured a position in the Professional DPT program. Specific performance standards must be met in order to maintain the position in the program. Actual enrollment into the professional program will occur after completion of the baccalaureate degree.
(2) Second Year Application Deadline: Selection of this option should be confirmed with the pre-PT advisor by October 1 of the second year. To be eligible, the applicant must complete the first year at UCA as a first-time freshman undergraduate (no transfer students). At least 27 credit hours at UCA (not counting high school concurrent credits or AP credits) is required with a minimum 3.7 cumulative GPA. Finally, the student must have completed 8 hours of science prerequisites (no high school credit hours) with a 4.0 science GPA.
To maintain Early Assurance Status:
- Take all coursework at UCA;
- Attend three Pre-PT Club meetings each year (12 total in 4 years);
- By September 1 of the application year, hold a 3.70 cumulative GPA and a 3.50 cumulative science GPA for all undergraduate work;
- Complete 22 hours of required science prerequisite hours by the October 1 deadline for application;
- Complete the baccalaureate degree and all required prerequisites by August of the year of enrollment in the DPT program;
- No interview is required of applicants entering the program under the Early Assurance Pathway.
Students who are interested in the Early Assurance Program can contact the Program Advisor, Jaclyn Burroughs, for more information by email at jburroughs2@uca.edu or by phone at (501) 450-5541.
DPT Application
- The UCA DPT application deadline is October 1st each year.
- Physical Therapist Central Application Service (PTCAS) is utilized for DPT admissions. PTCAS opens each summer for the next application cycle. Visit PTCAS to learn more and to begin.
- The top applicants are invited to a mandatory interview scheduled for an early Friday in December. The next interviews will be held in December of 2025.
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. Please note that World Education Services (WES) is the preferred foreign transcript evaluation service for PTCAS applicants with non-US coursework. UCA DPT International Applicant Information, UCA International Engagement, International Student Admission Information.
**With respect to code 668.43 (a)(5)(v): By virtue of being an accredited program by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), the UCA Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program graduate is eligible to apply for physical therapy licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and is eligible to sit for the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE). Successful applicants for licensure must meet specific application requirements as directed by each state (i.e. as paying a fee, completing a jurisprudence exam, submission of a background check, and providing official transcripts, etc.) as well as receiving a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Exam. The following links provide more information about licensure requirements: www.fsbpt.org, www.arptb.org.
Documents and Links
UCA DPT Brochure with DPT Program description and admission process.
Financial Fact Sheet provides specific information about costs of the UCA DPT program.
Essential Functions of the DPT Student Policy
Notice of Non-Discrimination Policy
UCA DPT Course Check-sheet of DPT prerequisite courses required for admission.
UCA Graduate Bulletin for (Course Catalog)
PTCAS for applications to the UCA DPT Program are processed on-line through the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS)
AR Course Transfer System for UCA equivalent courses at Arkansas colleges & universities for transfer credit.
Equivalent DPT Prerequisite Courses at Arkansas four-year colleges and universities.
UCA DPT Curriculum Sequence Professional DPT Curriculum Sequence of Courses.
Process for Filing a Complaint about the program. Send an email to pt@uca.edu with subject line: Grievance.
