Students interested in pursuing a career in physical therapy will need to apply to the graduate level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program. The DPT program requires a Baccalaureate degree as well as specific prerequisite coursework. Students attending the University of Central Arkansas or another college or university for their undergraduate work may declare a degree with the major of their choice and incorporate the prerequisite coursework.
Advising
- Jaclyn Burroughs, Program Advisor, Email: jburroughs2@uca.edu, Phone: (501) 450-5541.
- UCA DPT Brochure (pdf)
- UCA DPT Course Check sheet for Application 2026 (pdf)
- UCA DPT Degree Web Page
- Transfer Equivalency for Arkansas 4-year colleges/universities
- UCA Undergraduate Course Catalog
- UCA Graduate Course Catalog
- Arkansas Course Transfer System
UCA Pre-PT Club
The Pre-PT Club is a recognized student organization at UCA for students who are interested physical therapy. The club meets the first Tuesday of each month during X-period. The Pre-PT Club is designed to help UCA students learn about the profession of physical therapy. For more information, contact Jaclyn Burroughs, Program Advisor.
UCA DPT Early Assurance Program
The Early Assurance Pathway (EAP) is designed for UCA undergraduate students and provides two options for entry including the First Year Application Deadline and the Second Year Application Deadline. Students who are interested in the Early Assurance Pathway can contact the Program Advisor, Jaclyn Burroughs, for more information
(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 20 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.
DPT Application – Observation Hours
The UCA Department of Physical Therapy will continue to suspend the requirement for DPT Applicants to complete physical therapy observation hours. Students are encouraged to learn about the profession of physical therapy in other ways. For example, the American Physical Therapy Association provides information about the profession at the following link Becoming a Physical Therapist | APTA.
For More Information
Contact the Department of Physical Therapy at (501) 450-3611 or email to pt@uca.edu.
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