Per CAPTE: This program has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE - 3030 Potomac Avenue, Suite 100, Alexandria, VA, 22314; phone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org). Candidate for Accreditation is a pre-accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program is progressing toward accreditation and may matriculate students in professional courses. Candidate for Accreditation is not an accreditation status nor does it assure eventual accreditation.
Spalding University, an independent, urban, coeducational institution in the Catholic tradition for students of all traditions, will begin accepting students into its new Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program in Fall Semester 2022, pending approval by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The School of Physical Therapy, with its planned professional and post-professional offerings, continues Spalding University's long tradition of graduate education and builds on its Research Doctoral graduate status.
NO BACHELOR'S DEGREE NEEDED!! Students can be admitted into the DPT Program after completing three years of college, and many prerequisite courses can be completed online. A Bachelor of Health Sciences degree will be awarded at the completion of the first year of the DPT curriculum. Undergraduate students interested in admission to the DPT Program will have opportunities to engage with physical therapists in clinical and research settings through prerequisite coursework offered by Spalding University.
The DPT Program will use a hybrid/low residency delivery of its curriculum, building on Spalding University's tradition of flexible education that meets the needs of the times. The lecture portion of the 110 credit curriculum will be offered online, and hands-on laboratory courses will be taught in the program's state-of-the-art on-campus facilities in Downtown Louisville, KY. Students will complete 32 weeks of full-time clinical education in physical therapy settings in metro Louisville and across the country. Twenty of these 32 weeks will be integrated across three years of the program, assuring students gain the experience and confidence for their three-month terminal clinical education experience in the last semester of the program.
Veteran faculty with experience in online learning will guide the professional curriculum in preparing competent, compassionate physical therapists who will be advocates for their patients, collaborators in interprofessional practice, and leaders in their profession. Faculty will guide graduates on the path to lifelong learning through post-graduate residencies and post-professional education opportunities.
Criminal Background Checks
Notice: Applicants who have a felony conviction may be prohibited from receiving a state license to practice physical therapy. Per federal requirements, many clinical facilities require a criminal background check that may restrict students who have felony convictions from completing a clinical internship at their site. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with the Program Director prior to enrolling in any DPT program to inquire about the implications of any felony or driving while impaired conviction.
Following submission of completed and verified applications, the Admissions Committee will review each submission. Subsequently, the Admissions Committee will vote to invite qualified applicants to complete the asynchronous Kira Talent interview.
Deposit is due within 2 weeks after acceptance letter received. Upon matriculation, will be applied to first semester tuition.
https://spalding.edu/doctor-of-physical-therapy/