The professional association for physical therapy, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) provides detailed information about the profession on their official web site www.APTA.org. Information specifically geared for potential physical therapy students can also be found at: www.APTA.org/ProspectiveStudents/.
UCF only offers a doctorate degree in physical therapy (DPT) after transitioning from a master’s program in 2008. Applicants must earn a baccalaureate or higher degree, prior to the start of the term for which the student is admitted, from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or from a recognized foreign institution.
The UCF DPT program does not require a specific undergraduate degree as a prerequisite for admission; however, there are some undergraduate majors that may better prepare students for DPT coursework and the profession as a whole. Some of the common majors of past applicants have included health sciences, exercise science, biology/microbiology, athletic training, health services administration, kinesiology/exercise physiology, nursing and physical education/ exceptional education.
At this time, the DPT program is only offered on the main UCF campus in Orlando, FL. DPT program courses are primarily housed on the second floor of the HS I building.
While the DPT program does offer some courses online or mixed-mode, the majority of the curriculum is offered face-to-face in a lecture or lab format. The course work is taken in a prescribed sequence over nine semesters, as outlined in the Graduate Catalog, and all course work is required.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy program is a full-time, three (3) year graduate professional program composed of 112 credit hours offered over nine consecutive semesters.
Admissions decisions will be made only once per academic year. Incoming students will begin the program in the summer C semester. Check the UCF Academic Calendar for the specific date each year.
There are several ways you can speak with someone regarding the UCF Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.
The application deadline for the 2022-2023 PTCAS cycle is October 17, 2022. Applications are only accepted for summer admission and applicants are encouraged to submit their completed applications early. The PTCAS application will open to applicants in June 2022. You must also submit an application to the UCF College of Graduate Studies by November 1, 2022 http://www.admissions.graduate.ucf.edu/
Yes, the Doctor of Physical Therapy program participates in the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service, known as PTCAS. To learn more about the PTCAS application process, visit www.ptcas.org.
The DPT program requires a minimum 3.00 GPA in the last 60 credit hours of your undergraduate degree and a minimum 3.00 GPA or higher for prerequisite courses. Grades less than “C” (including C-) in the required prerequisite courses will not be accepted. The applicants admitted in the last cycle had an average of a 3.7 prerequisite GPA, and an average of a 3.7 GPA in the last 60 credit hours of their undergraduate degree. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee an interview.
If you elect to repeat any of the required prerequisite courses, the highest grade for that course will be calculated for your prerequisite GPA.
Yes, like many professional and graduate programs the UCF DPT program requires applicants to submit scores from the GRE within the last five years from the date of application. The UCF DPT program is highly competitive and the average scores earned on the GRE for students accepted into the program in past years are as follows:
GRE scores must be sent directly to PTCAS using the UCF DPT program code: 3871.
We no longer require a biographical essay for admission, however PTCAS does require an essay portion that is also required by our program. For more information please refer to www.ptcas.org.
The following courses are recommended for students hoping to enter a physical therapy program (course numbers are specific to UCF). This list of courses may not be required for entry into a PT program, but simply a list of recommended courses that the DPT faculty believe will prepare a student for success in a graduate physical therapy program. It is strongly recommended to include some of these courses in your undergraduate degree program or as elective courses, if possible.
For an up-to-date list of the required prerequisite courses, please refer to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program’s page in the current UCF Graduate Catalog, which can be found at the following link: https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/catalog/PhysicalTherapyDPT
Courses older than ten (10) years will not be accepted.
The program recommends all prerequisite courses be completed at time of application and candidates with all prerequisites completed at time of application may be given preference over those still completing courses. No more than two (2) prerequisite courses may be in progress the fall semester and one (1) course the spring semester prior to the start of the program. To submit fall grades, PTCAS allows a one-time change to your application during the Academic Update time period (for specific dates, refer to www.ptcas.org). Any updates to fall grades must be received by PTCAS no later than January 15th of the application year to be considered as part of the program’s admissions decision making process. All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to entering the program in the summer. A final transcript will be required.
A maximum of three (3) prerequisite courses taken as AP, IB, CLEP credit will be accepted. Test credit for the prerequisite courses will only be accepted if the courses are documented on your transcripts and have been accepted by your accredited College or University. Test credits do not count towards prerequisite GPA.
As of the 2022-2023 cycle, online and hybrid courses are accepted for all prerequisite courses.