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UNCW Statue in the Spring

Physical Therapy, DPT

Empowering Recovery Through Expertise
  • 30

    Months to Program Completion

  • 38

    Weeks of Full-Time Clinical Education

This program is pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Are you a college junior or senior thinking about your next step? The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program offers a fast-track, 30-month path to becoming a licensed physical therapist. Located just minutes from the beach, our program combines a rigorous, evidence-based curriculum with a supportive hands-on learning environment and a vibrant coastal lifestyle.

You’ll gain the skills, confidence and clinical experience needed to thrive in today’s evolving healthcare landscape. Our eight-semester program begins each June and prepares you to sit for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) right after graduation.

The demand for physical therapists is growing. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook for Physical Therapy lists the median pay rate of $48.57 per hour or $101,020 per year. The handbook further states that there are currently 267,200 Physical Therapist jobs. Growth of 11% (much faster than average) is predicted with an additional 29,300 jobs opening between 2024 and 2034.

Alumni Have Careers As:

Examine, diagnose, and create treatment plans for patients recovering from medical conditions (heart disease, pulmonary disease, stroke or traumatic brain injury), surgery or amputation so they can return safely to home and activity.
Enhance patient movement and function using evidenced-based manual interventions, exercise, and equipment. Treat back/neck pain, traumatic brain injury, upper/lower extremity injuries, neurological and cardiopulmonary conditions.
Provide skilled evidenced-based care for residents of skilled nursing, acute and long-term rehabilitation facilities to promote and enhance movement and function.
Help athletes and performing artists prevent and recover from injuries.
Provide skilled evidenced-based care for residents of skilled nursing, acute and long-term rehabilitation facilities to promote and enhance movement and function.
Home health physical therapists see the greatest variety of patient diagnoses and age levels, practicing in patient homes to enhance movement and restore function.

Learn To

Demonstrate entry-level professional behaviors and decision-making skills

Evaluate evidence to facilitate best patient outcomes

Adapt the delivery of physical therapy services with consideration for patients’ differences, values, preferences and needs

Communicate effectively and professionally with healthcare professionals, paraprofessionals and community members to provide patient-centered care

Develop scholarly work that informs evidence-based practice for clinical decision making or investigates innovative physical therapy interventions utilizing solid theoretical constructs

Engage in advocacy efforts for the profession and the health and well-being of the community

Program Overview
  • Accelerated curriculum starts in June with graduation in December allowing students to take the NPTE in January, months ahead of many of their peers from other institutions.
  • 38-weeks of full-time clinical education, allowing students to explore many opportunities across the United States and enhancing hands on skill development.
  • Two integrated clinical experiences provide 60-hours of integrated clinical education.
  • Integrated service-learning program, working directly with faculty to address the needs of underserved populations locally within North Carolina.
  • Train in state-of-the-art laboratories.
  • Unique interprofessional education experiences including adaptive sports and simulation experiences with athletic training, nursing, recreational therapy and gerontology students.
  • Highly experienced faculty dedicated to advancing the profession.
  • Engage in faculty-led research to develop scholarly works for peer review, presentation and publication.

 

Sample Courses

  • PTH 610: Patient Safety and Mobility
  • PTH 614: Foundations for Physical Therapy Practice 
  • PTH 621: Biomechanics
  • PTH 633: Essentials of Rehabilitation Technology
  • PTH 644: Motor Control
  • PTH 653: Pharmacology for Physical Therapists
  • PTH 625: Pediatric Physical Therapy

Coming Soon

This program is coming soon and not yet open for enrollment.

Contact Dr. Paul Ullucci, Program Director for more information

See everything happening in the

School of Health and Applied Human Sciences

Accreditation

Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone; 703-706-3245; accreditation@apta.org is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states. Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT; www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT's website.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is seeking accreditation of a new physical therapist education program from CAPTE. The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, on November 1, 2030. Submission of this document does not assure that the program will be granted Candidate for Accreditation status. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status is required prior to implementation of the [professional/technical] phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in [professional/technical] courses until Candidate for Accreditation status has been achieved. Further, though achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status signifies satisfactory progress toward accreditation, it does not assure that the program will be granted accreditation.

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