Spalding University

Kosair for Kids School of Physical Therapy

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Degrees Offered

Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

The DPT program is offered in a hybrid, low-residency format, allowing you to view lectures online and attend labs on campus one week per month. In this 4 year program (110 credit hours), you will have the opportunity to gain valuable clinical experience and graduate with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

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Post-Professional DPT (Transitional DPT)

If you are already a licensed, practicing physical therapist and want to expand your career options, the Post-Professional DPT offers a 100% online 30 credit-hour program. With the flexibility to start in any semester, take classes in almost any order, and transfer up to 10 credit hours, the Post-Professional DPT allows you to plan the degree that fits you best.

15,400

Expected Number of Physical Therapist Job Openings Each Year Between 2021 & 2031 in the US¹

$95,620

Annual Median Pay for Physical Therapists in 2021 in the US¹

17%

Expected Increase in Employment for Physical Therapists by 2031¹

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, September 8). Physical therapists : Occupational outlook handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved January 25, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm.

A Doctor of Physical Therapy Program that Meets You Where You Are

The DPT program is offered in a hybrid, low-residency format. Traditional lectures delivered online and on-campus, hands-on labs are held one week per month in Louisville, KY. In this 3.5 year, 110 credit program, you will gain valuable clinical experience and graduate with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. No bachelor’s degree required! Students can be admitted into the DPT Program after completing 3 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.

Dedicated Space for On-campus Learning

Our 22,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility features anatomy and skills labs to provide our physical therapy students immersive lab experiences. This facility also houses a study area and a student lounge, ensuring student have places to learn and collaborate outside the classroom and relax in between classes.

Healthcare students at Spalding University

Hands-on Clinical Experiences

The DPT program offers 32 weeks of clinical experience in a variety of practice settings, in Louisville and across the country. Multiple full-time clinical rotations are offered throughout the program beginning after the first year of the cirriculum.

Learn more about our Entry-level DPT curriculum.

Learn more about our Post-professional DPT curriculum.

Smaller Cohorts

Our Entry-Level DPT program’s smaller class sizes allow you to build closer relationships with your peers, and you will receive individual attention from our accomplished, supportive faculty.

Accreditation

Effective October 25, 2022 the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Spalding University has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 502-873-4449 or email physicaltherapy@spalding.edu.

Candidate for Accreditation is an accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program may matriculate students in technical/professional courses. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status does not assure that the program will be granted Initial Accreditation.

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.

Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Statement

Spalding University is an equal-opportunity educational institution. The University does not discriminate against otherwise qualified individuals on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or disability.

(Reference https://catalog.spalding.edu/?id=1085)