College of Health Sciences

Physical Therapy

Welcome to the University of Kentucky, Division of Physical Therapy website. The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice defines physical therapy as "a dynamic profession with an established theoretical base and widespread clinical applications in the preservation, development, and restoration of optimal physical function."

Information and application for entry into the Fall 2014 program is now available.. Do not apply to the University of Kentucky Admissions Office nor the Graduate School.

History and Mission of Our Program

The Physical Therapy program at UK has been educating physical therapists since 1967. Our program is conducted at the Lexington, Kentucky campus and at the Center for Rural Health in Hazard, Kentucky. We received our most recent continued full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) in 2004.

The Physical Therapy Program at the University of Kentucky is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone: 703-706-3245; email; accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org .

The purpose of the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Kentucky is foremost to meet the physical therapy needs of Kentucky and contribute to global needs overall by developing competent physical therapy practitioners who are analytical thinkers, educators and professionals. The Division of Physical Therapy strives to develop practitioners who are knowledgeable, ethical, independent, adaptable, reflective and service oriented. This practitioner development is accomplished through a wide variety of mechanisms:

Educational programs which are informed by scholarship and research and designed to provide excellence in instruction as well as accessibility to a diverse student body. These programs include the professional DPT (Lexington and Center for Rural Health campuses), post-professional programs (DPT-Transition and the PhD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences), and continuing education courses.
Scholarship, research, and creative activities which contribute to the discovery and expansion of knowledge in the health sciences.
Service to the public (in urban and rural communities), to other professional disciplines, and to the profession.
Professional socialization through participation in professional activities and organization

Program Outcome Data

The United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education have indicated the importance of the public availability of student outcomes information. To meet this expectation, the University of Kentucky Physical Therapy program is providing the following:

Graduate Rate

Class of	Number of Graduates	Percent of Class Graduated
2012	61	94.00
2011	59	92.00
2010	63	97.00
2009	31	97.00
4 Year Average		95.00

Licensure Examination Pass Rate

Class of	Number of Graduates Taking Exam	Ultimate Pass Rate
2012	61	98.40
2011	59	100.00
2010	63	98.40
2009	31	100.00
4 Year Average		98.20

EMPLOYMENT RATE: 100% of graduates in each year were employed as PT’s within six months of passing the licensure examination.

About Our Program

UK offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) entry-level curriculum. Students may enter the program following completion of University and professional program required courses. A Bachelor's Degree is NOT necessary (but is recommended) for application.

For those admitted without a bachelor's degree, a Bachelor of Health Science degree and DPT are awarded upon completion of the program. Once accepted, the professional phase requires nine continuous semesters of class work (approximately 120 semester hours)

Religious Holiday Observance

Faculty shall give students the opportunity to make up work (typically, exams or assignments) when students notify them that religious observances prevent the students from doing their work at its scheduled time.

Faculty shall indicate in their syllabus how much advance notice they require from a student requesting an accommodation. Faculty may use their judgment as to whether the observance in question is important enough to warrant an accommodation, although the presumption should be in favor of a student’s request. The Offices of Institutional Diversity, the Dean of Students, and the Ombud are available for consultation.

Policies and Procedures (pdf), click here

Program Outcome Data (pdf), click here

CHS Physical Therapy Program

C.T. Wethington Building
900 S. Limestone, Room 204
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0200
(859) 218-0494