Cumberlands adds Doctor of Physical Therapy program

University of the Cumberlands is proud to announce the launch of a new Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program with classes beginning in January 2023*. Applications for the program are being accepted now through September 2022 through the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service. 

Those interested in learning more about the program or application process may register for an info session by visiting www.ucumberlands.edu/dpt-info-sessions.

Cumberlands’ Doctor of Physical Therapy is a full-time graduate program. Applicants must have completed their bachelor’s degree, but a master’s degree is not required for admission. The DPT program at Cumberlands is an accelerated curriculum that takes two years (six semesters) to complete1, delivered in a blended format that includes instruction online, on-campus, and in physical therapy settings.

On average, physical therapists in the U.S. make approximately $44 per hour, with some PTs earning more than $108,000 per year. The occupation is expected to grow by 21 percent, much faster than the national average.2 Physical therapy is currently one of the top 10 healthcare jobs in America.3 University of the Cumberlands is one of fewer than a dozen universities in the U.S. to offer a hybrid accelerated DPT degree. 

During the first full year of Cumberlands’ DPT program, students will participate in online classes and early integrated clinical experiences and will attend intensive lab immersions held on Cumberlands’ main campus in Williamsburg, Kentucky. During the second year of the program, students will participate in online classes, on-campus lab immersions, and three full-time clinical experiences. Full-time clinical experiences will be held throughout Kentucky and across the United States.

The program has an integrated case-based curricular model and learner-centered approach to prepare physical therapists who integrate mind, heart, and hands, collaborating within healthcare teams, to improve patient/client and community health, with a focus on service for medically underserved and rural populations. The service-oriented program aims to work closely with students to develop clinical experiences in the communities where they live.

At University of the Cumberlands, graduate programs in health sciences are designed to prepare professionals to be servant-leaders in their disciplines and communities, linking research with practice and knowledge with ethical decision-making. The DPT degree reflects the university’s commitment to nurturing healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills, and ethical clarity needed for pragmatic leadership in a complex and dynamic modern world. Moreover, through the focus of the DPT program, Cumberlands has a new means to express and promote Christian values as it seeks to foster humane and altruistic health care for individuals and society.

Accreditation Information:

*University of the Cumberlands is seeking accreditation of a new Doctor of Physical Therapy program from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The program is planning to submit an Application for Candidacy, which is the formal application required in the pre-accreditation stage, in June 2022.

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 phase of the program; therefore, no students may be enrolled in the professional 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.

Graduation from a physical therapist education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22305-3085; phone 703.706.3245; accreditation [at] apta.org (accreditation[at]apta[dot]org), is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.

This program has been reviewed as a substantive change by our institutional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities, and is included in our institutional accreditation status.

1 Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and other factors.

2 Statistics from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov.

3 From “Best Health Care Jobs” in 2020 ranking by U.S. News & World Report.