Frequently Asked Questions

This certificate program is tailored to prepare physical therapy students and licensed physical therapists to work as members of primary care teams with a skill set that enables them to be an entry point for patient/clients into the healthcare system through existing direct access legislation.

This model of physical therapist practice is designed to increase access to preventive and rehabilitative holistic healthcare and foster physical therapists as valued members of interprofessional teams that promote health, disease prevention, disease management and community engagement in underserved and marginalized populations.

You will earn a graduate certificate of completion.

You will need to complete 15 credit hours to earn this certificate.

You will also need to complete the National Safety Council Emergency Medical Response Training prior to Enrollment in PTC 796 (Physical Therapists' Role in Disaster Emergency Preparation and Management.)

• You can apply for this program if you are a licensed physical therapist or similarly credentialed in another country OR a student in good standing in a CAPTE accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
• You will need to write a one- or two-page double-spaced paper on your interest in primary care PT for underserved populations.
• If you are a student DPT, you will be required to get a letter from your program director that states that you are in good standing and have permission to enroll this program or take a course from this program.
• Finally, the UAB Graduate School will ask you to send your transcripts.

No, you will not have to take the GRE to apply to this program.

This online program will cost approximately $10,320 - this is an estimate based on $682 for each semester hour of coursework. For the most current UAB tuition figures, please visit the UAB graduate tuition website and scroll down to "Online Courses Offered."

Yes, you can take one course or several courses that interest you. All but one of our courses are two-credit hour courses. The cost of a 2-credit hour (30 contact hours) course is approximately $1,364. For the most current UAB tuition figures, please visit the UAB graduate tuition website and scroll down to "Online Courses Offered." To register for a course, the prerequisites are the same as applying for the program minus the paper concerning your interest in primary care PT for underserved populations.

You will be either taking one or two courses a semester for up to seven semesters. All the courses are two credit hours except one which is one credit hour. At this time the courses offered are only offered once a year. After several cohorts complete the program, this will change.

No, this program is totally online. All classes are informed through a research-based curriculum development process. All classes will be created following Quality Matters guidelines.

Yes, this program is delivered online and asynchronously for most of this curriculum. A small portion of this curriculum will be held synchronously in the evening or weekends.

We believe that the skills that you will learn in this program will be useful for any populations because they are patient-centered and promote empathy which results in better outcomes for any population or individual you treat.

Applications to our Graduate Certificate in Primary Care Physical Therapy for Underserved Population program are submitted through the UAB Graduate School. This process is completed online. Click here to begin the process.

Registration for a single course in our Graduate Certificate in Primary Care Physical Therapy for Underserved population program is also done through the Graduate School. Here, you will apply as a Blazer non-degree seeking student. This process is also done online. Click here to begin the process.