• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • MyUSA
  • Library
  • Gear Store
  • Continuing Education
  • Request Information
  • Apply Now

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

Clinical Excellence Through Graduate Education

Menu
  • Academics
    • Academics

      USAHS offers flexible approaches to health professional education utilizing web-based, classroom, and laboratory learning activities. Each of our academic programs focuses on foundational sciences and concepts, sound decision-making, and strong technical skill development. USAHS delivers contemporary, flexible, evidence- informed programs that present students with many enriching and exciting learning opportunities designed to meet their professional goals.

    • Colleges & Programs
      • College of Rehabilitative Sciences
        • Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP)
        • Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
        • Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)
        • Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (PPOTD)
        • Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
        • Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (tDPT)
        • Physical Therapy Online Courses for Intl Students
        • Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship
        • Clinical Orthopaedic Residency
      • College of Health Sciences
        • School of Nursing
          • Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
          • Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
          • Post-Graduate Nursing Certificates
          • Meraki Nursing Honor Society
        • Doctor of Education (EdD)
        • Master of Health Administration (MHA)
        • Master of Health Science (MHS)
    • Quick Links
      • Continuing Professional Education
      • Innovative Education Delivery
      • Centers for Innovative Clinical Practice
      • Accelerated Learning
      • Our Faculty
    Close
  • Admissions & Aid
    • Admissions & Aid

      USAHS focuses on providing the best and more appropriate academic and financial aid counseling throughout the admissions process. Whether applying to a first-professional, campus based program or a post-professional distance program, an assigned Enrollment Advisor is available to assist you from application to acceptance.

      Admissions & Aid Home
    • Application Deadlines
    • Catalog & Student Handbook
    • Admissions FAQs
    • Financial Aid
    • Academic Calendar
    Close
  • About
    • About

      The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) is a graduate institution that emphasizes health science education through innovative quality classroom and distance education. Founded in 1979, USAHS has locations in San Marcos, CA; St. Augustine, FL; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX; and Miami, FL. USAHS offers degree programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, education and health science, as well as continuing education programs.

      About Home
    • General
      • History
      • Accreditation
      • B Corp Certified
      • Student Achievement Data
      • Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO’s)
      • News
      • Media Resources
      • Partnerships
    • People
      • Leadership
      • Board of Directors
      • Careers
      • Alumni
      • Our Faculty
      • Contact Us
    • Campuses
      • San Marcos, CA
      • St. Augustine, FL
      • Miami, FL
      • Austin, TX
      • Dallas, TX
    Close
  • Events
  • MyUSA
  • Gear Store
  • Continuing Education
  • Blog
Home
Menu
  • Academics
    • Academics

      USAHS offers flexible approaches to health professional education utilizing web-based, classroom, and laboratory learning activities. Each of our academic programs focuses on foundational sciences and concepts, sound decision-making, and strong technical skill development. USAHS delivers contemporary, flexible, evidence- informed programs that present students with many enriching and exciting learning opportunities designed to meet their professional goals.

    • Colleges & Programs
      • College of Rehabilitative Sciences
        • Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP)
        • Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
        • Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)
        • Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (PPOTD)
        • Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
        • Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (tDPT)
        • Physical Therapy Online Courses for Intl Students
        • Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship
        • Clinical Orthopaedic Residency
      • College of Health Sciences
        • School of Nursing
          • Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
          • Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
          • Post-Graduate Nursing Certificates
          • Meraki Nursing Honor Society
        • Doctor of Education (EdD)
        • Master of Health Administration (MHA)
        • Master of Health Science (MHS)
    • Quick Links
      • Continuing Professional Education
      • Innovative Education Delivery
      • Centers for Innovative Clinical Practice
      • Accelerated Learning
      • Our Faculty
    Close
  • Admissions & Aid
    • Admissions & Aid

      USAHS focuses on providing the best and more appropriate academic and financial aid counseling throughout the admissions process. Whether applying to a first-professional, campus based program or a post-professional distance program, an assigned Enrollment Advisor is available to assist you from application to acceptance.

      Admissions & Aid Home
    • Application Deadlines
    • Catalog & Student Handbook
    • Admissions FAQs
    • Financial Aid
    • Academic Calendar
    Close
  • About
    • About

      The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) is a graduate institution that emphasizes health science education through innovative quality classroom and distance education. Founded in 1979, USAHS has locations in San Marcos, CA; St. Augustine, FL; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX; and Miami, FL. USAHS offers degree programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, education and health science, as well as continuing education programs.

      About Home
    • General
      • History
      • Accreditation
      • B Corp Certified
      • Student Achievement Data
      • Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILO’s)
      • News
      • Media Resources
      • Partnerships
    • People
      • Leadership
      • Board of Directors
      • Careers
      • Alumni
      • Our Faculty
      • Contact Us
    • Campuses
      • San Marcos, CA
      • St. Augustine, FL
      • Miami, FL
      • Austin, TX
      • Dallas, TX
    Close
  • Events
  • MyUSA
  • Gear Store
  • Continuing Education
  • Blog
  • Request Information
  • Apply Now
Home  >  News Article  >  Circle C campus to address high demand in physical therapy

March 2012 Austin, TX Leave a Comment

Circle C campus to address high demand in physical therapy

by Kevin Stich
Community Impact Newspaper
March 30, 2012

Though Austin is steadily growing into a booming urban metropolis, at heart it will always be a college town with The University of Texas and St. Edward’s University forming the foundation.

Now Austin can add one more school to the list of higher education institutions in the city, as The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences officially broke ground in February on a Circle C campus that will begin its first semester in September.

The school offers graduate degrees for doctor of physical therapy (DPT), master of occupational therapy, a dual degree option and the flexible doctor of physical therapy program. It will additionally offer transitional, post professional and continuing professional education programs for practicing therapists.

Featuring an inaugural class of approximately 35 students—a number that will expand to 500 over time—the 80,000-square-foot complex will contain classrooms, labs and research centers. It is one of three campuses in the USA family, with the others located in San Marcos, Calif., and St. Augustine, Fla.

Students entering the program must have completed a bachelor’s degree and have taken prerequisites for the respective programs they are entering, which are generally chemistry, biology, physics, anatomy, physiology and social sciences courses. The DPT program also requires entering students have a 3.0 GPA or higher and four references.

Patricia King, director of the DPT program at the Austin campus, said the demand for physical therapy institutions is high, especially in an area where Texas State University is the only other “competitor” that offers a graduate degree in physical therapy and a DPT program.

“There’s a shortage of physical therapists, occupational therapists and really a variety of health professionals, compared to the need,” she said. “Based on that, as the demand for physical therapy education goes up, the capacity of schools is not equivalent to the demand for the education from students or workforce.

“All of the other schools in the state are currently running at capacity and turning large volumes of qualified students away because of the demand that we have for this type of education.”

Meeting demand

The university did research on geographic regions with growing populations, growing need and populaces with college educations. Houston and Dallas were on the short list of cities in Texas being considered for the USA program, but in the end, Austin was considered prime real estate for such a project.

“In some of our research, and particularly when we were in Houston, we asked people, ‘Where do you think people would to go to school? Would you like to go to school in Houston or in Austin?’” Chief Development Officer Alan Paris said. “Well, the people in Houston said, ‘Why, Austin, of course.’”

Austin Community College does offer a physical therapist assistant program, and King said she had been in contact with department chair Jana Israel, so students who choose to further their degree will have an option at USA to do so. Israel was not immediately available for comment. Officials from the university are also meeting with other institutions throughout Texas to build relationships and pipelines for students and collaboration.

Locally, St. Augustine staff has met with preprofessional advisers at St. Edward’s and are looking to meet with University of Texas advisors as well. USA hopes to make connections through its Ambassador Program, an initiative that looks to build relationships with other schools in the region.

“The Austin community, in terms of its healthy lifestyle and emphasis on education, seemed like the perfect fit for a graduate school such as ours,” King said. “Our goal is to produce health professionals who are models of healthy lifestyles who are committed to enhancing the health and fitness of the population—Austin just had the right attitude. With UT being there and St. Edward’s, there’s college students already in preprofessional education that we thought would make a great connection for our school.”

The first year will be open only to those in the DPT program, but King said the school would offer an occupational therapy program and an orthopedic assistant program starting in fall 2013.

The school will create jobs for Austin. Over the course of the next year, USA will attempt to hire locally for some faculty and staff positions.

According to ACC’s website, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and outpatient clinics are among the institutions that hire physical therapist assistants. It goes on to say that starting annual salaries for Austin-area assistants are $28,000–$35,000.

Construction

The location will be constructed in two phases, with the first facility being 35,000 square feet, hosting three classrooms, a library, offices, study areas and an anatomy lab. The second phase, which will be built for occupancy in 2014, will be 45,000 square feet and feature a wellness center, classrooms and an on-site clinic.

“Our university has a very heavy focus on clinical excellence and clinical practice, and one of the ways we’re able to do that is to have a clinic on-site,” Paris said.

The campus will be built by Hardin Construction Company on 27.7 acres near the Circle C Ranch community. The location was chosen by USA in partnership with Sawtooth Development Group and will be a build-to-suit lease—meaning the property can be repurposed and released by Sawtooth should USA move.

Paris said Circle C was chosen because of its location, transportation advantages—such as traffic—and housing and business development.

The City of Austin Health and Human Services Department declined comment on the university’s presence in Austin.

Photo credits: Kevin Stich

Austin campus, Hardin Construction

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

News Single Post: Sidebar

Request For Information

  • The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program is also available at our Miami, FL, Austin, TX and San Marcos, CA campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to another or all campuses.
  • The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program is also available at our Austin, TX, Miami, FL and St. Augustine, FL campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to another or all campuses.
  • The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program is also available at our Miami, FL, St. Augustine, FL and San Marcos, CA campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to another or all campuses.
  • The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program is also available at our Austin, TX, St. Augustine, FL and San Marcos, CA campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to another or all campuses.
  • The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is also available at our Miami, FL, Austin, TX and San Marcos, CA campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to another or all campuses.
  • The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is also available at our Austin, TX, Miami, FL and St. Augustine, FL campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to another or all campuses.
  • The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is also available at our Miami, FL, San Marcos, CA and St. Augustine, FL campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to another or all campuses.
  • The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is also available at our San Marcos, CA, Austin, TX and St. Augustine, FL campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to another or all campuses.
  • The Flex Master of Occupational Therapy program is also available at our Austin, TX and Miami, FL campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to being considered for additional campuses.
  • The Flex Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is also available at our Miami, FL and St. Augustine campuses. Select a 2nd choice campus if you are open to being considered for additional campuses.
    The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is also offered in a convenient Flex format (Online + Weekend Labs on campus). Check here if you're interested in hearing more about the Flex MOT currently offered in Miami, Austin and St. Augustine.
    The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program is also offered in a convenient Flex format (Online + Weekend Labs on campus). Check here if you're interested in hearing more about the Flex DPT currently offered in Austin, San Marcos and St. Augustine.
    By clicking the checkbox, I provide my express written consent for University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences to contact me via email, text, telephone, and prerecorded message regarding furthering my education. I understand that calls may be generated using automated technology. You may opt-out at any time. Please view our Privacy policy or Contact Us for more details.

Recent News

AAOMPT Announces Position on Diagnostic Term ‘Degenerative Disc Disease’

HURRICANE DORIAN UPDATE

Updated Accreditation Candidacy Status for Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology Program

2019 Fall Open Houses

2019 Presidential Distinguished Lecture: Vice Admiral Forrest Faison III, M.D.

Top News Stories

Giving the Gift of Mobility

University of St. Augustine Continuing Education Program Reaccredited

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Bringing Physical Therapy Program to Miami

Pregnancy and Physical Therapy Continuing Education Seminar Offered by Women’s Health Expert

Austin Campus of University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Adding Third Building

Upcoming Events

TueDec 17

Master of Health Administration (MHA) Academic Webinar

7:00 pm EST

Online

College of Health Sciences

Health Administration

Information Session

Prospective Students

MORE INFORMATION

WedDec 18

Master of Health Science (MHS) Academic Webinar

8:00 pm EST

Online

College of Health Sciences

MHS - Athletic Training, MHS - Health Informatics, MHS - Teaching and Learning, MHS - Executive Leadership, Master of Health Science

Information Session

Prospective Students

MORE INFORMATION

WedDec 18

Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS-SLP) Admissions Webinar

7:00 pm EST

Online

College of Rehabilitative Sciences

MS-SLP

Information Session

Prospective Students

MORE INFORMATION

Footer

  • Schedule a Tour
  • Apply for Admission
  • Upcoming Events
  • News
  • Financial Aid
  • Faculty Directory
  • Library
  • Continuing Education
  • Careers @ USA
  • MyUSA
  • Webmail
  • Catalog & Student Handbook
  • Media Resources
  • Legal and Consumer Disclosures

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Flickr
  • Linkedin

Miami, FL Campus
Douglas Entrance North Tower
800 S. Douglas Road
Suite 149
Coral Gables, FL 33134

St. Augustine, FL Campus
1 University Boulevard
St. Augustine, FL 32086

San Marcos, CA Campus
700 Windy Point Drive
San Marcos, CA 92069

 

Austin, TX Campus
5401 La Crosse Ave
Austin, TX 78739

Dallas, TX Campus
5010 Riverside Drive, Suite 120
Irving, TX 75039

General Inquiries: (904) 826-0084
Media Inquiries: (760) 410-5306
Fax: (904) 826-0085
Registrations: (800) 241-1027

 

 

Copyright © 2019 Legal & Consumer Disclosure  •  Title IX / Safety & Security  •  Privacy Policy  •  Program Data  •  Accreditation  •  Contact