Assistant Professor – School of Physical Therapy

Job Description

The University of Puget Sound School of Physical Therapy seeks applications for a Tenure-track Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy to begin July 2026. The successful candidate will have expertise in neurologic or orthopedic physical therapy. The standard teaching load is 6 units per academic year. Primary teaching responsibilities will include courses in Critical Inquiry, musculoskeletal or neurologic rehabilitation, foundational physical therapy skills, and/or other course work as negotiated. The teaching load will be completed some combination of the following: mentoring of student research, mentoring/instructing students in our on-site physical therapy clinic, and teaching an advanced clinical elective in an area of special interest. Candidates are expected to engage in departmental advising and admissions, as well as university service.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Earned professional physical therapy degree from a CAPTE-accredited program (DPT)


• Academic doctoral degree (e.g. PhD, EdD, DSc)


• Academic teaching experience of DPT students


• Record of research productivity with evidence of publication


• Licensed Physical Therapist (WA state eligible)


• Minimum of 3 years of full-time clinical practice

Highly Desired:

• Board-certified Clinical Specialist by American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists

Application Deadline: Review of applications will begin on October 15, 2025, and will continue until the position is filled.

Required Documents:

Please submit curriculum vitae (CV) when prompted to submit resume. Additional documents can be attached within the application before submission. Applications submitted without the required attachments will not be considered.

• Curriculum vitae


• Letter of Interest


• Diversity Statement


• Research statement


• Three (3) Letters of Reference. You will be asked to specify the email addresses of reference providers at the time of application and the system will email these providers on the next business day.

Note: In the online application system, please submit curriculum vitae when prompted to submit resume. Additional documents can be attached within the application.

Applicant's Diversity Statement:

As a department and university, we are strongly committed to creating an inclusive and effective teaching, learning, and working environment for all. In the applicant's diversity statement, applicants should comment on their ability to contribute meaningfully to our on-going commitment to be informed and competent with regard to issues of diversity, equity, and individual differences. We encourage applicants to reference the University of Puget Sound's current Diversity Strategic Plan (DSP) at https://pugetsound.edu/about-puget-sound-0/mission-core-values/institutional-equity-diversity prior to writing this statement. While not an exhaustive list, the following are some ways applicants can express their qualification:

• Your lived experiences and/or identities that speak to the department and university's commitment to inclusion and diversity;


• Demonstration of your awareness of inequities for underrepresented student populations in education, research experience, and other opportunities;


• Brief insights on why diversity is important at institutions like the University of Puget Sound;


• Infusion of diversity and diversity-related issues into your research, pedagogy, and/or service;


• Previous and/or current activities involving mentoring underrepresented student populations;


• Creative ideas or strategies you could enact as a member of the University of Puget Sound campus community to support the university's DSP;


• Brief insights on how cultural competency increases one's effectiveness as an educator and department/university colleague.

Compensation and Benefits:

Rank: Assistant Professor

Faculty salaries at the University of Puget Sound are based on a common salary scale based on experience. Assistant Professor salaries for 2025-2026 begin at $74,404 annualized for an Assistant Professor with a terminal degree in their field in their first year of full-time postdoctoral teaching through $83,262 annualized based on experience.

Puget Sound offers a generous benefits package for eligible faculty members, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision


• Life insurance and long-term disability


• Employee Assistance Program


• Retirement plan options and 403(b) contributions


• Education benefits, such as full tuition for eligible employees and their families


• Access to university facilities and entertainment (fitness center, pool, library, concerts, lectures) and more!

For more information on Puget Sound's faculty benefits package, visit: Summary of 2025 Benefits for Faculty Members.pdf

For the Campus Holiday and Bonus Day Schedule, visit: www.pugetsound.edu/human-resources

About the Program:

The School of Physical Therapy at the University of Puget Sound established in 1975 and subsequently received accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), with continuing accreditation confirmed most recently in 2019. The program has eight full-time faculty members, high-quality adjunct faculty, and a robust network of clinical instructors that mentor students in the on-site clinic, Puget Sound's pro bono physical therapy service to the
community. This part-time clinical experience is integrated into students' second and third years, and is in addition to the program's two, full-time clinical experiences. The program seats a class of 36 students each fall and prides itself on graduates who are highly clinically competent. For this reason, physical therapy faculty who teach clinical content areas are expected to remain clinically current and practice physical therapy in an ongoing manner. More information about the program is located on the website at https://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/school-physical-therapy

About Puget Sound:

Located in a vibrant port city in the Pacific Northwest, Puget Sound is a leading national liberal arts and sciences university preparing students for success since 1888. In an ever-evolving world, we believe that the best preparation for the future is an education that exposes you to multiple perspectives, engages you in work that makes a difference in the world, and helps you discover who you are and what you have to offer. It's an education that transcends boundaries, teaches you to adapt to changing circumstances, and prepare for careers that might not yet exist.

Our beautiful 97-acre campus supports connections with the world it serves, from the tide flats and urban energy of the entrepreneurial city of Tacoma, Washington to nearby Seattle, the Pacific Rim and beyond. A Puget Sound education is rooted in an inspiring confluence of histories and cultures and ideas, and is centered on 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students who are open-minded, outward-reaching, and actively put their educations to work.

Puget Sound has a well-established Shared Faculty Appointments Policy. More information on faculty resources can be found here: https://pugetsound.edu/resources-faculty

University Diversity StatementWe acknowledge the richness of commonalities and differences we share as a university community; the intrinsic worth of all who work and study here; that education is enhanced by investigation of and reflection upon multiple perspectives.
We aspire to create respect for and appreciation of all persons as a key characteristic of our campus community; to increase the diversity of all parts of our University community through commitment to diversity in our recruitment and retention efforts; to foster a spirit of openness to active engagement among all members of our campus community.
We act to achieve an environment that welcomes and supports diversity; to ensure full educational opportunity for all who teach and learn here; to prepare effectively citizen-leaders for a pluralistic world.
All offers of employment are contingent on successful completion of all required background checks.

The University of Puget Sound is an equal opportunity employer.

How to Apply
For complete job description and application instructions, visit: www.pugetsound.edu/employment

About Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a selective national liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington, drawing 2,600 students from 48 states and 20 countries. Puget Sound graduates include Rhodes and Fulbright scholars, notables in the arts and culture, entrepreneurs and elected officials, and leaders in business and finance locally and throughout the world. A low student-faculty ratio provides Puget Sound students with personal attention from faculty who have a strong commitment to teaching and offer 1,200 courses each year in more than 40 traditional and interdisciplinary fields, including graduate programs in occupational and physical therapy and in education. Puget Sound is the only nationally ranked independent undergraduate liberal arts college in Western Washington, and one of just five independent colleges in the Pacific Northwest granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa, the nations most prestigious academic honorary society. Visit "About Puget Sound" (http://www.pugetsound.edu/about) to learn more about the college.

As a strategic goal and through our core values, University of Puget Sound is committed to an environment that welcomes and supports diversity. We seek diversity of identity, thought, perspective, and background in our students, faculty, and staff. EOE/AA