Program Overview

Admission to the three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy program (D.P.T.) is competitive and requires students to have a bachelor's degree. Students must also complete prerequisite courses and obtain a minimum of 50 hours of work, volunteer, and/or job shadow experience in physical therapy prior to admission. PLEASE NOTE: These requirements may have changed due to COVID-19. Please consult with Grand Valley State University admissions department if you have any questions.

In addition, students must have two letters of recommendation, one of which must come from a physical therapist. Please see the gvsu.edu/pt website for any important updates and/or changes.

Why Study Physical Therapy at Grand Valley?

• State of the art teaching and research facilities in close proximity to a world class rehabilitation center and hospitals on or near The Medical Mile in Grand Rapids, impacting instruction, collaboration, and professional networking.
  
• A highly integrated curriculum, focused on hands-on experiential learning, delivered by expert core faculty who have clinical specialization in areas such as orthopedics, neurology, pediatrics, geriatrics, sports, manual therapy, wound care, and vestibular rehabilitation.
  
• All students participate in collaborative research with faculty, and results are regularly published in peer reviewed literature and presented at State and National conferences.
  
• Availability of third-year elective Advanced Topics specialty courses that prepare students for follow-on residency training.
  
• Graduates have achieved a 95% first time and 98 percent ultimate pass-rate on the National Physical Therapy Licensure Examination and 100-percent employment rate.