What is Physical Therapy?
Physical Therapists provide clients across the lifespan with services at the preventive, acute, and rehabilitative stages directed toward achieving increased functional independence and decreased functional impairment. Physical Therapists interact and practice in collaboration with a variety of health professionals. They educate and inform others about the services they offer and their effective and coast-efficient delivery.
Physical Therapists are required to be licensed by the states in which they practice. Physical Therapy provides excellent employment potential. The field continues to show growth in clinical responsibilities and in new areas of clinical practice. Some examples of settings where physical therapists are employed include: acute care hospitals, rehabilitation settings, private offices, sports medicine clinics, athletic teams, school systems, centers for person with disabilities, geriatric settings, home health care, industry, research centers, and universities. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) offers a good look at the future of the profession.
Why Study Physical Therapy at Grand Valley?
- Modernized curriculum. Recently modernized curriculum
- Hands-on labs. Hands-on labs & case based small group seminars with an 8:1 student to faculty ratio.
- Integrated Clinical Education curriculum. Clinical education experiences integrated throughout the curriculum.
- Excellent Outcomes. Program outcomes consistently exceed national benchmarks.
Program Overview
Grand Valley State University's Doctor of Physical Therapy program is well-established and features 15 full-time faculty members, 12 of whom hold advanced clinical practice certifications, which provides for an unparalleled breadth and depth of clinical expertise across practice settings and specialties. Our program is well-situated along the Medical Mile in Grand Rapids and enjoys an outstanding reputation among its students and in the community. Our recently modernized curriculum provides extensive, experiential learning opportunities beyond the lecture hall with an emphasis on hands-on labs and case-based small group seminars with an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, high fidelity simulations, designing and conducting research, and an integrated clinical education curriculum. The GVSU DPT program outcomes consistently exceed national benchmarks.
Admissions Process
Application Deadline: Verified by October 15
Grand Valley State University's (GVSU) Clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program utilizes the Physical Therapist Centralized Applicantion System for the application process. Please refer to www.ptcas.org to get general information about the PTCAS process along with GVSU specific information.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Grand Valley State University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email: [email protected]; website: https:www.capteonline.org. The program received its initial accreditation in May of 1985 and is fully accredited through April 30, 2034
Program Cost & Effectiveness
GVSU Dan Vaughn Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient 2026 - Kris Cooper
GVSU Dan Vaughn Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient 2026 - Kris Cooper
Published June 22, 2026 by Matt Wagenheim