Overview
DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
- This highly competitive program offers multiple opportunities for hands-on learning through courses in our faculty-supervised clinics, plus full-time clinical affiliations around the country.
- Learn person-centered care that changes lives — of students, patients, and their families.
- The doctor of physical therapy program at Nazareth College — the only one in the Rochester region — is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
100%
100% of DPT students in 2022-23 received financial assistance.
Full-time, day-time schedule
Complete in 3 years for graduate students, 6 years for freshmen
Integrated clinical education starts your first semester in on-campus PT clinics
Program is Ideal For
- Academically strong students driven to succeed who have a bachelor's degree and have completed these prerequisites with a grade of B or better by the start of classes (summer): 8 credits of anatomy and physiology, 8 credits of chemistry, 8 credits of physics (all sciences include labs), 3 credits of statistics (psychology-based preferred), 6 credits of psychology (one course in developmental psychology preferred).
- Strong academic performance is paramount for admission; your undergraduate major is secondary.
Elective Course Examples
- Advanced Applied Anatomy
- Advanced Neurology
- Advanced Orthopedics
- Advanced Pediatrics
- Advanced Sports PT
Value of Your Degree
- 95% two-year graduation rate, meaning 95% of those who started the professional program successfully completed it within the expected time frame, 2021-2022.
- 90% first-time two-year pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Exam, 2021-2022.
- 100% ultimate two-year pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Exam, 2021-2022.
- 100% employment rate. Of those seeking employment, all were employed within six months of passing the licensure exam, 2021-2022.
- Physical therapy is one of the fastest-growing roles in health care. Jobs are projected to grow 21 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Physical therapists can practice in acute care, rehabilitation hospitals, sub-acute rehabilitation facilities, outpatient clinics, early intervention programs, schools, wellness/prevention programs, home health, and research centers.
Making Grad School Affordable
Grants, scholarships, veterans benefits, loans, and undergraduate loan forgiveness are options for paying for this grad degree.
Student's Perspective
“The small class sizes, the open-door policy of all of the professors, and most importantly the pro bono clinics on campus set me up for success. My hands-on experience set me apart from other new graduates and allowed me the opportunity to become a traveling physical therapist, exploring the country and working contract jobs for a year. There is nothing that beats that! Nazareth DPT professors shaped the person and professional I am today and so impacted my life that I have decided to come back to my alma mater to help in our pro bono clinics to continue to set up the Nazareth DPT students for success.”
Rachel Waugh ’11, ‘13G, home care physical therapist for Visiting Nurse Service of Rochester
Read the blog
Current students and recent alums share their experiences through posts in the PT blog »
What to Expect
- Develop excellent hands-on and clinical reasoning skills, effective communication strategies, and the ability to collaborate interprofessionally through experience.
- Experience integrated clinical education starting your first semester, working with patients/clients in our on-campus physical therapy clinics specializing in multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular diseases, orthopedic injuries, prosthetics, wellness, and pediatrics, under the supervision of faculty. Immediately apply material learned in lecture and lab to ensure mastery.
- Be part of a rich tradition of providing inter-professional pro-bono service to the local community by working collaboratively with occupational therapy, speech therapy, art therapy, and music therapy students in our numerous on-campus clinics.
- Use cutting-edge equipment to help patients/clients regain mobility. Research at Nazareth guided the development of Gorbel's SafeGait trainer.
- Gain further experience through four full-time clinical internships, totaling 32 weeks, at any of nearly 500 sites around the country with which Nazareth College has official agreements.
- Work closely with faculty in classes, labs, clinics, and during research projects. Faculty members have an open-door policy and students often stop by to talk about physical therapy.
- Learn human anatomy through cadaver dissection in our on-campus Anatomy & Physiology Lab.
- Conduct research with faculty mentors, attend lab classes, and help people with movement dysfunctions using high-tech equipment in Nazareth's motion analysis lab.
- Choose elective courses in unique applied clinical topics.
- You have the option to get specialized preparation in working with school-age children with autism through Nazareth's Interdisciplinary Specialty Program in Autism (I-SPAN) specialization.
- You have the option to include an early-intervention interprofessional concentration (track): Rochester Scholars for Early Intervention helps you develop specialty knowledge and skills to be a strong advocate for young children and their families.
- Frequently asked questions about the Physical Therapy program.
Catalog: Full D.P.T. requirements, course list, and course descriptions »
Contact Information
Andrew Opett, PT, DPT, OCS
Clinical Associate Professor, Department Chair
For questions, contact PT@naz.edu
Program Faculty »
The Physical Therapy Program at Nazareth College 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: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org.