Students practice techniques during physical therapy class.

Physical Therapy

As a physical therapist with a physical therapy D.P.T., you'll help patients recover from injuries, regain their mobility, and restore their health and well-being. Our six-year accelerated, direct-admit doctoral degree program is designed for students to go straight from their first year to the D.P.T., saving time and money while preparing to enter an expanding industry.

The program isn’t for the faint of heart—it’s rigorous and highly competitive to prepare you to be a respected clinical professional.

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Pathways to a Doctorate in Physical Therapy

LVC provides one of the few direct-admit, first-year entry physical therapy programs in Pennsylvania. We also offer two separate pathways for early professional students and traditional graduate students. Become a licensed physical therapist with LVC’s competitive physical therapy education. Need-based departmental scholarships are available.

Undergraduate Admission
Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Admission
Student Financial Fact Sheet (PDF)
Students practice techniques during physical therapy class.

Real Patients in Real Settings

Via Advanced Facilities

Enter the world of a working physical therapist through the doors of our Jeanne and Edward H. Arnold Health Professions Pavilion. After enrolling in LVC’s D.P.T. program, you’ll be mentored by faculty experts with experience in pediatrics, geriatrics, orthopedics, sports medicine, neurology, acute care, and home health physical therapy.

Via Clinical Training

During select semesters, and in your fifth-year summer program, you’ll have a rigorous 30-week clinical education experience where you’ll interact with patients directly and help them on the road to recovery. You also can extend your clinical experience by serving the community in our student-led CURE Clinic, which offers free services to uninsured patients from the community.

See the CURE Clinic
$99,710
median pay for physical therapists, 2023 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
15%
anticipated job growth for physical therapists, 2022-32 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Top 20%
of Best Colleges for Kinesiology and Physical Therapy in America
100%
of graduates who responded to our annual survey had a job offer and a 100% ultimate pass rate (through 2022)
99%
ultimate licensure exam pass rate 2022–23 (two year average)
99%
employment rate 2022–23 (two year average)
85.3%
first time licensure exam pass rate 2022–23 (two year average)
95.9%
graduation rate from the professional phase 2022–23 (two year average)
Neuroscience & Physical Therapy 3+3

Interested in the brain and helping patients recover, regain mobility, and restore health and well-being? LVC has a unique path to earn your bachelor’s in Neuroscience and doctorate in Physical Therapy in just six years in the accelerated Physical Therapy Program. You’ll spend the first three years of your undergraduate education studying the mind and in Biology and Psychology courses, before receiving guaranteed acceptance into the PT graduate phase in year four if you meet or exceed all program requirements and minimum GPA.

A Neuroscience major is advantageous for future Physical Therapists because the brain plays a critical role in movement, mobility, and function, from the pathways that control movement to the cognitive processes that underlie motor control, task-sequencing, comprehension, and motivation.

Accreditation

Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Lebanon Valley 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: https://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 717-867-6840 or email fink@lvc.edu.

CAPTE Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education Verify Status graphic

Career Opportunities
  • Occupational Physical Therapist
  • Sports Physical Therapist
  • Rehabilitative Physical Therapist
  • Women’s Health Physical Therapist
  • Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Clinical Specialist (CCS)
  • Oncology Physical Therapist
  • Orthopedic Physical Therapist
  • Neurological Physical Therapist
  • Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS)
  • Pediatric Clinical Specialist (PCS)

In Their Words

Unmatched Education
The education I’ve received from LVC PT faculty has been unmatched. I feel able to reach my full potential.
Lauren Vandenberg ’22, D’24
Leadership Skills
Typically, our students have more than one job offer, and they often move into leadership positions within a few years.
Dr. Katie Oriel, Professor of Physical Therapy
Strong Reputation
The strong reputation of the DPT program in the Central PA region and the C.U.R.E. student-run pro bono clinic were factors that influenced my decision to attend LVC.
Kristin Miller D’16, Physical Therapy Doctoral Graduate
The education I’ve received from LVC PT faculty has been unmatched. I feel able to reach my full potential.
Lauren Vandenberg ’22, D’24
Typically, our students have more than one job offer, and they often move into leadership positions within a few years.
Dr. Katie Oriel, Professor of Physical Therapy
The strong reputation of the DPT program in the Central PA region and the C.U.R.E. student-run pro bono clinic were factors that influenced my decision to attend LVC.
Kristin Miller D’16, Physical Therapy Doctoral Graduate
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Justin T. Mierzwicki
Justin Mierzwicki

Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy

mierzwic@lvc.edu

717-867-6840

AHPP 211
Dr. Kathryn Oriel
Kathryn Oriel

Professor of Physical Therapy

Associate Provost of Health Sciences

oriel@lvc.edu

717-867-6852

AHPP 224
Dr. Charles Salvo
Charles Salvo

Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

salvo@lvc.edu

717-867-6857
Dr. Matthew M. Walko
Matthew Walko

Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy

walko@lvc.edu

717-867-6854

AHPP 215

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Physical therapist student working with patient.
Physical Therapy lab
Physical therapy lab
Physical therapist student working with patient.
Doctor of Physical Therapy graduates