The Top 100 Best Physical Therapy Schools in the U.S.

Posted by Rohit Mittal

You are planning to major in physical therapy and you want to study in the United States. You might have heard that the US has the best physical therapy schools worldwide, so of course, the US crossed your mind when deciding to choose your PT school. We want to help you pursue your dreams and choose the best school for you so in this article you will find a ranking of the top 100 physical therapy schools in the United States. The trophy for the best physical therapy schools goes to the University of Southern California. The second best school for you to consider is the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. We give an overview of both schools below and wrap up the article with the top 100 list you have been waiting for.

Table of Contents

Top 5 Best Physical Therapy Schools in the U.S.

1. The University of Southern California

The University of Southern California offers a complete 115-unit program in physical therapy. In order to be able to achieve 115 units, the program is made up of six semesters and two summer courses. In addition, the university has made it obligatory as part of their curriculum during all 3 years to gain clinical experience during your studies. Once you have finished your three years with success, the USC graduate school will award you with a D.P.T., the degree Doctor of Physical Therapy. In order to complete your studies with success, you need to have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 in all of your courses. Aside from excelling academically, USC requires recipients of the award to meet all professional standards and to pass all clinical clerkships.

2. The University of Pittsburgh

The childhood jingle “second is the best” rings true when you consider the accolades and prestige of the University of Pittsburgh PT program. The University of Pittsburgh offers a full-time program which will lead you down the path to getting your D.P.T. degree in three years or an equivalent of nine semesters. During the last year, all students have to do a one-year internship in a clinic to complete their degree.

3. Washington University in St. Louis

The Washington University Program in Physical Therapy is a full-time, three-year program. The program combines the classroom and clinical learning to prepare the students for professional leadership. The esteemed faculty of the program is recognized for its extensive command over neuromuscular and orthopedic conditions as well in-depth knowledge of movement impairment classification.

Founded in 1942, the Program in Physical Therapy will make the students fully prepared to treat as well as diagnose the patients’ movement impairments.

4. University of Delaware

One of the largest programs in the College of Health Sciences, The University of Delaware DPT Program is a university-based extensive physical therapist educational program. The curriculum is designed to develop lifelong learning skills amongst the students and enables them to become pioneers in their respective careers.

The program regularly utilizes instructors who are well-known experts to help students establish relationships between clinical research and practice. The faculty members of the DPT program are of the belief that the university is a suitable environment to educate and prepare future physical therapists.

World Report and The US News ranked the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program as the best in the country

5. University of Iowa

The Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science offers a distinctive learning experience to its students. The program provides proper resources to the students to harmonize the mission of excellence in research, clinical service, and teaching.

The department is situated in the Carver College of Medicine. The Department of Rehabilitation Therapies is a unique department in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences offers degrees like DPT, MA, and Ph.D.

As a professional clinical entry-level program, the Doctor of Physical Therapy or DPT admits about 40 students in the month of July every year. The program is 2½ year curriculum and includes 35 weeks of clinical education experience (full time). If the candidates complete the curriculum satisfactorily, they shall be allowed to partake in a state-administered national licensing examination.

Now we get to our top 100 Physical Therapy Schools in the United States!

Top 100 Ranking US Physical Therapy Schools

Rank	School
1	University of Southern California	Visit
2	University of Pittsburgh	Visit
3	Washington University in St. Louis	Visit
4	University of Delaware	Visit
5	University of Iowa	Visit
6	US Army-Baylor University	Visit
7	Arcadia University	Visit
8	MGH Institute of Health Professions	Visit
9	Northwestern University	Visit
10	University of Miami	Visit
11	Emory University	Visit
12	University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill	Visit
13	Duke University	Visit
14	University of California–San Francisco	Visit
15	New York University	Visit
16	University of Florida	Visit
17	University of Illinois–Chicago	Visit
18	University of Maryland–Baltimore	Visit
19	Creighton University	Visit
20	Marquette University	Visit
21	Ohio State University	Visit
22	University of Minnesota–Twin Cities	Visit
23	University of Utah	Visit
24	Boston University	Visit
25	Texas Woman’s University	Visit
26	University of Kansas Medical Center	Visit
27	University of Texas Medical Branch–Galveston	Visit
28	Virginia Commonwealth University	Visit
29	Northern Arizona University	Visit
30	Regis University	Visit
31	University of Alabama–Birmingham	Visit
32	University of Washington	Visit
33	Columbia University	Visit
34	Mayo School of Health Related Sciences	Visit
35	University of Colorado–Denver	Visit
36	University of Nebraska Medical Center	Visit
37	University of Wisconsin–Madison	Visit
38	University of Kentucky	Visit
39	University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center	Visit
40	University of Wisconsin–La Crosse	Visit
41	Ithaca College	Visit
42	Ohio University	Visit
43	Simmons College	Visit
44	St. Louis University	Visit
45	Temple University	Visit
46	University of Central Arkansas	Visit
47	University of Indianapolis	Visit
48	University of Montana–Missoula	Visit
49	University of Tennessee Health Science Center	Visit
50	University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center–Dallas	Visit
51	University of Vermont	Visit
52	Belmont University	Visit
53	Indiana University–Indianapolis	Visit
54	Sacred Heart University	Visit
55	University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–Newark	Visit
56	University of Missouri	Visit
57	Drexel University	Visit
58	Eastern Washington University	Visit
59	Old Dominion University	Visit
60	Pacific University	Visit
61	Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science	Visit
62	Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–Camden/UMDNJ	Visit
63	St. Ambrose University	Visit
64	Stony Brook University–SUNY	Visit
65	Texas State University–San Marcos	Visit
66	University at Buffalo–SUNY	Visit
67	University of Connecticut	Visit
68	University of Michigan–Flint	Visit
69	Bradley University	Visit
70	Chapman University	Visit
71	College of St. Scholastica	Visit
72	East Carolina University	Visit
73	Medical College of Georgia	Visit
74	Medical University of South Carolina	Visit
75	Northeastern University	Visit
76	Samuel Merritt University	Visit
77	SUNY Upstate Medical Center	Visit
78	Thomas Jefferson University	Visit
79	University of North Dakota	Visit
80	University of Puget Sound	Visit
81	University of South Carolina	Visit
82	University of South Florida	Visit
83	University of Tennessee–Chattanooga	Visit
84	West Virginia University	Visit
85	Armstrong Atlantic State University	Visit
86	Elon University	Visit
87	St. Catherine University	Visit
88	SUNY Downstate Medical Center	Visit
89	Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center	Visit
90	University of Evansville	Visit
91	University of Rhode Island	Visit
92	University of Texas Health Science Center–San Antonio	Visit
93	University of the Pacific	Visit
94	University of the Pacific	Visit
95	California State University–Fresno	Visit
96	California State University–Northridge	Visit
97	Concordia University Wisconsin	Visit
98	CUNY–Hunter College	Visit
99	George Washington University	Visit
100	Georgia State University	Visit

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