Why Earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Pacific University?
Pacific University offers a distinguished Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program with a 50+ year legacy of excellence. Pacific’s program is the top-ranked physical therapy program in Oregon, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2025 graduate health program rankings.
Our graduates are empowered to thrive and advance in their careers as exceptionally competent clinicians. Students gain the comprehensive knowledge, skills and abilities needed to excel as physical therapists. Our DPT program features:
- A consistent 100% overall pass rate on the National Physical Therapy Examination, ensuring you're well-prepared for licensure.
- A core faculty with more board-certified clinical specialists than other regional Doctor of Physical Therapy programs, providing expert mentorship.
- Recognition for excellence, with seven National APTA awards in the last decade, including two Mary McMillan Student Physical Therapist of the Year awards.
- An interprofessional curriculum fostering essential teamwork skills with seven other healthcare disciplines.
Students thrive in our supportive learning environment. Our Doctor of Physical Therapy program has been designed for your success with:
- Content delivered over six semesters with a unique nine-week summer break, promoting work-life balance.
- Extensive 39 weeks of full-time clinical rotations across diverse settings, exceeding accreditation standards.
- Access to a wide network of clinical sites in 22 states and potential international opportunities in Switzerland, Italy, and South Africa (subject to restrictions).
- A positive learning environment with approachable and supportive faculty dedicated to your success in your Doctor of Physical Therapy studies.
After graduation, you’ll be ready to advance the physical therapy profession. Our Doctor of Physical Therapy graduates are prepared to lead and innovate. As a student in the program, you will:
- Learn from faculty actively involved in service and leadership within the National APTA and state chapters.
- Engage with faculty who are actively contributing to the field through regional, national, and international research and publications.
What Can You Do with a DPT Degree?
Pacific University DPT graduates provide vital physical therapy services in diverse settings like hospitals, clinics, schools, homes, and workplaces. Physical therapists enjoy strong career prospects, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a 17% job growth rate, which is significantly greater than average for all occupations.
Earning a doctor of physical therapy degree from Pacific University offers key advantages for your career:
- Strong alumni connections: Benefit from a respected and renowned graduate network.
- Job security: Enter a field with significant and growing demand for DPT professionals.
- Meaningful patient impact: Make a tangible difference in the health and well-being of individuals.
- Diverse practice environments: Explore a wide spectrum of career settings.
- Career advancement: Position yourself for continuous professional growth and leadership opportunities.
- Competitive salary: Achieve strong earning potential as a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
- Professional independence: Practice with autonomy and earn the respect of your peers.
"I am very grateful for my time in the Pacific DPT program! The program taught me practical tools and clinical reasoning skills that helped me to embark on a successful career as a physical therapist. The professors and students are truly a family, supporting one another and ensuring that everyone is successful. The faculty nurtured my passion for the profession and desire to serve others through my work. My time at Pacific was just the beginning of a career filled with life-long learning and rewarding patient interactions."
— Sydney Neumann '22
Clinical Education
Clinical education, also referred to as clinical experiences or clinical rotations, plays a significant role in physical therapy education. In fact, approximately 40% of a student’s time in Pacific’s DPT program is spent in clinical education experiences. The DPT program has affiliation agreements with over 600 different clinical facilities. These include hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, school districts, and private clinics offering experiences in acute care, outpatient orthopedics, neurological rehabilitation, geriatrics, and pediatrics. Although the majority of the DPT clinical education sites are in Oregon, students also may go to many other states for clinical education experiences, including Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii, California, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, among others. Students may also participate in international clinical education experiences. Pacific’s DPT program currently has affiliation agreements with sites in South Africa, Italy, and Switzerland. New clinical sites are continuously added in order to provide variety and quality to the students’ clinical experiences.
Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence in Physical Therapy Education
As the oldest physical therapy program in Oregon, our students, faculty, staff and graduates have been instrumental in continuing the legacy of Pacific’s PT program. Pacific graduates have helped shape the future of the physical therapy profession through excellence in clinical practice, legislative and advocacy involvement in state and national organizations, research innovations, teaching excellence, and a commitment to promoting community health and wellness.
Interprofessional Concentration
Pacific’s physical therapy program provides opportunities for students to explore models of person-centered healthcare and gain the skills to practice in a changing healthcare environment. Students who choose to pursue interprofessional experiences beyond what is required by their degree program can earn the Concentration in Interprofessional Education, offered by the College of Health Professions. This formal recognition is documented on transcripts as a specialization, indicating that students have gained specific competencies in interprofessional education.
The Collective for Diversity and Social Justice is a group of students, employees and community members associated with the Pacific University School of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training. Working in collaboration with an alumni advisor, faculty advisor, student members, community youth and program leadership and faculty, The Collective seeks to create a safe and empowering space for minorities in the school, to improve cultural responsiveness of the program, and to serve as role models and support interest in the physical therapy profession among community youth.
Andrea Lybarger | Assistant Director of Graduate and Professional Admissions
503-352-7217 | PT.AT@pacificu.edu
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Pacific 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: accreditation@apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 503-325-7377 or email dgerber@pacificu.edu. This program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in these U.S. states and territories. View student outcome data. Additional curriculum information is available in the academic catalog.
