The Division of Physical Therapy at the WVU School of Medicine is celebrating 50 years of excellence in PT education. The program was founded in 1970 and graduated its first class in 1972. Since then, the program has been continuously accredited and has graduated over 1100 physical therapists. Currently, we admit 40 students in the DPT program each year.

Our recently revised curriculum focuses on the role of the physical therapist as an expert in human movement and function. As part of an academic health sciences center, our students are exposed to rich interprofessional learning experiences and have access to a cutting-edge patient simulation laboratory. Students engage in extensive hands-on laboratory experiences, including cadaver dissection. As part of our missions to meet the needs of West Virginia, all students complete at least one of their full-time clinical experiences in a rural or underserved community.

Students work directly with faculty members with extensive clinical and teaching experience. Our eleven core faculty members are actively engaged in teaching, clinical practice, and scholarship. They are joined by four clinical and three adjunct faculty who provide clinical care and teaching in various specialty areas. Twelve faculty members have PhD/EdD degrees;  five hold DPT degrees; and nine hold advanced clinical specialist credentials.

The WVU physical therapy program has a proud tradition of producing excellent student outcomes including board pass rates, student retention and graduation rates, clinical performance scores,  employer satisfaction, and job placement. Over the past two years, our graduation rate is 100%, and our first-time board pass rate is 98%.  Strengths of the program cited on recent graduate/employer surveys included expertise of the faculty; classroom/laboratory space; and preparation in anatomy, orthopedic and neurologic physical therapy, examination and treatment skills, evidence-based practice, and interprofessional education. 

WVU is developing a dual DPT/PhD program. Please see https://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/pt/dual-degree-dpt-phd-program/.

After receiving an offer of admission, accepted applicants will receive a tuition deposit invoice from the university. Deposit amounts are $400 for WV residents and $800 for non-residents. The deposit will be applied to the student's Summer 2022 tuition.

Deposits are non-refundable.