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Physical Therapy & Health Science Department
If you’re passionate about helping people recover from injuries and improve their mobility, a career in physical therapy or health science could be the perfect fit. At Bradley, you’ll work closely with expert faculty in the classroom and gain hands-on experience through internships and clinical placements. With personalized guidance from professors and industry professionals, you’ll build the skills and confidence to pursue your unique career goals—whether that’s working in rehabilitation, sports medicine, or another exciting area of health care.
Majors
Kinesiology and Health Science
Choose between pursuing a pre-physical therapy or general health path and pair your learning with a minor in Health.
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Graduate Program
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Build mastery in the science of movement and become an expert in restoring function and improving lives.
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Minors
Expose yourself to current issues in nutrition, personal health, community health, and psychology. This minor offers courses from the sciences, family and consumer science, nursing, psychology and sociology. Though not required, you can pick courses that focus on a niche that interests you, such as children, adults or community health. The health minor is often paired with majors in nursing, community wellness, biology, psychology, elementary education, and health science.
Departmental Resources
The Clinic for Fitness and Function is a pro-bono clinic that provides physical therapy services at no cost to people in Peoria and the surrounding area who are uninsured, underinsured or need supplemental therapy.
The clinic is organized and staffed by faculty and students in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at Bradley University. While the students are providing quality, evidence-based care, they are also developing hands-on educational skills and knowledge of physical therapy under the guidance of Bradley University faculty.
Clinic sessions occur during the Fall and Spring semesters and focus on treating individuals with neurological disorders. The program operates for 10 weeks each semester with clients attending 2 sessions each week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Once the clinic reaches maximum capacity for the current semester, a waiting list for qualifying clients will be formed for the following 10 week session.
We treat those who struggle with…
- CVA (stroke)
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Neuropathies
- Cerebral Palsy
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Brain injury
Contact the Clinic
Call: (309) 677-3489
Email: [email protected]
Visit: Olin Hall 340
827 N. Elmwood Ave.
Peoria, IL 61606
The following DPT student outcomes reflect students who have completed the DPT program in May 2023-2024.
- 2023
- 100% Graduation rate
82.1% First-time licensure pass rate
100% Ultimate licensure exam pass rate
100% Employment rate - 2024
- 100% Graduation rate
96.3% First-time licensure pass rate
96.3% Ultimate licensure exam pass rate
96.3% Employment rate - 2023-2024 Two-year average
- 100% Graduation rate
89.2% First-time licensure pass rate
98.15% Ultimate licensure exam pass rate
98.15% Employment rate
The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at the Bradley 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: [email protected]; http://www.capteonline.org.
If needing to contact the program directly, please call (309) 677-3181 or email [email protected].
At the completion of the DPT program, graduates are eligible to apply for licensure in any state and sit for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Once a passing score on the NPTE is achieved along with all state-level requirements, a physical therapy license will be issued to the graduate.
The following information outlines the process for an individual or entity who is not a Bradley University student, faculty member, or staff member to register a complaint about the program. This process is to be used by those who are not enrolled or employed by the University (e.g. clinical education instructors, graduates, employers of graduates, or any other member of the public) and therefore not addressed by institutional guidelines promoting due process to file a complaint about the BU Physical Therapy Department.
In order to file a complaint outside the realm of due process, the complaint must be submitted in writing to the PT program director or the dean of the College of Health Sciences if the complaint involves the director.
The complaint should include the following information:
- Name and contact information of the person filing the complaint (complainant)
- Name of the person(s) about whom the complaint is filed (as applicable)
- Date and location of the incident
- Description of the incident
The director (or his/her designee) will respond to the complainant within 10 working days of receiving the complaint to reach a decision. The director (or his/her designee) will send a letter summarizing the decision about the complaint to the complainant and the persons directly involved in the complaint when deemed appropriate. Retaliation of complaint following complainant submission is prohibited.
If the complainant is not satisfied with the decision reached by the director, the complainant may submit a subsequent written complaint to the dean within 10 working days of the date the decision letter was issued.
Once the review is complete, the dean (or his/her designee) will send a letter summarizing the decision about the complaint to the complainant and the persons directly involved in the complaint when deemed appropriate. The decision reached by the dean is the final stage of this process.
The director will maintain records of complaints in compliance with BU policies and procedures and applicable law. Information reported in this complaint process will be treated as confidential to the extent allowed by law; however, mandatory reporting may be legally required for certain types of complaints.
This process aims to resolve all matters as quickly as possible. However, inevitably some issues will be more complex and therefore may require longer to be fully investigated. Consequently, timescales given for handling and responding to complaints are indicative. If a matter requires a more detailed investigation, the complainant will receive an interim response describing what is being done to deal with the matter, when a full reply can be expected, and from whom.
Graduate Program Statistics & Outcomes
- Accreditation: The program is fully accredited until 2033 by the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education Programs
- Length: 36 months – 3 Summers, 3 Fall semesters, and 3 Spring semesters
- Start Date: Summer Session I, usually the last week of May
- Class size: 28 students per class
- Clinical hours: Approximately 1400 clock hours or 36 weeks
- Tuition: 2025-2028 is $81,000 (subject to change) – Includes tuition for three years, most supplies, subscriptions, and APTA dues.
- Faculty: 12 full time faculty, 11 who are PT’s, 8 have advanced doctoral degrees (PhD, DSc), and 2 are near completion of the terminal degree. Seven part-time faculty teach specific portions of the curriculum relative to their clinical expertise. Numerous other clinicians from a variety of disciplines teach as guest lecturers. (Most of the full-time faculty have teaching responsibilities in the undergraduate program.)
- Number of Applicants: 3-year average – 193
- Acceptance Rate: 3-year average – 27% of applicants get an offer
- Matriculation Rate: 3-year average – 51% of those offered a place in the class accept the offer
- Average Cumulative GPA: 3-year average – 3.66
- Average Required course GPA: 3-year average – 3.52
- Average GRE: 3-year average – Verbal 151; Quantitative 152
- Required Observation Hours: 40 hours of specific observation hours in a physical therapy clinic is required, although having at least 100 hours of observation is highly recommended. It is understood that applicants will have had some exposure to physical therapy and health care. On your application, you will be asked about your exposure to PT.
According to standards implemented by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) data regarding student outcomes must be made available to the public. These data will be updated annually.
The Physical Therapy program at Bradley University is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) and confers the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree to students who successfully complete their course of study. The Program has been accredited in an ongoing fashion since its inception. The most recent re-accreditation was granted in May, 2023 for the maximum allowable ten years.
The following DPT student outcomes reflect students who have completed the DPT program in May 2023 and 2024.
2023
- 100% graduation rate
- 82.1% First-time licensure pass rate
- 100% Ultimate licensure exam pass rate
- 100% Employment rate
2024
- 100% graduation rate
- 96.3% First-time licensure pass rate
- 96.3% Ultimate licensure exam pass rate
- 96.3% Employment rate
2023-2024 Two-year average
- 100% Graduation rate
- 89.2% First-time licensure pass rate
- 98.15% Ultimate licensure exam pass rate
- 98.15% Employment rate
What is the history of the physical therapy program at Bradley University?
Physical therapy began at Bradley University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy (BSPT). Initial accreditation was received in 1994. In 2000, we began the Master of Physical Therapy program (MPT) and phased out the BSPT. Our last Master’s students graduated in 2006. In 2005, we began the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and the first class graduated in 2008.
Why is a doctoral degree necessary for physical therapy?
We encourage to you follow the links to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) frequently asked questions about the DPT. Go to APTA, then click on Education, click on Educational Programs – Professional PT, then click on DPT degree FAQ’s.