There are nine accredited colleges in the State of Illinois that offer a Bachelors Degree in Physical Therapy, Masters Degree in Physical Therapy and PhD Degree in Physical Therapy. Here is an alphabetical directory of Physical Therapy schools in Illinois and a brief overview of their programs.

Bradley University

Bradley University used to offer a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from the year 2000 up to 2005. Now it offers a degree in Doctor’s Physical Therapy (DPT) which requires a completion of a baccalaureate degree of at least one year with the following courses Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Zoology, Anatomy, Physiology and Statistics. A graduate of a baccalaureate degree with a health science major can also take this course.

The DPT program at Bradley University is a three year course of 105 credit hours. The course gives basic and applied sciences which is done through a 35 week training. Learning is through full time clinical rotations.

Governors State University

Governors State University offers two Physical Therapy programs — the Doctor of Physical Therapy and the Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (t-DPT). These courses are duly accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).

Their curriculum is designed to train their students through an innovative and integrated program based on evidence-based practice and patient-centered care. Students are thoroughly trained in movement and neuroscience. They are also prepared for imaging and orthopedics that help give the students a clear understanding of the human body, the nature of injuries and the proper treatment for them.

Midwestern University

Midwestern University offers the course Doctor of Physical Therapy which is a full time course of 34 months. You need a Bachelor’s degree, a minimum science GPA of 2.9 and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be eligible for this course. There are also prerequisite courses and a first aid course to complete before being accepted to this program.

Students are also required to have a current certification by the American Heart Association in Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers.

Northern Illinois University

Physical therapists in Illinois are required to be licensed by the state. The School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders in the College of Health and Sciences of Northern Illinois University has all the accredited academic requirements for such licensure and Physical Therapy practice. The school offers DPT and Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy program degrees.

Northwest University

The oldest physical therapy school in the nation is the Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences department of Northwest University. It has consistently been part of the top 10 physical therapy schools and has received worldwide acclaim for its excellence in professional medical education.

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Students who wish to pursue a career in physical therapy can choose among the following course offerings at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science: Physical Therapy (DPT) Physician Assistant Practice (MS) Podiatric Medicine (DPM) Post Professional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT).

Each course is a three year unified and integrated DPT program. Through a group learning setting, academic, clinical and research components are explored to give the students the proper training in their specialty areas.

The University of Illinois at Chicago

The University of Illinois at Chicago offers an entry level degree in DPT: Professional Program. This course is 33 months long which is equivalent to eight terms. It consists of classroom and clinical learning. The school also provides lectures, laboratory classes, seminars, and clinical internships to thoroughly train the students for the profession as a physical therapist.

Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), the DPT professional program at UIC has ranked 6th among all public institutions and 16th of all institutions by the U.S. News & World Report. This makes UIC one of the leading physical therapist schools in the state.

Each school has its own specialization and method of training its students in becoming a skillfull and knowledgeable physical therapist in the future. Yet, they all share the same goal of seeking advances in the physical therapy practice, education and research. This is because all these schools mentioned above are accredited by the The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the leading physical therapy organization in the United States.

Among the list of physical therapist schools in Illinois, which school are you interested in?