DPT Programs in Louisiana

Online DPT Programs vs On-Campus Programs in Louisiana

Whether an online or on campus DPT program is best depends on your learning style. If you need to report to a classroom to avoid any distractions at home, an on campus program is naturally your best bet. However, if you enjoy being able to learn in the comfort of your own home, you may want to consider an online program.

For some, an already busy schedule may require them to enroll in a program that fits into their routine. If an online program is asynchronous, students may be able to choose when they attend class, and for some, this option is the only reason they can consider earning a degree at all. Keep in mind that hybrid programs still include time on campus. At LSU Health Shreveport’s Lafayette hybrid program, for example, each block of online coursework includes two weeks of required, synchronous, on-campus lab instruction, so online weeks and campus weeks are not the same (LSU Health Shreveport).

Online DPT Programs in Louisiana

Hybrid programs combine online coursework with in-person, hands-on learning on campus, because some skills are best learned in person. At LSU Health Shreveport’s hybrid program in Lafayette, for example, students complete asynchronous online coursework in blocks of five or seven weeks, and each block includes two weeks of synchronous, on-campus lab instruction (LSU Health Shreveport). How often you would be on campus varies by program, so check each program’s schedule before you apply.

The online portion of the coursework may be delivered in a variety of ways, all of which fall into one of two categories – synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous learning simply means that students log on to attend class or an activity live, and asynchronous is anything completed on a student’s own time (such as a pre recorded lecture).

Clinical placements are another thing to compare. At LSU Health Shreveport, for example, clinical education is a core component of both the Shreveport and Lafayette hybrid pathways, with early clinical experiences at partner hospitals and clinics and the same terminal clinical experiences for students in both pathways (LSU Health Shreveport). Whichever format you choose, check with the programs you are interested in to see how they arrange placements, whether you can complete them near home, and how they will support you in securing a placement site.

On Campus DPT Programs in Louisiana

Louisiana’s DPT programs include campus-based options, which you can browse in the CAPTE directory. At LSU Health Shreveport, for example, classes are full-time, live and predominantly on site, with lecture and lab instruction Monday through Friday during regular daytime hours (LSU Health Shreveport). Ask each program where its clinical education takes place.

How Long do Louisiana DPT Programs Take to Complete?

LSU Health Shreveport’s DPT program is a three-year program made up of nine semesters (LSU Health Shreveport), and its Lafayette hybrid program is also three years and nine semesters (LSU Health Shreveport). Program length varies from one program to the next, so compare the lengths of the programs you are considering.

You can see program lengths for the programs listed in the tables below.

Typical Hybrid DPT Programs Available to Louisiana Students

The following hybrid Doctor of Physical Therapy programs are available to students in Louisiana.

General Tips on How to Become a Physical Therapist in Louisiana

To become a physical therapist in Louisiana, here are some common steps:

1. Earn your Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree – Consider looking for physical therapy programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). As of September 2026, the Louisiana Physical Therapy Board requires PT license applicants to have graduated from a CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program, and it notes that a bachelor’s degree in a subject such as kinesiology or exercise science does not qualify you on its own (Louisiana Physical Therapy Board).
2. Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) – The NPTE is developed by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), and Louisiana requires you to pass it to be licensed (Louisiana Physical Therapy Board). The Louisiana Physical Therapy Board is responsible for licensing physical therapists in the state, so check with the board about how to become eligible to take the exam.
3. Get Licensed – Earning a DPT does not by itself license you. The Louisiana Physical Therapy Board is responsible for licensing physical therapists in the state, so you may want to make sure your NPTE score is set up to be transferred to the board so that it can issue your license once you pass. As of September 2026, the board’s listed qualifications also include being at least 21 years old, being a U.S. citizen or having legal authority to work in the United States, and being of good moral character (Louisiana Physical Therapy Board). This is a high-level overview, so check the board’s requirements for exact details.

As of September 2026, Louisiana participates in the Physical Therapy Compact (Louisiana Physical Therapy Board; PT Compact member map). Eligible licensed physical therapists who want to practice in another member state must obtain a compact privilege for each destination state where they intend to practice, rather than a separate full license in each one (PT Compact process and requirements). The board directs interested providers to the eligibility checker at ptcompact.org.

How Much Do Physical Therapists Make in Louisiana?

Physical therapists in Louisiana had a median annual wage of $98,530 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.

The middle half of Louisiana physical therapists earned between $77,740 (25th percentile) and $109,650 (75th percentile), while the lowest-paid 10 percent earned $60,150 or less and the highest-paid 10 percent earned $127,640 or more. BLS estimated that about 3,280 physical therapists were employed in Louisiana (BLS OEWS, Louisiana, May 2025).

For comparison, the median annual wage for physical therapists nationwide was $102,760 in May 2025 (BLS OEWS, United States, May 2025). The Louisiana figures above cover the whole state, and pay varies by individual.