Becoming a Physical
Therapist
Some
physical therapy education programs offer a master's
degree. However, a growing majority of program offer the
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. According to
the Association of Physical Therapy
Programs (ATPT),
close to 200 colleges and universities in the U.S. offer
physical therapist education programs: approximately 80%
offer the DPT; another 20% are planning to convert to a
doctoral program.
Early
Preparation
Physican therapy education programs differ in the
prerequisite courses that they require, so it is important
to study the requirements of programs you would like to
attend. The APTA reports that about two-thirds of the PT
programs require a baccalaureate degree for admission. More
than 50% of the PT programs require applicants to have one
or more courses in anatomy and physiology, chemistry,
physics, statistics, psychology, general biology and an
undergraduate degree. More than 75% of programs require a
minimum GPA of 3.0 Applicants are encouraged to have some
volunteer experience as a a physical therapy aide.
It is not necessary to go through a physical therapy
assistant program before applying to a physical therapy
program. In fact the physical therapist assistant
curriculum does NOT provide the prerequisites required for
physical therapy education. If you already are a physical
therapy assistant, you might want to consider a PTA to PT
Bridge Program.
Master's
and Doctoral
Curricula
Professional, entry-level, physical therapist education
programs are offered at both the doctoral (DPT) and the
master's (MPT, MSPT, MS) levels. By the year 2020 the APTA
would like the majority of practicing PTs to have a DPT
degree.
All of the certified master's and doctoral programs provide
a core curriculum that includes classroom-based courses as
well as clinical experiences in acute care, oupatient care,
rehabilitation, and other specialty areas. The
APTA website
is the best source of information about the educational
programs.