How Do You Become a Physical Therapist??? I Know That You Have to Go to College, but Is It a Specific Program?

Question by Julia F: How do you become a physical therapist??? I know that you have to go to college, but is it a specific program?
Ever since I was in fourth grade, I have wanted to be a pediatric physical therapist. I am now just at the age where I can start thinking about college options. Does anyone know if physical therapy is a program that you specifically work on in college, or do you major in biology (or something similar) and then go on to some sort of physical therapy grad school?? If you can help, it would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Best answer:

Answer by dreamery412
Yes, there are specific physical therapy programs, and nowadays employers usually want a masters in the subject. i believe many schools that offer physical therapy will offer a program where you continue on after you get your bachelors and are able to get your masters in only 5-6 years (including 4 years of undergrad.) i don’t know where you’re located or where you’re willing to go, but in the Northeast, Ithaca and Quinnipiac are both well-known for their PT programs.

Answer by mistify
It is a degreed program. In the US, all programs are now either at the Master’s or doctorate level (except for physical therapy assistants which remain a two year degree from a community college).

To enter a physical therapy program, you must complete a set of prerequisite courses. It mostly includes a great deal of biology, psychology, physics, physiology, anatomy, math, chemistry, etc. Therefore, many people do claim their major as biology, chemistry, etc…yet some schools offer a “pre-physical therapy” degree. After you have completed the requirements, you apply for admission (this is the process for most PT schools). It is usually competitive and has a signficant emphasis on your GPA, but they also examine your writing skills and may conduct an interview. Depending on the structure of the program, you may or may not need to complete your bachelor’s degree before entering the program…especially if you apply to the doctorate level program. So, yes, one does need to go to grad school to become a PT.

It would be worth your while to go to the apta website at www.apta.org and click under education to get a list of accredited PT programs. Then you can visit each school’s website to get a better idea of their entrance requirements.

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