Physical Therapy Programs

ll physical therapy programs are now doctoral programs (Ph.D.). The number of required years of schooling varies somewhat from program to program.  Three/four years is a typical length. The admission requirements vary from school to school, but typical requirements include a BA/BS degree and the following courses:

Anatomy (1 semester)
Physiology (1 semester)
Gen. Bio (2 semesters)
Gen. Physics (2 semesters)
English (1 semester)
Statistics (1 semester)
Psychology (1 semester)
Social Sciences (1 semester).

Many programs require or recommend a semester or year of General Chemistry and a few programs require a semester of organic chemistry. To increase the degrees of freedom, some pre-PT students take a year of organic chemistry. An applicant also needs to be certified in CPR and have some PT related experience (working as a student athletic trainer is a terrific and appropriate experience to fulfill this requirement). You can also volunteer with a local physical therapist.

The choice of a major is not critical, but with 4 required biology courses (Bio 101, 102, anatomy, physiology), a biology major should at least be considered.

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