Physical therapy school takes about 3 years for a doctorate (DPT), after a bachelor’s degree.
Length
Physical therapy school leads to a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), which takes about 3 years of full-time study after a bachelor’s degree. Total is 7 years including undergraduate studies.
Curriculum
Anatomy, kinesiology, pathology, neuroscience, and over 30 weeks of clinical rotations (CAPTE standards).
Admission
Prerequisite courses in biology, chemistry, physics and statistics, plus observation hours.
Licensing
Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).
Pay and outlook
The BLS reports median pay of about $99,000 a year and 14 percent growth, much faster than average.
Cost
Tuition for DPT programs varies from $30,000 to over $120,000.
Assistants
PTAs need a 2-year associate degree.
Program length
A Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) takes about three years, usually 100 or more weeks, after a four year bachelor’s degree. The first part is classroom and lab work, and the final 30 to 40 weeks are full time clinical rotations. In total a physical therapist usually spends seven years in college. Some schools offer 3+3 programs that combine a bachelor’s and DPT in six years.
What you study
Courses include anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, neuroscience, pathology, pharmacology, biomechanics and exercise science. Students practice examination, manual therapy, gait training and treatment planning, and complete clinical rotations in settings such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers, schools and nursing homes.
Admission requirements
Most applicants apply through the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). Common prerequisites are biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology, psychology and statistics. Competitive applicants have GPAs around 3.5 or higher and observation hours in a clinical setting, often 50 to 100 or more. The Graduate Record Examination is no longer required by many schools.
Licensing
Graduates must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) run by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, plus a state jurisprudence exam in some states. The test has 225 questions, and the pass mark is a scaled score of 600. The first time pass rate for US graduates is about 90%.
Pay and job outlook
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median pay of about $99,000 to $100,000 a year for physical therapists (2023), with growth projected at 14% over 10 years, much faster than average. Pay is higher in home health and nursing facilities.
Cost
Tuition for a DPT ranges from about $30,000 total at some public schools to over $150,000 at private schools. Many students graduate with debt of $100,000 or more. Scholarships and graduate assistantships help.
Physical therapist assistants
PTAs complete a two year associate degree and pass a licensing exam. Median pay is around $62,000 a year, and the job growth outlook is 19% over 10 years. PTAs work under the supervision of a physical therapist.
Admissions and education numbers
Physical therapists in the US need a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from a CAPTE accredited program, with about 230 programs nationwide. Most programs require a bachelor’s degree with prerequisites in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics and psychology, plus observation hours. Programs are competitive, and accepted students often have GPAs above 3.5. After graduation, candidates must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median pay for physical therapists of about 99,000 USD per year (2023) and projects employment growth of 14 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than average.
Based on data from the American Physical Therapy Association and the Bureau of Labor Statistics
