Getting into a Physical Therapy Program

Physical therapists help accident victims and individuals with disabling conditions relieve pain and participate more fully in their normal life activities. To become a physical therapist, students are required to complete a bachelor’s degree, a master’s or doctoral degree in physical therapy and obtain a license to practice in their state.

There is no specific undergraduate major required for students who wish to enter a physical therapy program. Any student who intends to apply to a physical therapy program automatically becomes a pre-physical therapy student. However, students must complete all of the prerequisite (required) courses. Students should select a major that fits their interests and strengths. Prospective physical therapy students should also determine the number of prerequisite physical therapy courses that can be taken as major requirement courses or required electives to determine if additional courses will need to be taken to complete both graduation and pre-physical therapy course requirements.

Prerequisite courses vary from school to school; therefore, prospective physical therapy students should always check with schools to which they intend to apply to be certain they know the exact coursework required. Some of the courses required by many physical therapy programs include anatomy, physiology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, statistics and social science.

There are more students who want to enter physical therapy programs than there are available spaces. Therefore, students who want to become physical therapists should start early to make themselves more competitive. Faculty members making admissions decisions evaluate prospective physical therapy students by using a variety of criteria. Some of the most common criteria on which pre-physical therapy students are judged include overall grade point average (GPA), Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, admissions essays, letters of recommendation, admissions interviews and familiarity with the physical therapy field.

Physical therapy programs are rigorous. Those making admissions decisions want to be certain that the students who take up available slots are academically capable and committed. Looking at students’ previous grades and GRE scores help faculty members in charge of admissions decisions predict how well prospective students are likely to do in the physical therapy program. It is important for prospective physical therapy students to do as well as they can academically.

Physical therapy programs expect admissions candidates to be familiar with the physical therapy field. Faculty members making admissions decisions want to know that potential students know what they are getting into to make sure that they are committed to the physical therapy field. Most programs require applicants to document their physical therapy observation hours. The number of required hours varies greatly from program to program. Therefore, it is best to check with all programs to which you might apply to understand the requirements.

While admission to a physical therapy program can be an intimidating process, it can become less stressful by taking it one step at a time. It also can be helpful to seek advice and insight from your academic adviser or counselor. Keep in mind that enthusiasm for the field can be a great asset, overcoming some less positive aspects of a candidate’s application. Enthusiasm can be demonstrated in admissions essays, admissions interviews, participation in related extracurricular activities and by what writers of recommendation letters say about you.