Academic and Career Information
Updated February 2018
Nature of the Work, Earnings and Occupational Outlook
Physical Therapists (PTs) evaluate and treat people of all ages with movement disorders and other health problems resulting from diseases, disorders, conditions or injuries. The treatment goals of Physical Therapists include making patients stronger, relieving their pain, helping them to regain and maintain maximum human performance and educating patients on proper health maintenance. Treatment may include therapeutic exercise, cardiovascular endurance training, and training in activities of daily living. Physical Therapists are employed in hospitals, private offices, community health centers, industrial health centers, sports facilities, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, schools, research institutions, or teach in colleges or universities. They work with other health care providers such as physicians, occupational therapists, nurses, mental health professionals, and speech pathologists and audiologists. In 2017, physical therapists’ median salary was $86,850. About 239,800 PT jobs were held in the U.S, with much faster than average growth of 28% projected through 2026. Demand for physical therapy services will come from the aging baby boomers, who are staying active later in life, and for the need to treat people with mobility issues stemming from chronic conditions, such as diabetes or obesity (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2018).
Physician Assistant Preparation
Admission requirements vary by program, but most admissions committees are very selective and are looking for specific prerequisites courses, strong academic and prerequisite course records, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), quality letters of recommendation, and work or volunteer experience in the field as indicators of potential to succeed. Application deadlines vary from October of the year prior to matriculation to May. Most programs require a student to have at least a 3.0 cumulative and prerequisite GPA, although the average GPA for accepted students may be higher. Increasingly, programs are also requiring applicants to have paid or volunteer experience in one or more physical therapy settings and may ask that a student have adult Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification. Prerequisite requirements can vary widely from program to program. Most programs require Anatomy, Physiology, the year‐long sequences of General Chemistry and Physics, all with laboratory plus courses in psychology and mathematics. Many programs also have additional required and strongly suggested courses.
List and Descriptions of Physical Therapy Education Programs
- Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education’s (CAPTE) database of accredited programs
- The Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS)
Chart Listing of Admission Requirements for Physical Therapy Education Programs
Physical Therapy Education
The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) accredits physical therapy programs. Professional (entry-level) physical therapist education programs in the United States only offer the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree to all new students who enroll. The Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) and Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MSPT) degrees are no longer offered to any new students in the United States (APTA Education Overview, 2018) Physical Therapy graduate course work investigates questions related to body movement, simple and complex motor skill development, and the effects of therapeutic activity. Research in the field focuses on understanding the impairments underlying disability, or applications for practical clinical problems.
There are currently 15 accredited Physical Therapy programs in California: Azusa Pacific University, Chapman University, Loma Linda University, Mount St. Mary’s College, Samuel Merritt College, Western University, UC San Francisco, San Francisco State, USC, CSU San Marcos, University of the Pacific, CSU Fresno (MPT/DPT), CSU Long Beach, CSU Northridge (MPT/DPT), and CSU Sacramento.
Physical Therapy Licensure
To practice in the US students need to graduate from an accredited professional physical therapy graduate program and pass the national licensure exam. Most programs require two to three years of education including didactic work and clinical training in various health care settings
Course Requirements for Physical Therapy Program
This is NOT a comprehensive list of prerequisites for all programs. Students maintain responsibility for verifying course selection with individual programs.