How To Become A Physical Therapist

Masters In Physical Therapy - Choosing A School

In order to become a physical therapist, you need to get at least a Masters In Physical Therapy. This is the first step that needs to be completed, after you have earned a Masters In Physical Therapy you will still need to take the national exam for licensure and get licensed in the state where you wish to practice.

There are approximately 200 different universities offering either a Masters In Physical Therapy or a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, so there are lots of schools to choose from. Which school you choose will depend on your priorities.

Some people will want to get their Masters In Physical Therapy from one of the top schools in the field. If you are one of these people, I would recommend checking out the US News and World Report for their graduate school rankings. The top rated school for physical therapy is the University of Southern California, but they only offer DPT programs. The top rated school with a Masters In Physical Therapy program is University of California San Francisco with their combined MS-DPT program, which is ranked 13th.

Other people will be more interested in finding a Masters In Physical Therapy program that is located close to where they are living, and this shouldn't be too difficult since there are Masters In Physical Therapy programs in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. If you are open to pursuing a Doctor in Physical Therapy degree rather than a Masters In Physical Therapy, there are even more options since there are programs available for either Doctor or Masters in Physical Therapy in every state except for Alaska.

Those interested in pursuing a Masters In Physical Therapy need to meet some prerequisites in order to be accepted into a program. These vary by program, but usually include courses such as Inorganic Chemistry with lab, Physics with lab, Anatomy with lab, Human Physiology, Cell Biology or Microbiology, Abnormal Psychology, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, and Statistics.

Students entering into a Masters In Physical Therapy program can expect to take course such as anatomy, kinesiology, neuroscience, pathology, orthopedics, radiology, pharmacology, and therapeutic exercise, among other courses. There are also usually courses to teach you more about the specialty areas of physical therapy: geriatrics, pediatrics, cardiopulmonary, orthopedic and neurological physical therapy. There is usually a research component and a clinical component as well. Masters In Physical Therapy programs typically take around two years to complete. Once the Masters In Physical Therapy program is completed, students are expected to pass their national licensure exam.

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