Masters In Physical Therapy

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 degree 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 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 from one of the top physical therapy 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 physical therapy masters program that is located close to where they are living, and this shouldn't be too difficult since there are many physical therapist 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 both degrees in every state except for Alaska.

Masters Program Prerequisites

Those interested in pursuing a masters program 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.

Course Curriculum

Students entering into a Masters 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. A physical therapy degree Masters program typically takes 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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