What’s The Best Bachelor’s Degree for Physical Therapy School?

The field of physical therapy tends to appeal to women and men who have a sincere interest in physical activity, helping people, and forming close working relationships with both peers and patients.

Physical therapists (PT’s) treat inpatients and outpatients experiencing limitations or restrictions in their movement. They provide sub-acute rehabilitative care and care for those suffering from chronic conditions. Ultimately, the job of a PT is the physical rehabilitation of immobilizing injuries or diseases and safe-guarding from (or limiting) future dysfunction.

These rehabilitation specialists primarily work at medical centers of all sizes, orthopedic/sports medicine clinics, private medical practices, academic institutions and sports teams.

As of 2013, a modest estimation of the per annum income for a PT right out of graduate school is in the range of $55,000 - $60,000. O*Net reports a figure of $81,030 as the median salary earned by PTs in 2013.

To legally practice as a physical therapist, you must now obtain a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, then successfully complete a licensure exam in the state where you’ll be practicing. The majority of DPT schools are highly selective, therefore applicants need to indicate considerable academic achievement, acquire a bachelor’s degree (typically in a science field), and have volunteer or paid work experience in a physical rehabilitation setting.

It’s important to note, there are a small number of PT schools which do not require a bachelor’s and allow entry with just 3 years of bachelor’s level education.

The average GPA of students matriculating into top-tier DPT programs is around 3.7 with many having between 200-500 hours of related work experience, whether paid or volunteer. Most PT schools typically enroll under 50 students (out of hundreds or even thousands of applicants) per year depending on size of the program.

What do most PT school applicants major in?

A large number of students that apply to DPT programs have at least a 3.0 GPA with a bachelor’s degree in a science related major - most commonly a BS in biology, health science, kinesiology, exercise science or athletic training.

However, a bachelor’s in any major, including psychology or art, is completely acceptable as long as you take the prerequisite courses required by the PT schools you’ll be applying to. It’s also becoming more common for applicants to have shadowed a physical therapist or logged some volunteer hours in a PT clinic or hospital.

What’s the best bachelor’s degree for physical therapy school?

Biology and majors under the umbrella of health science, such as exercise science, kinesiology and athletic training tend to be the most popular fields of undergraduate study for students entering into PT school. This is because the curriculum offered by these majors provide a great foundation for learning physical therapy. Any bachelor’s degree is fine for applying once you’ve taken the necessary pre-PT coursework. Simply put, you’re not required to major in a health or science related area to get into a DPT program. For example, a prospective student could major in art history and take the prerequisite PT school courses while studying art. Pursuing a major outside of health science or biology may take longer since courses required for PT school, such as Anatomy & Physiology and Physics, are usually not part of the core curriculum, whereas they typically are with health science/bio degrees. This is something to consider if time and money are important factors. What is most crucial is earning a high grade-point-average in your chosen degree along with the pre-PT courses (ideally 3.3 GPA and above for more competitive DPT programs).

Why Exercise Science is arguably the best Pre-PT degree

An Exercise Science bachelor’s degree is chosen by many students pursuing PT school since its core curriculum includes coursework in the biological and physical sciences (i.e. anatomy, physiology, physics, chemistry) as well as applied health science subjects (i.e. exercise physiology, kinesiology, strength & conditioning). This ideal fusion of science education provides invaluable groundwork for going into many medical and allied health professional schools, in particular physical therapy. Numerous colleges & universities offer Exercise Science degrees with pre-physical therapy concentration to ready students for streamlined application to a physical therapy program after graduation. These programs are designed to offer undergraduates a nice advantage towards getting into a physical therapy school and excelling once matriculated.

Does an Exercise Science degree qualify you to practice physical therapy?

An Exercise Science bachelor’s (or any other bachelor’s degree) does not allow you to practice physical therapy. However, it should qualify you to work as a physical therapy aide if you’re interested in getting paid work experience before applying to PT school. Currently there are over 200 physical therapy graduate schools, with almost all offering the Doctor of Physical Therapy designation. Generally, it takes another 3 years of schooling in a PT program after earning a bachelor’s degree to become a physical therapist.

Schools offering a Pre-Physical Therapy Major or Exercise Science Major w/ Pre-PT

Certain colleges & universities offer Exercise Science bachelor’s programs with a pre-PT track for students who’ll be pursuing PT school. Less common are undergraduate programs where Pre-Physical Therapy is the actual major (i.e. BS in Pre-PT).

List of Pre-Physical Therapy Undergraduate Programs

We’ve compiled a list of schools offering these type of Exercise Science with pre-physical therapy track or dedicated Pre-PT programs. While you can be “pre-PT” at any accredited 4-year school, here are the undergraduate schools specifically offering Pre-PT as a major by itself or an Exercise Science major with Pre-PT concentration. We will be updating this list as needed - please feel free to contact us with your school information if you do not see your program listed below.