Pre-Physical Therapy

Location(s): Face-to-face

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Requirements

A physical therapy degree is an advanced degree program offered at selected universities. Some programs are at the master’s degree level, but many are at the doctorate level. All require a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (average acceptance GPA of 3.5) and a GRE score higher than 1,500 (with a minimum of 500 in each section) for admission.

In addition, most require a minimum number of hours working with a physical therapist. The bachelor’s degree may be in any major, but a set of core courses in the sciences and other disciplines is required. Often, a list of recommended courses is suggested. Students must check with the schools to which they will apply for specific requirements, preferably early in their undergraduate career, because of the wide diversity of requirements. This will facilitate scheduling of the required courses along with major and Undergraduate General Education Requirements .

Core Science and Math Courses Required for Many Programs Include

BIOL 101 - Introductory Biology GT-SC1 4 Credit(s)
BIOL 101L - Introductory Biology Lab 0 Credit(s)
PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology GT-SS3 3 Credit(s)
MATH 106 - College Algebra GT-MA1 3 Credit(s)
MATH 107 - Trigonometry/Analytic Geometry GT-MA1 3 Credit(s)
CHEM 131 - General Chemistry GT-SC1 4 Credit(s)
CHEM 131L - General Chemistry Lab 1 Credit(s)
CHEM 132 - General Chemistry GT-SC1 4 Credit(s)
CHEM 132L - General Chemistry Lab 1 Credit(s)
BIOL 205 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4 Credit(s)
BIOL 206 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4 Credit(s)
PHYS 225 - College Physics I GT-SC1 5 Credit(s)
PHYS 226 - College Physics II 5 Credit(s)

Other Courses That May Be Required or Recommended

BIOL 125 - Nutrition GT-SC2 3 Credit(s)
SOC 201 - Social Imagination GT-SS3 3 Credit(s)
PSYC 204 - Child Development 3 Credit(s)
MATH 205 - Introduction to Statistical Methods 3 Credit(s)
PSYC 205 - Adolescent and Adult Development 3 Credit(s)
PSYC 230 - Psychology of Mental Health 3 Credit(s)
CHEM 321 - Organic Chemistry 4 Credit(s)
CHEM 321L - Organic Chemistry Lab 1 Credit(s)
KIN 329 - Exercise Physiology 3 Credit(s)
KIN 340 - Kinesiology 3 Credit(s)
CHEM 401 - Biochemistry 3 Credit(s)
CHEM 401L - Biochemistry Lab 1 Credit(s)

Note

Most schools require General Chemistry but some will allow CHEM 111 and CHEM 112 - Introductory Chemistry. MATH 106 and MATH 107 are pre- or co-requisites for General Chemistry and College Physics. A sufficiently high score on the mathematics portion of the ACT or SAT may waive these particular math requirements, but you need to take one math course as part of the Undergraduate General Education Requirements .