Preparing for admission to a physical therapy or occupational therapy program
To meet American Physical Therapy Association accreditation standards, all physical therapy graduate programs must lead to a doctorate degree in physical therapy (DPT).
Most programs have transitioned to doctorate programs, but a few schools still offer a master’s degree. If you are seeking admission to a physical therapy graduate program, you need to complete a bachelor’s degree in any field, plus the prerequisite coursework listed below.
While many of these courses are not required for occupational therapy, following the Pre-Physical Therapy track makes students strongly competitive for a master’s in occupational therapy (MOT). There are doctorate programs in OT called the OTD, as well.
The main pre-physical therapy and pre-occupational therapy track is the BS in Applied Human Sciences. You should contact individual PT and OT schools for their admissions requirements or consult the APTA or AOTA websites.
- General Biology (15 credits)
- Human Anatomy and Physiology (10 credits)
- General Microbiology (5 credits)
- General Chemistry (10 credits)
- Survey of Organic Chemistry (5 credits)
- Introductory Inorganic Chemistry (5 credits)
- General Physics (15 credits)
- Statistics (5 credits)
- General Psychology (5 credits)
- Life Span or Developmental Psychology (5 credits)
- Abnormal Behavior (5 credits)
- Biomechanics (5 credits)
- Exercise Physiology (5 credits)
Total: 95 credits
Suggested additional courses include human nutrition, communication, and two courses in English. Check the requirements of the individual schools that interest you.