I think physical therapy is a great way to make money and to help people. Thank you for this article. It was very informative.

EHC says…

According to the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) website (which has a great FAQ section), you must graduate with a Physical Therapy degree from a CAPTE accredited physical therapy education program to practice. It also states “There is no Pre-PT degree. The pre-physical therapy curriculum should include a strong background in liberal arts and general education. You should determine the required prerequisites for the PT program(s) at which you intend to apply.”

It’s always a good idea to check out the prerequisites of any program before applying, no matter what the discipline is.

To answer your second question, the APTA website states that there is a PTA to PT program, called a Bridge Program. The Bridge program curriculum is for those who are practicing as a physical therapist assistant and want to become a physical therapist. This program normally takes 2 years to complete. Here is a listing of the CAPTE accredited Bridge Programs.

I want to become a physical therapist but I want to major in allied health because I am not sure that that is what I really want to be, so when your major is allied health, can you apply to a pt school or do you have to take more courses?

Part 2, if you get a job as a physical therapist assistant, can you continue your education toward a pt?

EHC says…

Take a look at the Issues in HealthCare section of ExploreHealthCareers.org. It covers a wide range of important issues in healthcare that might help you decide on a research topic.

In addition, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation created a Commission to examine factors that influence health outside of medical care. Information about the Commission, a copy of the full report, and loads of other helpful information on how to improve health for all Americans can be found at www.Commissiononhealth.org.

Working towards a PhD in Health Education. Considering several options for the research project, but do you have any areas that need more attention that could be addressed? My background is an RN, with Masters in Health Mgt. I would like to work on something with a real impact on society.

EHC says…

According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), some accredited physical therapy programs offer combined bachelor’s/masters degree programs, but no school appears to offer a combined master’s/doctorate.

We encourage you to contact APTA for guidance on academic planning. And good luck in your future career in physical therapy!

EHC says...

We took your question to Dr. Marian Osterweis, Chair of the EHC Advisory Committee and Senior Fellow with the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Here's what she said:

"It sounds like you have a lot of interests and several paths you are considering. If you want to do environmental science/engineering in grad school, public health will provide you with some excellent background. You will find that the two fields overlap some and mesh beautifully.

"If you really do have aspirations in the health field broadly, by all means consider biology instead of geology. Biology is considered one of the basic sciences/foundational courses for all the health fields including public health. You also mentioned that anthropology is your minor. That, too, is a wonderful complement to public health."

Learn more about careers in environmental science and public health.