Preparing for as a Physical Therapist

Admission to physical therapy programs is competitive. All programs require a bachelor's degree. Other admission requirements vary, but generally one should have at least a 3.3 grade point average, have considerable work or volunteer experience as a physical therapy aide (some schools require up to 150 hours of clinical experience prior to admission), have positive letters of reference, and have a satisfactory score on the GRE.

Undergraduate Preparation: Undergraduate students can major in any academic discipline, but most physical therapy schools require the following courses to have been completed for admission:

•  1 semester of general biology
•  1 year of anatomy and physiology (preferably human)
•  1 year of general chemistry
•  1 year of physics
•  1 semester of applied anatomy (or related course)
•  1 semester of statistics
•  1 year of psychology (preferably developmental and abnormal)
•  At least 100 hours of volunteer time in a physical therapy setting
•  Shadowing of a physical therapist in at least 3 different settings
•  CPR certification
•  Demonstrable computer skills