A doctor of physical therapy degree (DPT) is recommended for those hoping to become a physical therapist. It typically requires that you first earn a bachelor’s degree via a program that requires certain science courses during your undergraduate studies. Once you have completed a bachelor's degree, the next step is to complete a graduate DPT program. Before you graduate with a doctorate, you usually will need to take part in internships that better prepare you to perform the duties of a physical therapist with little supervision.
The first step to getting a doctor of physical therapy degree is obtaining a bachelor’s degree. While a major in a related field often helps prepare students for this kind of program, it usually is not necessary as long as the appropriate prerequisite classes are taken. For example, you usually are expected to have taken chemistry, biology and physics, along with math classes such as statistics. Anatomy and physiology also are often required before you can apply to get a doctor of physical therapy degree. If you have a counselor at your undergraduate school, you should let him know that you eventually would like to get a doctoral degree in this subject, so he can guide you toward the appropriate courses.
Once you get a bachelor’s degree, you should apply to a few colleges with a respected doctor of physical therapy program. The direct-entry doctorate program usually is best if you have not yet worked in this field, while a transitional degree typically is for physical therapists who already have worked in this industry. Once you select the program that best fits your situation, you need to sign up for classes that teach about the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems, as well as prevention of injury. You also may have to learn about ethics and values in this field, in addition to clinical reasoning, pathology and pharmacology. Your counselor should be able to tell you which classes to sign up for once you enroll.
Prior to graduating with a doctor of physical therapy degree, you typically will need to get some experience in this field, usually through an internship. In most cases, your first year in the program will be spent learning the basics of physical therapy in a classroom but, starting during your second year, you likely will spend increasingly more time at a clinic or hospital. You can expect to be supervised while performing most tasks but, as graduation nears, you probably will be given more responsibility and less supervision so you are prepared for a career in physical therapy once you graduate.
