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Studies & Degrees in Pre-Physical Therapy

Pre-physical therapy, or pre-PT, is the undergraduate preparation for a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programme in the United States. It is not a professional qualification in itself. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), physical therapists need a DPT degree from an accredited programme, DPT programmes typically last 3 years, and they typically require a bachelor's degree plus prerequisite courses such as anatomy, chemistry and physics.

Physical therapists help injured or ill people improve movement and manage pain. A pre-PT student therefore completes a first degree and, at the same time, collects what DPT programmes ask for: science prerequisites, good grades and hours of observation in clinics. In Spain and in most of Latin America, by contrast, physiotherapy is a first university degree that students enter directly after secondary school, so there is no separate preparatory stage.

Qualifications and levels

Pre-PT is organised in several ways, and the name on the diploma is usually that of another subject.

  • A track next to a major: the student takes a bachelor's degree and follows an advised list of courses. At Tennessee Tech University, students on the Pre-Physical Therapy career track typically major in Biology, Exercise Science, Human Ecology, Interdisciplinary Studies or Psychology.
  • An associate degree for transfer: community colleges teach the first two years. North Idaho College awards an associate's degree with an area of emphasis in Pre-Physical Therapy and states that the coursework normally fulfils the prerequisites of most physical therapy programmes. Students then transfer to a university to finish the bachelor's degree.
  • Combined pathways: the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) describes a 3+3 format, with three years of pre-PT courses followed by a three-year DPT, and a few freshman-entry programmes that recruit students directly from high school into guaranteed admission. Arcadia University, for example, has a six-year 4+2 pathway to its own DPT and an invitation-only accelerated pathway for Biology majors; the university makes clear that the 4+2 pathway does not guarantee admission.
  • The DPT itself: a professional doctorate. According to the APTA, approximately 77% of the curriculum is classroom and laboratory study and 23% is clinical education, and students spend on average 22 weeks in their final clinical experience.

Getting into a DPT programme

Most DPT programmes require a bachelor's degree before admission, according to the APTA. Applications go through the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS), which lets applicants use a single web-based application and one set of materials for several programmes. PTCAS advises applying early, because verifying a file can take up to 5 weeks.

Requirements differ by programme. As an indication, North Idaho College tells its students that physical therapy programmes typically require an overall GPA of 2.75 or better, a 3.00 GPA in the prerequisite courses, and a minimum of 75-80 hours of work or observation under a licensed physical therapist. Arcadia University asks its own pathway students for observations in two clinical settings, one inpatient and one outpatient, and for letters of recommendation, at least one of them from a practising licensed physical therapist.

International students should ask each programme how it treats coursework completed outside the United States and which English test it accepts.

Accreditation and licence

DPT programmes are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), an agency recognised by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. All states require physical therapists to be licensed, which includes passing a qualifying exam, the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). Some states also require a law exam and a criminal background check.

Where to study pre-physical therapy

SpainExchange lists 24 active schools for pre-physical therapy, all of them in the United States. They include community colleges such as North Idaho College and universities that also run their own DPT, such as The Ohio State University, whose programme is accredited by CAPTE, and the University of Dayton, which has a Department of Physical Therapy. Teaching is in English.

The APTA does not rank DPT programmes. When comparing undergraduate options, look at the pre-health advising, the science laboratories, the help given to find observation hours and any agreement with a DPT programme.

Careers

Pre-PT alone does not qualify anyone to treat patients. For those who complete the DPT and obtain a licence, the BLS counted 283,700 jobs for physical therapists in the United States in 2025 and projects growth of 12 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,400 openings each year. Physical therapists typically work in private offices and clinics, hospitals, patients' homes and nursing homes. After graduation they may apply for a clinical residency, which typically lasts about 1 year, to specialise.

Frequently asked questions

Is pre-physical therapy a degree?

Usually not. At most universities it is a track of courses and advising taken alongside a major such as biology or exercise science. Some community colleges award an associate degree with an emphasis in pre-physical therapy.

How long does it take to become a physical therapist in the United States?

Normally a four-year bachelor's degree followed by a DPT, which typically lasts 3 years. Some combined pathways are shorter.

Which major should a pre-PT student choose?

There is no single required major. Biology, exercise science and psychology are common choices; what matters is completing the prerequisite courses of the DPT programmes the student will apply to.

Do I need clinical experience before applying?

Yes, in most cases. Programmes ask for hours of observation or work under a licensed physical therapist; the number of hours and the settings vary by programme.