Physiotherapy Schools and Programs in Canada

Physiotherapy Studies in Canada

Physiotherapy (also called physical therapy) is a regulated health profession in Canada: by law, a physiotherapist needs a licence to practise, and licences are issued by the regulatory college of each province or territory. The qualification that leads to the profession is no longer a bachelor's degree. It is a professional master's degree taken after a first university degree, in a programme accredited by Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada (PEAC).

SpainExchange lists one school in Canada for physiotherapy, Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. International applicants should read the admission section carefully, because places in these programmes are limited and some are reserved for Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

How the degree is organised

PEAC's list of entry-to-practice programmes shows master's degrees at universities in seven provinces, from the Master of Physical Therapy of the University of British Columbia to the Master of Science (Physiotherapy) of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. At the English-language universities on the list the qualification is a master's degree. Several French-language universities in Quebec, such as the Université de Montréal, organise it as a continuous bachelor's and master's programme.

At Queen's University, the School of Rehabilitation Therapy offers a 24-month Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MScPT). Students are registered full-time for the two years; the school does not admit part-time students or grant advanced standing. Clinical education is part of the programme: the school schedules five placements, from junior to senior level, each six weeks long. PEAC has awarded the programme the status "Accreditation – Fully Compliant" until 31 October 2030.

Admission

Admission to a physiotherapy master's is competitive and each university sets its own rules. Queen's requires:

• a four-year bachelor's degree from a recognised university with at least second-class standing (B-)
• university-level prerequisite courses in human anatomy, human physiology, psychology and statistics or research methods, each with at least B- (70%)
• two confidential references and a personal submission
• the online CASPer test
• an application through ORPAS, the Ontario application service for rehabilitation programmes

The school states that students entering the programme typically have a grade point average of 3.75 or higher in their most recent ten full-course credits. Applicants who have lived in an English-speaking country for less than three years must prove their English, for example with an IELTS score of 7.

Citizenship. Queen's restricts admission to candidates who are Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents at the time of application. A student from abroad who does not have permanent residence cannot enter this programme. Other universities have their own policies, which must be checked on each programme's admission page.

From the degree to the licence

Graduating is not the last step. According to PEAC, all physiotherapy regulators except Quebec's require a national competency examination before they grant an independent licence, and Canadian-educated candidates can only sit it if they graduated from a programme with PEAC accreditation. The exam is run by the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR). The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario describes the current Canadian Physiotherapy Examination as a five-hour virtual exam with a written and an oral component. In Quebec, a licence requires a master's degree in physiotherapy from a Quebec university or a licence from another Canadian jurisdiction.

Physiotherapists trained outside Canada

A physiotherapist who qualified in another country does not need to repeat the degree, but must go through CAPR before applying to a provincial college. CAPR reviews the applicant's credentials, and the applicant must show proficiency in English or French and then pass the national examination. CAPR has announced a new Comparability Pathway for internationally educated physiotherapists, launching on 15 October 2026; its conditions and fees are on the CAPR website. Registration itself is done with the college of the province where the physiotherapist wants to work.

Costs and study permit

Tuition fees vary by region, programme and school. EduCanada puts average university tuition for international graduate students at $24,028 per year (Statistics Canada, 2026); professional programmes can differ from that average. Most foreign nationals admitted to a Canadian programme need a study permit, which costs CAN$150, and for applications from 1 September 2026 a single student outside Quebec must show CAN$23,448 for a year of living costs, on top of tuition and travel.

Careers

Queen's describes its graduates as prepared to work in public, private and community settings. No official employment figures were used for this page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I study physiotherapy in Canada as a bachelor's degree?

The qualification that gives access to the profession is a master's degree in an accredited programme. At Queen's University it is a 24-month Master of Science in Physical Therapy taken after a four-year bachelor's degree.

Can international students enter the physiotherapy programme at Queen's University?

No. Queen's restricts admission to Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents at the time of application.

Is a foreign physiotherapy degree valid in Canada?

Not automatically. The Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators assesses the credentials, the applicant must prove English or French and pass the national examination, and the provincial college then decides on registration.

Who issues the licence to practise?

The regulatory college of the province or territory where the physiotherapist works. Each one has its own registration process.