Physical Therapy

A physical therapist (PT) is a health professional that restores stability, mobility, and pain relief in patients impacted by movement dysfunctions following injuries or diseases. They utilize various physical strategies (heat, cold, electricity, ultrasound, water exercise, pressure, etc.) to expedite the restoration and recovery of patients. 

Some key responsibilities include:

  • Creating treatment plans
  • Physical examinations
  • Make diagnoses
  • Work with modalities to aide treatment
  • Patient education

Physical therapists are different from orthopedists, who are specialized medical professionals that treat injuries and diseases of bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, often by surgery, whereas PT rehabilitate patients and improve their functionality through non-surgerical methods and pain management. In other words, orthopedists work internally while PT work externally.

Physical therapists are also different from occupational therapists (OT) who are trained to help patients improve their ability to perform daily activities and fine motor skills. PTs focus more on restoring and enhancing the body’s mobility, stability, pain relief, and gross motor skills. Fine motor control refers to coordinated movement of small muscles in hands, fingers, and wrists to pick up objects, write, draw, use scissors, eat, etc., whereas gross motor skills are the use of muscles for large movements like running, jumping, and walking.

To learn more about PT, check out American Physical Therapy Association: Becoming a Physical Therapist.

Physical Therapy Preparation

  • Timeline

  • 1. Obtain a Bachelor’s degree (4+ years) and complete all pre-PT requirements, including prerequisites, the GRE (if applicable), and experiences
    2. Attend an accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program (3-4 years) and earn a Doctorate in Physical Therapy
    Optional: Complete residency (1 year) or fellowship (length varies)
    3. Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE)
    4. Become licensed in the state you wish to practice

    Upon matriculation into a PT program, there are additional steps students must complete in order to obtain licensure or professional certification. These steps vary by field and by program, and may include board examinations, supervised clinical hours, background checks, or other program-specific milestones. Once you are in your graduate program, your graduate program advisor will provide guidance on the post-graduation next steps.

  • Pre-Requisites

  • Prerequisite courses are the academic foundation that most programs require students to complete before beginning PT program. No matter which major you choose, you will need to fulfill the specific science and non-science prerequisites set by each program. Always review and cross-check the requirements of your major with the prerequisite coursework for your chosen PT program to ensure you are completing both UCD requirements as well as the requirements of the programs.

    While HPA has developed a suggested prerequisite chart from a sample of programs, prerequisite coursework and entrance requirements will vary by program, hence it is important to check individual programs' websites to familiarize yourself with their exact prerequisites.

    Program Prerequisites

    Courses to Take at UC Davis

    Most schools require: 

    		 

    General Biology

    BIO 1

    General Chemistry

    CHE 2ABC

    Physics w/ Lab

    PHY 7ABC OR PHY 9ABC

    Human Physiology w/ Lab

    (NPB 101 & NPB 101L) OR (NPB 110C & NPB 101L)

    Human Anatomy w/ Lab

    (EXB 106 & EXB 106L) OR (CHA 101 & CHA 101L)

    Psychology1

    PSC 1

    Statistics

    STA 13 OR STA 100

    Some schools may require:

    		 

    Exercise Physiology

    EXB 101

    Kinesiology/Biomechanics

    NPB 109

    Neurobiology

    NPB 100 OR NPB 110B

    Neuroanatomy

    NPB 124

    Medical Terminology

    Course not offered at UC Davis

    English Composition

    Combination of writing-intensive ENL and UWP courses

    Communication

    CMN 1

    Prerequisite Chart Footnotes:
    1. Additional psychology courses may be required such as developmental psychology (PSC 140) and abnormal psychology (PSC 168). Check each programs’ admissions page for details regarding prerequisite coursework.

    HPA Recommendations:
    1. Complete all prerequisite courses for a letter grade, not P/NP.
    2. Earn a “C” or higher in all prerequisite coursework. Some programs may require no lower than a B in any of your prerequisite courses.
    3. Maintain a minimum undergraduate and science GPA of 3.0 or higher. A competitive GPA will likely be higher for most programs.

    Please note that PT programs do accept community college work in varying degrees, some accept all transferable work, some a certain amount of units, and others accept a very limited amount. If you have any questions about your major, prerequisite courses, or grade/GPA concerns, you are encouraged to make an appointment with one of HPA Staff Advisors.

  • Exam

  • Most PT programs may require the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) as part of admissions requirements and it is strongly recommended to be taken prior to applying. You can speak with a HPA Staff Advisor about your specific timeline. Check each individual school’s admissions webpage that you are applying to to see if they require it.

    Please note: The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is not a course-dependent test, meaning there are no specific UCD courses you need to take to prepare. The best way is to give yourself time to study the test by buying test prep books or taking a test prep course.

    To learn more about the standardized exam and preparing for it, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Standardized Exams and HPA’s Test Prep Events & Resources.

Applying to Physical Therapy School

  • Choosing Schools

  • There are over 300 PT programs in the U.S. Check out the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education’s (CAPTE) Accredited PT & PTA Programs Directory.

    There are a variety of factors that go into choosing which PT programs to apply to, including degree awarded, location, environment (i.e. urban), tuition, class size, focus or mission statement, etc. Spend some time researching programs online and create a spreadsheet that tracks the factors most important to you. On average, pre-PT students apply to 6-8 PT programs. HPA also recommends meeting with an advisor to discuss your school list.

  • Application System

  • Applicants typically apply the year before they matriculate into a PT program and the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) is a centralized application system that is used by most PT programs. To learn more about PTCAS, visit the American Physical Therapy Association: The Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). Students are encouraged to refer to the PTCAS Applicant Help Center for additional guidance on how to complete their applications. Some programs will have applicants participate in PTCAS and will also have applicants complete an application through their own internal graduate program applications, while other programs do not use PTCAS at all. HPA recommends for applicants to carefully review the application process of each individual school that they are applying to.

    The PTCAS opens in June and closes in June of the following year; these dates may vary for programs who are not utilizing the PTCAS. While PTCAS closes in June of the following year, participating programs of PTCAS may have earlier deadline dates, which are the deadlines applicants should be submitting by. These deadlines may also vary by schools or some may admit students on a rolling basis; please check your individual programs for specific dates. If that is the case for your school of choice, be sure to submit your application early, but only when you are ready. Come see an advisor at Health Professions Advising to review your application.

    Programs and application systems may have specific guidelines about what is considered a completed application, and these components may vary based on the application system and/or individual program. Some examples include but are not limited to submitting the application fee and receiving letters of recommendations and official transcripts. Students are responsible for ensuring their applications are complete, submitted, and verified by the application deadline.

    To learn more about applications and application timeline, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications and Application Timelines.

  • Personal Statement
  • The prompt and/or character or word count may vary per year. HPA recommends applicants  begin drafting their personal statement in advance of the application opening. It is very common for applicants to write multiple drafts before they finalize their personal statement. To learn more about approaching personal statements, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Personal Statements.
  • Experiences and Activities

  • Experiences and activities help students learn more about their motivations, interests, and goals, and to explore the field of PT. What you do with your time helps define who you are in your application. Whatever you choose to do, be sure you are dedicated, passionate about it, and understand your motivation for pursuing it. It is important that you balance your co-curricular activities with your academics to ensure you are maintaining strong academic performance while still engaging meaningfully outside the classroom.

    Most PT schools require a minimum of verified observation hours in at least two physical therapy settings. These hours may be obtained through volunteering, shadowing, or paid experiences under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. The required number and type of settings may vary by program. Applicants may also be required to submit a verification form documenting completed hours, signed by the supervising therapist. We strongly recommend checking the prerequisites for each PT program you intend to apply, as requirements may vary. To compare the observation hour requirements across programs, visit the Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service: Observation Requirements by Program.

    To learn more about experiences and various on- and off-campus opportunities, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Experiences. UC Davis students are also encouraged to subscribe to HPA Today (HPA’s newsletter).

  • Letters of Recommendation

  • Letter of recommendation requirements vary by health professional schools. For many health fields, HPA recommends two lecture-based science instructor recommendations (this excludes research PI), one lecture-based non-science instructor, and additional letters from your co-curricular experiences. This can include a research PI, mentor, volunteer coordinator, professional you shadowed, etc. Your specific school list will determine what letters you may actually need.

    Most PT programs may require that one of your references is from a licensed physical therapist. Students are welcome to refer to the PTCAS Reference Requirements by Program.

    To learn more about the etiquettes for letters of recommendation, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Letters of Recommendations.

  • Supplemental Applications
  • Supplemental applications (or secondaries) may be required for some PT programs and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the programs they are applying to. Supplemental/secondary applications may include additional fees and/or essays. To learn more about supplemental applications, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications.
  • Interviews
  • Interviews may be required for some PT programs and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the schools they are applying to. To learn more about preparing for interviews, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Interviews and HPA’s Interview Week.

More questions? Check out the frequently asked questions or schedule an appointment with an advisor.