• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

PTProgress | Career Development, Education, Health

  • HOME
  • BLOG
    • Career
    • Education
    • Health
  • RESOURCES
    • MedBridge Promo Code
  • PT Job Search

What is the Best Undergraduate Major for Physical Therapy?

(This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosures for more information.)
Last modified on August 19, 2020 by Tim Fraticelli DPT, MBA, CFP®

undergrad majors for Physical therapyIf you’re trying to decide on the best physical therapy major if you want to become a PT, you’re not alone. Over 19,000 soon to be PT School applicants this year have asked the same question.

The real question is this: does your undergrad degree matter when applying to PT School?

Personally, I had a bachelors in business and an MBA before I applied to PT School. That doesn’t fit the mold at all!

Here’s my impression on undergrad degrees and Physical Therapy: Your major matters less than what you think it does.

 

Physical Therapy Majors (pre-PT undergrad)

If you want to become a PT, there isn’t a “physical therapy major” option for your undergrad.  You must complete certain pre-requisites, but your undergrad degree or major can be in anything you choose.  The actual physical therapy degree is what you earn when you graduate from PT school (graduate level program).

Most of the PrePT programs will offer options to complete a bachelor degree in exercise science, human biology, or even kinesiology. Those programs will generally satisfy the prerequisites for PT school but don’t necessarily mean you have a better chance of getting in or even succeeding in PT school.

What to major in for Physical Therapy?

Think about it another way: these degrees will give you a glimpse into human movement and will give you more background in terms of the biological processes of the body, but you won’t be set apart from everyone else. You will be surrounded by other students with a degree in kinesiology or biology, applying for the same PT School seat you want!

Now consider someone with a degree in engineering, marketing, or teaching. They bring unique experiences and different thought processes to the table. They’ve completed the same prerequisites as the kinesiology major, but during their PT school interview, they discuss how their training in teaching will help them in the clinic to educate patients on improving their motion or with progressing exercises.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Physical Therapist?

How to Set Yourself Apart When Applying to PT School

There are a number of ways to promote yourself when you have a different degree than the average PT applicant. In my opinion, there are three key benefits to having a non-science degree when you’re applying to become a PT (or any health profession for that matter).

  1. You bring a unique perspective, new skills, and a different way of thinking to the field.
  2. Ability to pursue things that generally interest you instead of completing a biology degree because “that’s what everyone else does”
  3. You give yourself options to pursue work outside of your field if you change your mind after completing a degree in Physical Therapy.

So What are the Best College Majors for Physical Therapy?

The top majors accepted into Physical Therapy School is actually published by the APTA.  Here’s a look at the top 15 undergraduate majors for Physical Therapy school.

undergrad majors for Physical therapy

  • Exercise Science
  • Kinesiology
  • Biology
  • Health Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Athletic Training
  • Exercise Physiology
  • General Studies
  • Science
  • Allied Health
  • Nutrition
  • Physiology
  • Exercise Kinesiology

 

While the following majors did not make the top 15 listed above, there were still a good number of students with degrees in the following areas of study (I’d recommend any of these majors over the top 15 listed above):

  • Business Management
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Human Factors & Ergonomics

At the end of the day, your undergraduate degree will not get you into PT school.  They are looking for someone who is willing to put in a lot of hard work to learn the skills, but also someone who can connect well with people.  As a Physical Therapist, you educate your patients, engineer solutions to home setups, create marketing plans for your clinic, and balance the budget as a clinic manager. As a clinic owner, you’ll need to understand the basics of employment taxes and human resources best practices!  Having a degree outside of Biology will certainly work in your favor!

My preference: business management, but I may be biased. 🙂  

Curious to Know How To Become a Physical Therapist?

Keep reading to get an insider’s look on how to become a physical therapist:

If you’re already a physical therapist and looking for continuing education options this year, check out the article highlighting the MedBridge promo code to save $175 on your CEUs this year!

((Pin the infographic or click through to read the full article)
how to become a physical therapist infographic

Filed Under: Education

About Tim Fraticelli DPT, MBA, CFP®

Tim Fraticelli is a Physical Therapist, Certified Financial Planner™ and founder of PTProgress.com. He loves to teach PTs and OTs ways to save time and money in and out of the clinic, especially when it comes to documentation or continuing education. Follow him on YouTube for weekly videos on ways to improve your financial health.

Comments

  1. Vasant Joshi says

    August 28, 2018 at 5:34 pm

    I am an aspirant for MS in Exercise Science or Kinesiology and going to join it by Summer 2019. After completing my MS in Exercise Science or Kinesiology and also after clearing a US Licence exam as a physical therapist do I need to do DPT to practise in USA?

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    October 29, 2018 at 3:16 am

    You cant take the licensing exam until you graduate from the DPT program

    Reply
  3. Tamara says

    December 2, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    Hi, I have a BA in Business Management since 2007 and I am thinking of a career change to Physical therapy. What would be the best way to get into the field? Would I just need to do pre-requisites and then be able to go straight to the Master’s program and complete 3years or how does that work? I currently live in Florida. Would I be able to work while studying?

    Reply
    • Tim says

      December 7, 2018 at 12:44 am

      Hi Tamara,

      I was in the same boat as you! If you are interested in becoming a PT, check out this article: https://www.ptprogress.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-become-a-physical-therapist/
      and
      https://www.ptprogress.com/become-physical-therapist-7-steps/

      Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    February 7, 2019 at 11:52 am

    hello iam an under board PT 1996 in philippines, really long years passed and for sure lots of changes in modalities, and everything , How can I be updated again with the course, do I have to start first until intership, im planning to take Pjilippines board again , but afraid because I am OUTDATED ALREADY.

    Reply
  5. melanie says

    February 7, 2019 at 11:54 am

    hello iam an under board PT 1996 in philippines, really long years passed and for sure lots of changes in modalities, and everything , How can I be updated again with the course, do I have to start first until intership, im planning to take Pjilippines board again , but afraid because I am OUTDATED ALREADY.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    February 12, 2019 at 6:25 pm

    i dont know what the best collage would be to major in this, i’m going to millitary school mid-may and will graduate at 16, my parents want me to go to UGA to cheer for the bulldogs but i want to go to dallas.

    Reply
  7. Joanna says

    February 27, 2019 at 8:07 pm

    Hello I graduated high school in 2015 and did a year of community and technical college (1ctc) I enjoyed taking Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2.
    I moved to a different state and started some online courses that fell through in 2016. Then I went to a 4 year university as a PHYSICS EDUCATION MAJOR fall of 2017 and left in the spring 2018.

    Now I am at (2ctc) I will be 22 when I graduate with my A.S. this spring 2019. I applied to my PTA program.

    If there is a long wait time for my PTA program should I go back to my 4 year college and complete my physics.ed.major. If I take certain forgiven loans I am required to work for 5 years minimum. Or
    should I go to the military and have them pay for my school and work there for the rest of my life?

    I really want to get my DPT but I was shy about it and didnt know if my major mattered. Now I am willing to do whatever it takes.

    Reply
  8. addie says

    March 11, 2019 at 12:01 pm

    Hi im a senior in highscool. What major do you think would be best for me to have to get in DPT? I saw that excersice science is a popular one. Do they mostly want people w excercise science degrees? or it would be better for me to do a degree not everyone does?

    Reply
  9. Abdul khader says

    August 7, 2019 at 10:05 pm

    I am a PT having bachelor degree in physiotherapy from India and working in saudi Arabia since 15 years Still working.planning to move US as license PT and want to do t DPT.need some suggestions.
    Regards

    Reply
  10. Joshua Brien says

    November 9, 2019 at 4:53 pm

    Hi im a senior in highscool. What major do you think would be best for me to have to get in DPT? I saw that exercise science is a popular one. Do they mostly want people w exercise science degrees or would it be better for me to do a degree not as popular?

    Reply
  11. Joshua Brien says

    November 9, 2019 at 5:06 pm

    Two questions I would like your thoughts. I’m a senior in high school and looking at colleges in my area. I also plan on playing competitive tennis for whichever college I choose. Uconn has an exercise program where my 2 state colleges have biology and kinesiology. What is the acceptance rate for a Graduate school if I go to a state college and not a specialty school? I really want to continue playing tennis at a competitive level, do you feel this is all possible?

    Reply
  12. Rachel says

    June 12, 2020 at 6:58 am

    Is it possible to be a art major, complete the prerequisites with strong grades and be accepted into a DPT program?

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:42 pm

    sLvG’))) AND 7124=7124 AND (((‘sFmn’=’sFmn

    Reply
  14. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:42 pm

    sLvG”)) AND 7124=7124 AND ((“UaZG”=”UaZG

    Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    sLvG’ AND 7124=7124 OR ‘RLEq’=’nOTw

    Reply
  16. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    sLvG||(SELECT pigg FROM DUAL WHERE 1477=1477 AND 7124=7124)||

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    sLvG’ IN BOOLEAN MODE) AND 7124=7124#

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    sLvG WHERE 6780=6780 AND 2424=8473– XrQn

    Reply
  19. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    -3098′) OR 1725=1725– naQg

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    -4294′))) OR 1725=1725 AND (((‘OZeN’ LIKE ‘OZeN

    Reply
  21. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    -4691″))) OR 1509=2351 AND (((“bstL” LIKE “bstL

    Reply
  22. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    -2864″) AS mydc WHERE 9580=9580 OR 1725=1725– BHfN

    Reply
  23. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    -2104 WHERE 1648=1648 OR 1516=5080– zHkF

    Reply
  24. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    sLvG’)) OR NOT 3691=3691 AND ((‘YfFJ’=’YfFJ

    Reply
  25. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    sLvG”)) OR NOT 3691=3691 AND ((“dvvq”=”dvvq

    Reply
  26. Anonymous says

    October 24, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    sLvG’ WHERE 6530=6530 OR NOT 3691=3691– ypyg

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

career development
Education
Health

MedBridge Promo Code

Our content does not constitute medical, financial, or legal consultation. See a certified medical, financial, or legal professional for advice. Privacy Policy. Disclosures

Copyright © 2021 · PTProgress · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Disclosures