Online Degrees

Physical Therapy Degrees

Salaries For Degrees in Physical Therapy

Those who majored in Physical Therapy can be employed in a variety of occupations. While no one can say with certainty what you personally will do with a degree in Physical Therapy, our survey panel picked the following jobs as likely options:

• Physical therapist assistants
• Physical therapists (Best salary!)
• Occupational therapists
• Athletic trainers

The median salary for people with a degree in Physical Therapy is $47,808.13. The lifetime value of this degree is approximately $1,161,689.00.

Salaries are highly dependent on individual negotiating skill, experience, policies at your employer, location, and more besides. The estimates we show on these pages are just that: estimates. Your individual experience will likely vary.

Where does this come from?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the US government, classifies all workers into some 800-odd occupational categories.  We paid a team of freelancers to solicit their view on what type of degree a holder of each type of job would likely have majored in.  For pairs which had a high degree of consensus, we created a link between the degree and the job.

From this, we calculated the average salary for Physical Therapy degrees and converted it into a lifetime value.  We then compared it against other degrees at the same level of schooling (such as associate's, bachelor's, or master's), so that you can make informed educational and employment decisions.

What Can a Physical Therapy Student Expect to Learn?

With the current economy and jobs on a downward trend in the United States, many people are taking this time to go back to school. While some people may be looking to up-grade their current degree such as from a bachelor of science in business to a master's degree, others are looking to change their chosen career path altogether. One of the most popular career changes for people of the present is the switch into the medical or health science profession.

With so many job outlook sources pointing to a large growth within the health science sector, many people feel that this profession will alleviate stress over job security in the future. A hot degree within the health science profession is in the field of physical therapy, which is also predicted to significantly grow over the next few years. With an aging population of baby boomers across the United States as well as parts of Europe, many senior citizens will need therapy for bones and joints due to falls, fractures, bone disease, and simple old age. Due to this fact, physical therapists and physical therapy assistants have and will continue to be in great demand.

While a physical therapy degree will take one at least three years in a graduate school environment, a physical therapy assistant can complete a field of study in as little as two years straight out of high school. Both a physical therapist and a physical therapy assistant will reap the rewards of helping those in need while enjoying very competitive salaries of those in the medical field.

Physical Therapy Programs

For those looking to potentially start a program in the realm of physical therapy, there are a few requirements that he or she must meet before starting. Most physical therapy programs will require that the student meets the stringent academic requirements of numerous hours in the biology and physics fields. These classes may include anatomy and physiology, biology I and II, physics, and other courses that may be particular to the school that one chooses.

Also, those that are going to apply for admissions into a physical therapy program will most likely have to complete the GRE, which is a test one must take in order to attend graduate school. This test will evaluate one's knowledge in a variety of subjects that he or she completed in undergraduate school and provides the potential program administration a way to gauge one's qualifications for a particular graduate program.

Many people find it best to prepare for the GRE with tutoring or text material that will review the subjects that are covered by the test as well as give numerous practice tests for the test taker. In competitive programs such as physical therapy, one will want to score above average on tests such as the GRE to ensure he or she will be granted admission to the program.

Physical Therapy Assistant

Another very popular and growing field of study that is very similar to physical therapy is that of a physical therapy assistant. A physical therapy assistant is one who engages in many of the recommendations of the physical therapist. For instance, a person with a bone fracture may visit a physical therapist to begin a program for rehabilitation.

The physical therapist will evaluate many factors of the patient and will then set forth a regiment of exercises and activities to begin the healing process that will help the person resume normal physical activities. While the physical therapist may prescribe the treatment and rehabilitation program, the physical therapist assistant will assist in the actual program itself. The assistant will help the patient complete the rehabilitation regiment, which may include working the damaged area or repeated movements.

The assistant will monitor and record the progress that the patient is making and report back to the physical therapist who will then revise the prescription of physical rehabilitation as needed. Unlike physical therapists, a physical therapist assistant will not have to undergo as much academic preparation for their career.

Assistants usually begin a program within one year of attending a community college, and the program may consist of only two years.

Online Schools Offering Accredited Physical Therapy Degree Programs

Students looking to complete a physical therapy degree program online have a few different options:

• Penn Foster Career School
• Utica College
• Ashworth College

Top Colleges & Universities Offering Campus-based Physical Therapy Degrees

There are many options for pursuing a campus-based physical therapy degree program. Each state in the US has a school, or schools, which offer this program. Here's a sample:

• Arkansas State University
• University of Southern California
• University of Connecticut
• University of Miami
• University of Florida
• California State University
• Indiana University
• University of New Mexico
• New York University
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Washington
• University of Vermont
• Marquette University

Famous Physical Therapy Students

Bessie Blount and Michael Keropian are two of the historically famous physical therapists.

Blount (pictured right) invented a self-feeding device consisting of a tube and a mouthpiece which allowed disabled people the ability to control their feedings with their mouth. She worked for the mother of Thomas Edison's son in East Orange, New Jersey. She was also the first black woman to work at Scotland Yard.

Michael Keropian patented the first orthopedic hand brace in 1956 and worked with famous dance professional in the San Francisco area. He also was an early developer of special braces for people suffering from Polio.