150 Best PT Schools in the World

February 11, 2023

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It is a wise decision to pursue a medical degree in physiotherapy at one of the best pt schools in the world! Because of their globally renowned statutes and the breadth of the curriculum.

Physiotherapy is a medical profession that deals with a wide range of people’s health problems that are caused by an inability to move properly due to illnesses or injuries.

Their medical assistance is invaluable, and as a result, the demand for Physiotherapy practitioners is always high in various settings in the job market.

Given this high employability, it is not surprising that physiotherapy schools are in such high demand nowadays.

You can even fast-track your learning process by enrolling in a two-year DPT program.

Various attractive Physiotherapy programs are available in the world, designed to help you establish a fundamental understanding of core concepts in physiotherapy and other related study fields, as well as a wide range of job-related skills.

Physical Therapy Definition

Physical therapy promotes, maintains, or restores health by performing physical examinations, diagnosis, prognosis, patient education, physical intervention, rehabilitation, disease prevention, and health promotion.

In addition to clinical practice, other aspects of pt practice include research, education, consultation, and health administration. Physical therapy is available as a primary care treatment and in conjunction with or in addition to other medical services.

What are Physical Therapists’ Roles?

Physical therapists are movement experts who help people live better lives by prescribing exercise, providing hands-on care, and educating patients.

PT diagnoses and treats people of all ages, from newborns to the elderly. Many patients have injuries, disabilities, or other health issues that must be addressed. However, PTs also help people who simply want to get healthier and avoid future problems.

These professionals examine each individual and then create a treatment plan to help them move better, reduce or manage pain, restore function, and prevent disability.

Furthermore, physical therapists can make a significant difference in people’s lives.

They assist people in achieving fitness goals, regaining or maintaining independence, and leading active lives.

Physical Therapist Education and Certification

To practice as a physical therapist, you must first obtain a doctor of physical therapy degree from an accredited physical therapist education program and then pass a licensure exam.

Professional DPT programs are typically three years long. Biology/anatomy, cellular histology, physiology, exercise physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, neuroscience, pharmacology, pathology, behavioural sciences, communication, ethics/values, management sciences, finance, sociology, clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, cardiovascular and pulmonary, endocrine and metabolic, and musculoskeletal are some of the primary content areas in the curriculum.

Approximately 80% of the DPT curriculum is dedicated to classroom and lab study, with the remaining 20% dedicated to clinical education.

Admission to a DPT Program

Prior to admission, most DPT programs require applicants to have a bachelor’s degree.

Other programs provide a 3+3 curricular format in which students must complete three years of specific pre-professional (undergraduate/pre-PT) courses before entering a three-year professional DPT program.

A few programs provide freshmen admission, recruiting students directly from high school into a guaranteed admissions program.

Accepted high school students can automatically advance to the professional phase of the DPT program, pending completion of specific undergraduate courses and any other stated contingencies, such as a minimum GPA.

Best pt schools in the world

The table below shows a list of schools around the world that offer the best PT programs:

S/N	Top PT Schools	PT School Link
1	University of Southern California	pt.usc.edu
2	University of Pittsburgh	www.shrs.pitt.edu
3	Washington University	pt.wustl.edu
4	University of Delaware	www.udel.edu
5	University of Iowa	medicine.uiowa.edu
6	US Army-Baylor University	www.baylor.edu
7	Arcadia University	www.arcadia.edu
8	MGH Institute of Health	www.mghihp.edu
9	Northwestern University	www.feinberg.northwestern.edu
10	University of Miami	med.miami.edu
11	Emory University	med.emory.edu
12	University of North Carolina	www.med.unc.edu
13	Duke University	dpt.duhs.duke.edu
14	University of California	ptrehab.ucsf.edu
15	New York University	steinhardt.nyu.edu
16	University of Florida	pt.phhp.ufl.edu
17	University of Illinois–Chicago	ahs.uic.edu
18	University of Maryland–Baltimore	pt.umaryland.edu
19	Creighton University	www.creighton.edu
20	Marquette University	www.marquette.edu
21	University of Minnesota	med.umn.edu
22	Ohio State University	hrs.osu.edu
23	University of Utah	health.utah.edu
24	Boston University	www.bu.edu
25	Texas Woman’s University	twu.edu
26	University of Kansas Med.Cen	www.kumc.edu
27	University of Texas MedicalBranch	shp.utmb.edu
28	Virginia Commonwealth Uni	pt.chp.vcu.edu
29	Northern Arizona University	nau.edu
30	Regis University	www.regis.edu
31	University of Alabama	www.uab.edu
32	University of Washington	www.physicaltherapy.uw.edu
33	Columbia University	www.vagelos.columbia.edu
34	Mayo School of Health Related Sc	college.mayo.edu
35	University of Colorado–Denver	medschool.cuanschutz.edu
36	University of Nebraska	www.unmc.edu
37	University of Wisconsin–Madison	www.med.wisc.edu
38	University of Kentucky	www.uky.edu
39	University of Oklahoma	alliedhealth.ouhsc.edu
40	University of Wisconsin	www.uwlax.edu
41	Ithaca College	www.ithaca.edu
42	Ohio University	www.ohio.edu
43	Simmons College	www.simmons.edu
44	St. Louis University	slu.edu
45	Temple University	www.temple.edu
46	University of Central Arkansas	uca.edu
47	University of Indianapolis	uindy.edu
48	University of Montana–Missoula	www.umt.edu
49	University of Tennessee	uthsc.edu
50	University of Texas Southwestern	www.utsouthwestern.edu
51	University of Vermont	www.uvm.edu
52	Belmont University	www.belmont.edu
53	Indiana University–Indianapolis	shrs.iupui.edu
54	Sacred Heart University	www.sacredheart.edu
55	University of Medicine and	www.petersons.com
56	University of Missouri	healthprofessions.missouri.edu
57	Drexel University	drexel.edu
58	Eastern Washington University	www.ewu.edu
59	Old Dominion University	www.odu.edu
60	Pacific University	www.pacificu.edu
61	Rosalind Franklin University	www.rosalindfranklin.edu
62	State University of New Jersey	rutgers.edu
63	St. Ambrose University	www.sau.edu
64	Stony Brook University–SUNY	healthprofessions.stonybrookmedicine.edu
65	Texas State University	www.health.txstate.edu
66	University at Buffalo–SUNY	catalog.buffalo.edu
67	University of Connecticut	physicaltherapy.cahnr.uconn.edu
68	University of Michigan–Flint	www.umflint.edu
69	Bradley University	www.bradley.edu
70	Chapman University	www.chapman.edu
71	College of St. Scholastica	www3.css.edu
72	East Carolina University	pt.ecu.edu
73	Medical College of Georgia	www.augusta.edu
74	Med University of South Carolina	chp.musc.edu
75	Northeastern University	bouve.northeastern.edu
76	Samuel Merritt University	www.samuelmerritt.edu
77	SUNY Upstate Medical Center	www.upstate.edu
78	Thomas Jefferson University	www.jefferson.edu
79	University of North Dakota	med.und.edu
80	University of Puget Sound	www.pugetsound.edu
81	The University of South Carolina	www.sc.edu
82	University of South Florida	health.usf.edu
83	University of Tennessee	www.utc.edu
84	West Virginia University	medicine.hsc.wvu.edu
85	Armstrong Atlantic State Uni	cogs.georgiasouthern.edu
86	Elon University	www.elon.edu
87	St. Catherine University	catalog.stkate.edu
88	SUNY Downstate Medical Center	www.downstate.edu
89	Texas Tech University	www.ttuhsc.edu
90	University of Evansville	www.evansville.edu
91	University of Rhode Island	web.uri.edu
92	University of Texas Health Sc	uthscsa.edu
93	University of the Pacific	www.pacific.edu
94	University of the Pacific	www.pacific.edu
95	California State University	fresnostate.edu
96	California State University	www.csun.edu
97	Concordia University Wisconsin	www.cuw.edu
98	CUNY–Hunter College	www.hunter.cuny.edu
99	George Washington University	smhs.gwu.edu
100	Georgia State University	lewis.gsu.edu
101	University of Ottawa	catalogue.uottawa.ca
102	UBC Master of Physical Therapy	med.ubc.ca
103	University of Alberta	www.ualberta.ca
104	University of Saskatchewan	grad.usask.ca
105	The University of Manitoba’s	umanitoba.ca
106	University of Ottawa	catalogue.uottawa.ca
107	University of Toronto	www.physicaltherapy.utoronto.ca
108	Queen’s University	rehab.queensu
109	McGill University	www.mcgill
110	McMaster University	gs.mcmaster.ca
111	Western University	prospective.westernu.edu
112	Université de Montréal	umontreal.ca
113	Université de Sherbrooke	www.usherbrooke.ca
114	The Université Laval‘s	www.ulaval.ca
115	Université du Québec	www.petersons.com
116	Dalhousie University	www.dal.ca
117	The University of Southampton	www.southampton.ac.uk
118	Glasgow Caledonian University	www.gcu.ac.uk
119	Robert Gordon University	www.kcl.ac.uk
120	University of Liverpool	www.liverpool.ac.uk
121	The University of Birmingham	www.uab.edu
122	King’s College London	www.kcl.ac.uk
123	The University of Nottingham	www.nottingham.ac.uk
124	University of Central Lancashire	www.uclan.ac.uk
125	Cardiff University	www.cardiff.ac.uk
126	Manchester Metropolitan	www.mmu.ac.uk
127	St George’s University of London	www.sgul.ac.uk
128	The University of Plymouth	www.plymouth.edu
129	University of Brighton	www.brighton.ac.uk
130	Keele University	www.keele.ac
131	The University of Salford	www.salford.ac.uk
132	Coventry University	www.coventry.com
133	Oxford Brookes University	www.brookes.com
134	Bristol University of the West	uwe.ac.uk
135	Sheffield Hallam University	shu.com
136	University of East London	www.uel.ac.com
137	Leeds Beckett University	www.leedsbeckett.com
138	Ulster University	www.ulster.com
139	Northumbria University	www.northumbria.com
140	The University of Hertfordshire	www.herts.ac.uk
141	Teesside University	www.tees.ac.uk
142	Brunel University, London	www.brunel.com
143	Queen Margaret University	www.qmu.com
144	York St John University	www.stjohns.edu
145	The University of Sunderland	www.sunderland.com
146	University of Worcester	www.mcphs.edu
147	The University of Huddersfield	courses.hud.ac.uk
148	Canterbury Christ Church Uni	www.canterbury.com
149	The University of Leicester	le.ac.uk
150	Bournemouth University	www.bournemouth.com

Best way to Get Into Physical Therapy School

If you believe physical therapy is the perfect career for you, you should start planning your application as soon as possible.

Here are the best steps to get into a PT school:

Complete a bachelor’s degree
Take the Graduate Record Examination
Complete physical therapy observation hours
Choose several PT schools to apply to
Obtain professional and academic references
Gather supplemental materials.

Complete a bachelor’s degree

A bachelor’s degree is a basic requirement for physical therapy school. There are, however, combination programs in which you can complete three years of undergraduate and pre-physical therapy classes before continuing on to a three-year professional DPT program.

You should look into the academic requirements of each physical therapy school to see if you need a specific bachelor’s degree. The PTCAS offers a chart of PT school prerequisites.

Though a specific major is not required, you may benefit from obtaining a bachelor’s degree in a field related to physical therapy.

Take the Graduate Record Examination

The Graduate Record Examination is required for many Doctor of Physical Therapy programs (GRE). PT schools that require the GRE may have a minimum acceptable score, though some programs do not, or may offer waivers based on various factors.

There are numerous study guides and in-person or online programs available.

The GRE includes sections on verbal reasoning (130-170 points), quantitative reasoning (130-170 points), and analytical writing skills (0-6 points).

If you are nervous about taking standardized tests, schedule GRE practice tests before the actual exam. The GRE can be taken every 21 days up to five times in a 12-month period.

Then, using ScoreSelect, you can choose which scores are reported to the PT schools to which you want to apply.

Examine each program’s GRE requirements, including minimum scores and the deadline for taking the test for your application.

Complete physical therapy observation hours

The majority of physical therapy schools require a certain number of hours of volunteer or work experience under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Even if a program does not require observation hours, they are highly recommended to ensure that you understand the physical therapy field and whether it is the right career for you.

The number of physical therapy observation hours required by each program, which ranges from zero to 300, is provided by PTCAS. Your objective should be to accumulate a significant number of PT observation hours in a variety of practice settings.

Choose several PT schools to apply to

Which physical therapy school is best for you? CAPTE has accredited over 200 physical therapy schools. Not all of these programs will be appropriate for you.

You may, for example, prefer to obtain your Doctor of Physical Therapy online.

If you are not admitted to your first choice, it is a good idea to apply to several other physical therapy schools.

Consider the following factors when deciding which DPT programs to apply to:

Course scheduling flexibility
Campus setting or hybrid online setting
Physical therapy curriculum specialities
Length of program
Admission requirements
Facilities
Size of university
Size of the department
Size of the PT school’s entering class
Graduation rates
Licensure rates
Employment rates
Tuition and other fees
Opportunities for financial assistance
Opportunities for mentorship
Extracurricular activities at the university or in the area
University student demographics.

Obtain professional and academic references

Various PT schools have different reference requirements, which you can find on PTCAS, but you should always double-check with the program.

Some programs require letters of recommendation from specific types of people, such as licensed physical therapists or a professor. On average, programs require three references, though some require more.

When you are preparing to apply to PT school, keep the requirement for references in mind. Through your observation hours, you should aim to develop strong professional relationships with two or more licensed physical therapists.

It’s also a good idea to cultivate strong academic relationships with professors who teach prerequisite courses for PT school.

Gather supplemental materials

Aside from the standard transcript and GRE requests, physical therapy school requirements vary by program. Confirm all eligibility requirements, supplemental materials, fees, and deadlines for each PT school to which you wish to apply.

A personal essay or statement of interest is a common type of supplemental material. Do not wait until the last minute if your prospective PT school requires an essay.

Begin working on the essay early in order to complete multiple drafts and have two or more people review it for grammatical errors, content, and flow.

The essay should not be written in the style of a resume.

Instead, your PT school essay should demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the skills you bring to the school, and your career objectives. You could choose to concentrate on an experience that had an impact on you and your future as a physical therapist.

FAQs about PT schools in the World

Is going to pt school worth it?

Physical therapy is a rewarding profession that consistently ranks among the top ten best jobs.

Where should I go to pt school?

Here are the places to enroll in a PT school: The University of Delaware, University of Pittsburgh, Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern University, University of Iowa..

Is pt school easier than med school?

PT school is significantly easier than med school, but it is unquestionably more difficult than other graduate programs.

Conclusion

Physiotherapists work to improve the lives of people who are experiencing physical or psychological difficulties.

Through your understanding of human movement and function, you will gain healthcare skills that will allow you to help each patient reach their full potential.

As a physiotherapist, you will treat people of all ages with a variety of problems and learn how to help each patient reach their full potential by applying your knowledge of human movement and function.

You’ll also learn healthcare techniques for managing patients’ physical, psychological, and social well-being, and because this course emphasizes practical experience, you’ll gain real-world experience in a variety of settings.