Pre-physical therapy education provides students with a sound background in the natural and social sciences necessary for admission to a physical therapy program. Essentially, it involves a defined set of pre-requisite course.

Eastern University intentionally does not have a formal “Pre-Physical Therapy” major. Instead, the pre-requisite courses are incorporated within the course work required of other majors, such as biology and exercise science. This allows students to obtain knowledge and skills in an area that will allow them to obtain a job related to their major, if, for whatever reason, graduate school attendance needs to be deferred. A degree in “pre- physical therapy” or “allied health” limits the scope of what one can do upon graduation.

Physical therapy (PT) professional education “refers to the education that prepares graduates for entry into practice of physical therapy. All PTs must receive a graduate degree from an accredited physical therapist program before taking the national licensure examination that allows them to practice (www.apta.org).”

Physical therapy education programs are required by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education to offer the DPT program.