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Physical therapy professor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a physical therapy professor. Physical therapy professors usually study physical therapy, family therapy, or biology. 62% of physical therapy professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 34 real physical therapy professor resumes to see exactly what physical therapy professor education sections show.

The most common colleges for physical therapy professors are the Saint Francis University and the Saint Francis University.

There are also many online physical therapy professor courses to help get the education required to be a physical therapy professor.

What education do you need to become a physical therapy professor?

What degree do you need to be a physical therapy professor?

The most common degree for physical therapy professors is bachelor's degree, with 62% of physical therapy professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 23% and master's degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Master's, 23%
  • Doctorate, 12%
  • Diploma, 4%

What should I major in to become a physical therapy professor?

You should major in physical therapy to become a physical therapy professor. 66% of physical therapy professors major in physical therapy. Other common majors for a physical therapy professor include family therapy and biology.

Most common colleges for physical therapy professors

Physical therapy professors often get their degrees at Saint Francis University, Cairn University, and University of the Sciences. Here are the most common colleges for physical therapy professors in the US based on their resumes.
Physical therapy professor common collegePercentages
Saint Francis University7.69%
Cairn University7.69%
University of the Sciences7.69%
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston7.69%
Barry University7.69%

Best majors for physical therapy professors

RankMajorPercentages
1Physical Therapy65.5%
2Family Therapy6.9%
3Biology3.4%
4Genetics3.4%
5Rehabilitation Science3.4%

Best colleges for physical therapy professors

The best colleges for physical therapy professors are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A physical therapy professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for physical therapy professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become physical therapy professors.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

3. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

9. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

10. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

20 best online courses for physical therapy professors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for physical therapy professors

The most affordable schools for physical therapy professors are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for physical therapy professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for physical therapy professors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for physical therapy professors

The hardest universities for physical therapy professors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for physical therapy professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for physical therapy professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for physical therapy professors

The easiest schools for physical therapy professors to get into are D'Youville College, barry university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a physical therapy professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for physical therapy professors.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

6. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

9. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average physical therapy professor salary by education level

According to our data, physical therapy professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $149,760 annually. Physical therapy professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $97,659.
Physical therapy professor education levelPhysical therapy professor salary
Master's Degree$97,659
Doctorate Degree$149,760

Physical therapy professor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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