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Sports therapist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a sports therapist. Sports therapists usually study kinesiology, physical therapy, or medicine. 55% of sports therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 79 real sports therapist resumes to see exactly what sports therapist education sections show.
The most common colleges for sports therapists are the University of California, Irvine and the University of California, Irvine.
There are also many online sports therapist courses to help get the education required to be a sports therapist.
What education do you need to become a sports therapist?
What degree do you need to be a sports therapist?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Associate, 15%
- Master's, 11%
- Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 10%
What should I major in to become a sports therapist?
- Kinesiology, 32%
- Physical Therapy, 8%
- Medicine, 6%
- Education, 6%
- Other Majors, 48%
Most common colleges for sports therapists
| Sports therapist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California, Irvine | 8.70% |
| Texas State University | 8.70% |
| St. Petersburg College | 8.70% |
| Southern Connecticut State University | 4.35% |
| The Art Institute of Houston | 4.35% |
Best majors for sports therapists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kinesiology | 32.0% |
| 2 | Physical Therapy | 8.0% |
| 3 | Medicine | 6.0% |
| 4 | Education | 6.0% |
| 5 | Sociology | 4.0% |
Best colleges for sports therapists
The best colleges for sports therapists are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.
A sports therapist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for sports therapists. 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 sports therapists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
3. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
7. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
10. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
20 best online courses for sports therapists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for sports therapists
The most affordable schools for sports therapists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for sports therapists 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 sports therapists.
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 - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sports therapists
The hardest universities for sports therapists to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for sports therapists 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 sports therapists 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sports therapists
The easiest schools for sports therapists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, felician university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sports therapist 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 sports therapists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
6. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
Average sports therapist salary by education level
| Sports therapist education level | Sports therapist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $64,801 |
| Doctorate Degree | $86,139 |
Sports therapist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025