The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Few colleges have pre-physical therapy majors for undergraduates. Instead, many schools have exercise science and/or kinesiology majors, and those are two of the most commons majors for PT applicants.
I majored in psychology, which I find useful every day when dealing with the emotions surrounding pain and injury, as well as interacting with people who have different personalities. But since I didn’t decide to become a physical therapist until after graduating college, it was not a strategic decision. I simply chose a major I found interesting while working towards my first career as a journalist.
The many other second-career physical therapists I have encountered help prove that your college major is not important. What matters most is fulfilling the various prerequisites each physical therapy program you’re applying to requires.
That said, if you have the opportunity to choose your major before applying to physical therapy school, there are two schools of thought:
- Pick something classic like kinesiology or exercise science. These majors are the most directly related to physical therapy, and from what I could tell, gave students a small leg up during the first semester of school (after that, we were all on the same playing field). These majors cover many of the physical therapy school basics, while also preparing you for how to study these subjects.
- Pick something else interesting. Whether it is business or dance or physics, you will probably find a way to make it relevant to physical therapy. A more exotic major might also set you apart as an applicant and probably give you additional useful skills as a therapist. And since there is very little room for electives in PT school, it is a good idea to take advantage of trying new things as an undergraduate.
If you want to get a sense of which majors most pre-PT students come from, Google “Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service Applicant Data Report” and you should be able to find a PDF from PTCAS that includes this information. Elsewhere, PTCAS notes that the five most common majors are, “exercise science, biology, kinesiology, and psychology.”
I ultimately took anatomy, chemistry, and physics after college, but I’m grateful I had the chance to take classes in creative writing, Hebrew, and the history of rock and roll as an undergraduate. These courses were not only fun, but gave me a well-rounded, liberal arts education.
Overall, your major is only a very small part of your application. Your physical therapy experiences, extra-curricular activities and jobs, and GPA will all play a more major role in determining your readiness for graduate school.