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The School of Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Studies > Physical Therapy Program > 5 Great Reasons to Major in Physical Therapy at Springfield College
5 Great Reasons to Major in Physical Therapy at Springfield College
In accordance with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, only master’s degree and doctoral degree programs in Physical Therapy (PT) are accredited.
At Springfield College, first-year students are able to enroll in a pre-physical therapy program, with no secondary application to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Students earn the Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees in six academic years, including one summer between the student’s junior and senior year. Other programs require students to study over the course of multiple summers and/or a seven-year schedule.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of physical therapists is expected to grow 27 percent through 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations. In 2006, about six out of ten physical therapists worked in hospitals or in offices of physical therapists. Other jobs were in home health-care services, nursing care facilities, and outpatient care centers. Physical therapists with specialized knowledge of particular types of treatment will have excellent job prospects.
Springfield College has a reputation for graduating highly qualified clinicians. As a Springfield College-trained physical therapist, you'll find immediate career opportunities and your choice of paths to further specialization in many exciting areas of clinical practice.
Hands-on learning is vital to physical therapy education.
Springfield College provides physical therapy students with many excellent opportunities to participate in service learning projects such as the on-campus post-stroke group exercise program. Physical therapy students will work in human anatomy labs in state-of-the-art, on-campus facilities. Springfield College has built a clinical affiliation network with a wide array of distinguished clinical education sites, both locally and from Maine to southern Florida.
Physical therapy coursework includes content in anatomy, exercise physiology, kinesiology, research methodology, and statistics, as well as full-time clinical experiences in approved clinical education facilities.
At Springfield College, clinical content in the curriculum is taught by appropriate licensed health- care providers such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, and pharmacists; not by graduate assistants or associates. Physical Therapy faculty average more than 10-years teaching experience at the College and approximately 25 years of professional experience in the field.
To become certified as a physical therapist, students must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).
Springfield College graduates have scored at or above the national average for the National Physical Therapy Examination; our three-year pass rate average is 98.73 percent.
