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Physical Therapist Physical therapists go through at least six years of education after high school. They must attend schools accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), which is part of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). As of 2015, all accredited schools have to offer a doctorate, the degree required to practice physical therapy anywhere in the United States. The doctorate program usually runs for three years after a student has completed a bachelor’s degree. Some schools specify that the bachelor’s be in some sort of science. Other schools offer six-year programs that let students do their undergraduate and doctoral studies at the same place. Students who know they want to focus on sports medicine and want more exposure to the field can choose a school that offers a dual athletic training/physical therapy degree. They do their undergraduate work in athletic training and their graduate work in physical therapy. After completing their doctorate, new physical therapists must take exams for a license for the state in which they want to practice. Newly graduated therapists can pursue jobs or internships to specialize in a current area within their field, including orthopedics or sportsmedicine. For the latter, a studentmust have

20 C areers O ff T he F ield • Health Careers in Sports