This page is intended to provide resources to COCC students interested in or decided on pursuing further education to become a professional physical therapist. Students should consult the catalogs and admissions information for specific PT programs to create the most accurate degree plans.
A very helpful site is the American Physical Therapy Association web site (http://www.apta.org/).
On this page, they provide student resources which includes a helpful list of PT programs in the Unites States and a summary of the prerequisites to all accredited PT programs. There is only one PT program in Oregon, located at Pacific University in Hillsboro (see http://www.pacificu.edu/pt/).
Another helpful resource is an FAQ about PT educational programs. This will help you sort out why there are both master's and doctorate programs in physical therapy, and some considerations with both.
In general, students preparing for physical therapy should earn a bachelor's degree that provides strong preparation in the sciences. Common requirements are for biology, chemistry, physics, human anatomy, statistics, and psychology. Another frequent requirement for admission is documented volunteer hours in a physical therapy setting. Locally, the degree that would allow a student to continue towards PT is the University of Oregon's bachelor of science in general science, offered through the OSU-Cascades campus.
Central Oregon Community College CAP Center -- Career services, Academic advising, Personal Counseling (Library, lower level)
Bend, OR 97701 Phone:(541)383-7200 Fax: (541)383-7250 Email: capcenter@cocc.edu
Open 9am-5pm, Monday-Fridays (Monday-Thursdays during summer)
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