My son wants to be a physical therapist. He has been directed to the Motor Behavior Degree, within the College of Kinesiology & Health. He has been told that a 3.7 GPA is typically minimal to get into a graduate program in PT. Seems like that means a large portion of Motor Behavior grads have to do something other than PT. Would love some insight from a grad regarding actual outcomes and options.

My sister is in PT school now. Got accepted just about everywhere in state, but ultimately rescinded her TWU acceptance and went to UNTHSC because of their focus on pediatrics. She's amidst a rough stretch of studying right now, but I'm sure she would love to chat and answer questions here after finals. She was MB at first and then switched to AEP.

The department and college should have some employment/grad school numbers for each graduating class. Ask them what students are doing upon graduation.

I'm a motor behavior grad. I didn't go the PT route but I can tell you about 80% of Motor behaviors will atleast try to go that route. PT school is extremely competitive but it is doable to get in. I am in grad school for prosthetics and orthotics though, schooling is more limited as far as number of programs but it is a growing field. That may be something to look into, or at least go to a clinic and shadow a little.

With Motor Behavior (MTB) you can do other professional schools, Physician's Assistant, Occupational Therapy, build prereqs for nursing. I would recommend the Applied Exercise Physiology (AEP) option. With that option you can build in your prereqs for professional school but you will also learn some hands on skills in cardiac rehab, corporate and private fitness and do an internship your last semester. The coursework is very similar to MTB probably up until your junior year.

Physical therapist here. I think really knowing what type of environment and what a PT goes through every day is critical to making that decision. Healthcare is not in a great place and the patient volume at many clinics will be a lot.

PT is a great profession. You need to get in the right situation so you don't end up seeing 20 patients per day and really having a hard time keeping a good work/life balance.

I would be glad to help if your son has any more specific questions.

CPTX_Ag said:

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I'm a motor behavior grad. I didn't go the PT route but I can tell you about 80% of Motor behaviors will atleast try to go that route. PT school is extremely competitive but it is doable to get in. I am in grad school for prosthetics and orthotics though, schooling is more limited as far as number of programs but it is a growing field. That may be something to look into, or at least go to a clinic and shadow a little.

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Where are you doing your grad work for this degree?

I am at Alabama state university. There are two programs in Texas but only about 11 or 12 in the nation. I lchose ASU because of the small class size and individualized attention you can get when you need it.