Physical Therapist Assistant Program

From the Missouri Western directory, Sep 7, 2026

Are you interested in a career in health care? Are you fascinated by anatomy and exercise physiology? Then becoming a physical therapist assistant is for you!As a physical therapist assistant, you are a member of a health care team working under the supervision and direction of a physical therapist. You may administer different kinds of treatment to decrease pain, including hot packs, ultrasound and electrical stimulation. Physical therapist assistants help patients perform exercises to increase strength and motion. They teach patients how to ambulate with assistive devices like crutches and canes, and instruct in walking with braces and artificial limbs. Excellent clinical skills and communication/interpersonal skills are essential for this career.Applying to the PTA ProgramThe PTA program is a competitive entrance program. Application to the program is made separately from application for admission to Missouri Western.Application requirements include a completed PTA-CAS application, ACT or TEAS V scores, three forms of recommendation, high school/college transcripts, and an essay. Applicants must also complete at least 24 hours of observation of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant, and submit proof of observation. Click here to download the observation form.The Missouri Western State University Physical Therapist Assistant Program participates in the Physical Therapist Assistant Centralized Application Service (PTA-CAS) offered by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Applicants applying to the PTA program will apply using the PTA-CAS online application, which can be accessed by clicking “APPLY TODAY!” below.Deadline for application is March 1st annually.APPLY TODAY!Program TimelineThe PTA program is a full-time, daytime program with both morning and afternoon courses held Monday-Thursday. It begins annually in the fall with integrated coursework consisting of general studies courses, foundational sciences, and technical physical therapy courses.The program is a total of seventy-two credit hours. Lasting four semesters and two summer sessions in length, degree requirements consist of nine hours of general education, fifty hours of PTA required classes, and thirteen credit hours of clinical education. Clinical education courses are full-time (36-40 hours per week) clinical internships, which take place for three weeks in the summer between the first and second year, and again for twelve weeks, from March to June of the second year.After GraduationThe program has determined that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure or certification in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands secondary to its accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Graduates are eligible to apply for licensure in all US states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.Students graduating from MWSU are eligible to take the National Physical Therapy Examination and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information regarding state qualifications and licensure requirements, refer to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy website at www.fsbpt.org.No determination of the sufficiency of curriculum for licensure has been made in American Samoa, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands.The program is designed to prepare graduates to meet the requirements to practice as a PT Assistant in a variety of health care settings, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics, sports medicine clinics and school-based systems.The table below displays graduation rate, ultimate pass rate, and employment rate in table form by year.2018201920202021Graduation Rate73.7%94.7%88.2%70.6%First Attempt Licensure Exam Pass Rate76.9%72.2%93.3%63.3%Ultimate Licensure Exam Pass Rate76.9%94.4%93.3%90.9%Employment Rate (one year after graduation)100%93%100%