Degree after DPT

[Rudy8752]

Hey guys I'm going to be receiving my DPT degree in a year.. fingers crossed. And I have been looking around this site for a while and noticed some PT's who have gone on to get other degrees. I am interested in doing something similar after a few years of working. But to be honest I am not really sure what other degree I would get. I was wondering if any PT that has gone on to get another degree (Phd, MD, DO, PA, etc) if you could share your experience and thoughts on pursuing another degree. Why you did it, was it worth it, are you able to use both degrees in your work place?

Any info would be appreciated thanks.

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[MotionDoc]

If your career aspirations are to practice physical therapy, all you need is the DPT. I'll even go as far to say that additional degree is pointless and considering that your time will be split between studies and PT practice (or even worse: your PT practice put on hold as you complete your additional studies), pursuing a second degree may actually make you a worse physical therapist.

If your career aspirations include academia and research, than pursuing a PhD is fruitful. If management/business is your thing, than an MBA might be a wise choice. If you find that you don't really care for physical therapy anymore, or your passions have changed and you'd rather be an engineer, physician, or race car driver, then a degree (or training ) in those fields is necessary. Dual degrees (and the rigorous training in their respective fields that they represent) may or may not offer added value to your future career when compared with a single degree.

My advice: decide what arena you wish to work, and then assess whether a DPT prepares you well enough for that career. If it does not, pursue more relevant training. Blindly picking degrees and seeing where it leads you may pay off occasionally, but more often then not, you are wasting time and throwing away potential income.