Leaving DPT to pursue Masters?

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ALtoNC

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Hey everyone,

So I know that this topic has been covered in some form or fashion hundreds of times, but perhaps I am adding a new spin on it. I am currently a first-year student (second semester) DPT student. To get straight to the point, I am considering leaving DPT to pursue a master's in kinesiology or human performance. For the most part, I love school. This decision has nothing to do with the workload, or the time spent, or not enjoying the school itself, but rather where my interests lie. The courses that I love the most are movement science, interventions, and musculoskeletal practice. I also love spending time performing research in the lab with my professors learning more about how the body moves. However, I cannot stand courses such as cardiovascular phys. or clinical pathology. These courses do not interest me and I have a rough time paying attention in these courses. I have always thought since deciding on PT school that I would want to go back for a Ph.D. to do research, but the further I get into school the more I have these inklings that I shouldn't waste any more time and should just go now. Does anyone have any experience with this situation? ANY advice would be great and a help to me. THANK YOU!
 
Hey everyone,

So I know that this topic has been covered in some form or fashion hundreds of times, but perhaps I am adding a new spin on it. I am currently a first-year student (second semester) DPT student. To get straight to the point, I am considering leaving DPT to pursue a master's in kinesiology or human performance. For the most part, I love school. This decision has nothing to do with the workload, or the time spent, or not enjoying the school itself, but rather where my interests lie. The courses that I love the most are movement science, interventions, and musculoskeletal practice. I also love spending time performing research in the lab with my professors learning more about how the body moves. However, I cannot stand courses such as cardiovascular phys. or clinical pathology. These courses do not interest me and I have a rough time paying attention in these courses. I have always thought since deciding on PT school that I would want to go back for a Ph.D. to do research, but the further I get into school the more I have these inklings that I shouldn't waste any more time and should just go now. Does anyone have any experience with this situation? ANY advice would be great and a help to me. THANK YOU!

You may be able to take the credits from PT school and go right into a PhD. That would be the cheapest and most efficient option since you should NOT pay for a PhD but you may have to pay for a Masters. Many Masters degrees can be as few as 30-35 credits so you may be close with your PT credits to 'count' for a Masters if that is a requirement for PhD program. Or there are some BS to PhD programs. But finding the right PhD program can take a lot of time so a Masters buys you that time.
 
Hey everyone,

So I know that this topic has been covered in some form or fashion hundreds of times, but perhaps I am adding a new spin on it. I am currently a first-year student (second semester) DPT student. To get straight to the point, I am considering leaving DPT to pursue a master's in kinesiology or human performance. For the most part, I love school. This decision has nothing to do with the workload, or the time spent, or not enjoying the school itself, but rather where my interests lie. The courses that I love the most are movement science, interventions, and musculoskeletal practice. I also love spending time performing research in the lab with my professors learning more about how the body moves. However, I cannot stand courses such as cardiovascular phys. or clinical pathology. These courses do not interest me and I have a rough time paying attention in these courses. I have always thought since deciding on PT school that I would want to go back for a Ph.D. to do research, but the further I get into school the more I have these inklings that I shouldn't waste any more time and should just go now. Does anyone have any experience with this situation? ANY advice would be great and a help to me. THANK YOU!

I don't have any personal experience with this, but it seems more of a risky gamble and a lot of time wasted if you switch. The time it takes to get into a program and start can take up to 2 years if you missed this admission cycles deadline. Also credits rarely transfer between grad schools do I wouldn't bank on that. Is that really worth it? If I were you I'd wait until after you finish PT school you can specialize in whatever area you like. Good luck to you
 
You could finish your DPT and look for PhD programs later which focus more on your interest areas.
 
I definitely recommend checking out the PhD options. I have a masters in kinesiology and had a hard time doing anything with it. There were definitely more job options with PhD.
 
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