Leaving DPT to pursue Masters?

[ALtoNC]

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!

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[ptisfun2]

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.

 

[PT4ALL]

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

 

[futurePT2017]

You could finish your DPT and look for PhD programs later which focus more on your interest areas.

 

[starrsgirl]

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.