Last Updated on July 30, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar
Do you want to become a physiotherapist? If yes, this post will be of help to you. Here, I’ve listed down some of the best physiotherapy courses available in India. In this post, you will find the following details – names of courses, their duration, their eligibility criteria, scope, colleges, admission process and career prospects.
Course details, colleges, scope, admission process – almost all the important details about physiotherapy education have been covered in this post. Both students and parents may use this guide as reference material.
Different formats of physiotherapy courses
Physiotherapy is a popular choice among Indian students. To be precise, it is a popular choice among 12th science PCB group students. It is not uncommon to see them apply for BPT admission each year.
In India, physiotherapy courses are available in different formats and academic levels. Looking from academic level’s point of view, these courses can be classified into the following levels – UG, PG and Doctoral Degree.
UG stands for undergraduate level. PG stands for postgraduate level. Doctoral Degree programs are research-oriented programs.
Based on the format of the course, physiotherapy courses can be classified into the following types – Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree and Doctoral Degree.
In this post, you will find all these types of physiotherapy courses. 12th pass students, BPT graduates and even MPT graduates will benefit from this post. I’ve covered different types of courses, which caters to the needs of candidates hailing from different walks of academic life.
Before heading to the meat of the matter – list of physiotherapy courses in India – let us check out some basic details about the domain called physiotherapy. What is this domain all about? You will find answer to this question in the next section –
What is physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy is a part of rehabilitative medicine. It focuses on the use of physical therapy, massages, physical movements and exercise to improve and cure injuries, deformities and diseases. Along with rehabilitation, some other important sections of physiotherapy are- diagnosis, examination and assessment of the condition.
Unlike the traditional branches of medicine, physiotherapy doesn’t rely extensively on the use of drugs and medicine. Instead, it relies on the use of physical treatment to improve the situation.
Let us check out the list of courses now. Here it is –
List of physiotherapy courses in India
Here are some of the popular physiotherapy courses in India. Besides the names of courses, you will also find additional details such as – duration, eligibility criteria and more. Here it is –
1 Diploma in Physiotherapy
As the name suggests, this is a Diploma certificate course. On course completion, successful candidates will obtain a certification of completion from the institute.
This course is also known by the name – DPT. The course duration is three years. Students who have passed 12th Science with PCB subjects are eligible to pursue this course. Eligibility criteria may vary slightly from one institute to another.
2 Bachelor of Physiotherapy
It is a Bachelor’s Degree course. On course completion, successful candidates will obtain a Bachelor’s Degree certificate from the institute of relevant authorities.
This course is popularly known as BPT. The academic program is 4½ years long. The curriculum consists of both classroom lectures and practical training sessions. Students who have passed 12th Science with PCB subjects are eligible to pursue this course.
3 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
This is not a ‘pure’ physiotherapy program. Still, I’ve decided to list this academic program in this post. This is due to the fact that this course too belongs to allied healthcare education sector.
What is occupational therapy all about, you may ask. Here is everything you need to know about this domain – Occupational Therapy deals with patients having physical, mental, emotional and neurological limitations. It aims at improving the life, condition and rehabilitation of such handicapped and limited people through different modes of treatments such as- exercises, functional training, aiding devices and equipment, ergonomic training and environmental restructuring & adaptation. For more details, check this out – BOT course.
The course is four years long. Students who have completed 12th Science with PCB subjects are eligible to pursue this course.
4 Master of Physiotherapy
It is a Master’s Degree course. It is the most popular choice among BPT graduates. This course is popularly known as MPT. This academic program will help you specialize in different sub-branches of physiotherapy.
The academic program is two years long. Candidates who have completed BPT course from a recognized college or University are eligible to pursue this course.
5 PG Diploma programs
Apart from MPT, BPT graduates also have access to PG Diploma physiotherapy programs. These too are PG level courses. Like MPT, these programs too will help BPT graduates specialize in different sub-branches of physiotherapy.
The course duration is generally 1-2 years. BPT graduates are eligible to pursue this course.
6 PhD programs
PhD programs fall under the category of Doctoral Degree programs. These are research oriented programs. If you want to become a researcher or want to pursue an exciting career in R&D sector associated with physiotherapy, you may go for PhD programs. MPT graduates are eligible to pursue PhD programs.
You may also check –
Diploma in Physiotherapy course
Rehabilitation Science courses
Syllabus
Here are some of the core subjects covered under physiotherapy curriculum –
- Physiology
- Anatomy
- First aid and nursing
- Biochemistry
- Food Science and nutrition
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Pharmacology
- Biomechanics
- Electrotherapy
- Microbiology
- Pathology
- Clinical observation
- Exercise therapy
- Sports science and medicine
- General medicine and surgery
- Physiotherapy in general medicine and surgery
- Bioengineering
- Rehabilitation science
- Orthopaedics
Colleges
Here are some of the prominent physiotherapy colleges in India –
- Government Medical College, Nagpur, Maharashtra
- Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, Maharashtra
- Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Topiwala National Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Dr DY Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra
- Kerala University of Health Sciences, Thrissur, Kerala
- Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Kannur, Kerala
- Medical Trust Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Kerala
- Co-Operative Institute of Health Sciences, Kannur, Kerala
- School of Medical Education, MGU, Kottayam, Kerala
- EMS College of Paramedical Sciences, Malappuram, Kerala
- West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata, West Bengal
- Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal
- University of Burdwan, Bardhaman, West Bengal
- Haldia Institute of Health Sciences, Haldia, West Bengal
- Burdwan Institute of Medical and Life Sciences, Burdwan, West Bengal
- Government Physiotherapy College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- Arush Physiotherapy College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- Akar College of Physiotherapy, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- Physiotherapy College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- Ahmedabad Institute of Physiotherapy, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Career prospects
Physiotherapists have access to different types of job opportunities. They may choose to work for a healthcare institute or choose the path of self-employment. Some of the prominent employers are – hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, physical therapy centers etc. They are also hired by sports franchises, NGOs, old age homes etc.
I am Vishnu Nambiar a career and educational blogger from India. I am also a full time educational consultant having more than 12 years of experience in the educational sector.
I share articles related to courses, colleges, careers, exam tips and more here.