22/04/2026
To address the issue about the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) not being acknowledged in the Philippines.
Yes, it's true that the Doctor of Physical Therapy program is not acknowledged in the Philippines in the context of “Required Degree to become a licensed PT”
The Philippines is among the countries that still accept a Bachelor's Degree as an entry-level degree for physical therapists. In other words, with your Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy, you are qualified to take the licensure exam for Philippine physical therapy. You don't need a master's degree or a doctorate to be a licensed physical therapist in the Philippines.
Other countries, such as Latin America, Africa, most of Asia, the Middle East (excluding Saudi Arabia), and parts of Europe, still use a Bachelor's degree as the entry level for Physical Therapy practice.
But countries such as Australia and Canada are requiring Masters degree to sit in a licensure exam for physical therapy, and countries like America are now requiring a Doctorate degree as an entry-level degree to practice physical therapy. And other countries right now are transitioning their minimum academic requirements like in the case of Saudi Arabia they are transitioning to a Doctorate, and New Zealand to a Master's degree.
Same profession but different Academic Requirements. Same profession but no standard academic requirements.
QUESTION:
What's the problem with it that is not acknowledged in the Philippines?
ANSWER:
1. There are no universities or colleges that offer a Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the Philippines, therefore CHED does not recognized it.
2. The RA5680 Law of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy in the Philippines is absolute and applicable only for the Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy and the Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, therefore PRC does not recognized it.
Unlike Physical Therapy, Psychology in the Philippines’s minimum academic requirement is a Master's Degree. Therefore graduates of the Bachelor of Psychology are forced to study until the Master's degree for them to be able to get a licensure exam for psychologists and are called licensed Psychologists, but others pursue a Philosophy Doctor (PhD) major in Psychology after getting the license or straight to a Doctor of Psychology (DPsy) to level up their careers.
QUESTION:
WHY ITS HARD FOR PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES TO TRANSITION TO A MASTER'S DEGREE OR DOCTORATE DEGREE AS AN ENTRY LEVEL DEGREE TO PRACTICE PHYSICAL
THERAPY?
ANSWER: The RA5680 law is obsolete (It was passed in 1969). This needs to change first before changing their minimum academic requirement for physical
therapists in the Philippines.
QUESTION:
WHY OBSOLETE?
ANSWER:
It no longer reflects modern physical therapy standards, physical therapists’ roles, and healthcare realities. It was written in a completely different era (Year 1969) where physical therapists' jobs were limited to heat, cold, massage, electricity, and basic exercises which reflect a “Technician level”, “Paramedical Mindset”, “Physician referral-based”, & “Modality-based” physical therapists, and were education for physical therapy was limited to a Bachelor's Degree.
Modern Physical Therapy now is evidence-based, diagnostic-driven, autonomous and use movement science, advanced clinical reasoning, screening, have different fields of specialties, and with Master's and Doctorate degrees.
QUESTION:
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL THERAPISTS WHO CONTINUED THEIR STUDIES TO MASTERS AND DOCTORATE LEVELS?
ANSWER:
-It changes how you practice, credibility, earnings, clinical reasoning, opportunities, your position, and title
