PT Pathways

Study Saturday: Prerequisite Course Guides

Free study guides for every DPT prerequisite course. Each guide covers what you will learn, why it matters for PT, study strategies, and curated free resources.

Every Saturday we publish a deep-dive guide to one of the undergraduate courses you need for PT school. Each post covers what the course includes, why it matters in clinical practice, evidence-based study strategies, and free resources you can start using today.

For an overview of all prerequisite requirements, start with our guide to PT school prerequisites.

Published Guides

What Each Guide Covers

  • Why this course matters for PT - with references to clinical practice and DPT coursework
  • Key topics - what you will study and what to focus on
  • Study strategies - evidence-based techniques tailored to the subject
  • Free resources - open textbooks, video lectures, practice tools, and apps
  • How it connects to DPT school - specific courses and clinical skills that build on this foundation

The Full Series

The complete Study Saturday series covers 20 prerequisite courses, from foundational sciences to clinical preparation:

  1. Human Physiology
  2. General Biology I
  3. Organismal Biology / Biology II
  4. General Chemistry I
  5. General Chemistry II
  6. Physics I: Mechanics
  7. Physics II: Electricity, Magnetism, and Waves
  8. Statistics for Health Sciences
  9. Introduction to Psychology
  10. Abnormal Psychology
  11. Developmental Psychology
  12. Microbiology
  13. Exercise Physiology
  14. Medical Terminology
  15. English Composition
  16. Nutrition
  17. Sociology and Social Determinants of Health
  18. Research Methods
  19. Kinesiology and Biomechanics
  20. Pharmacology Fundamentals

New guides publish every Saturday. Bookmark this page or subscribe to our RSS feed to stay up to date.