Licensure guide · Missouri

How to get a Missouri physical therapy license

Physical therapists in Missouri are licensed by the Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts (Advisory Commission for Physical Therapists). Below is what the board requires, from education to renewal, with every requirement linked to the board page it comes from. Checked October 22, 2026.

Step by step

Getting licensed

Education: Applicants must show completion of a board-approved physical therapy education program (or eligibility to graduate from one within ninety days); graduates of a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education (if graduated after 1988) are deemed to meet the education requirement. [2]
National exam: Applicants must register with the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) to sit for the licensing examination, and the passing point is a scaled score of 600 on a scale of 200 to 800. [3]
State law exam: Applicants must complete the Missouri jurisprudence examination, which is returned with the application and scored by the Board; a score of 75% or higher is required. [4]
Background check: All applicants must complete a criminal background check using the Missouri State Highway Patrol applicant fingerprint process included in the application packet. [4]
Fees: The application fee is $25; applicants who also request a temporary license pay an additional $10. [4]
Where to apply: Applicants apply online through a MOPRO account (selecting apply for license) or by using the paper Physical Therapist application posted on the Healing Arts application forms page. [9] Open the application →
Processing time: The board asks applicants to allow a minimum of six (6) weeks for processing once the application and license fee have been received and the application is placed in the queue. [9]

Moving to the state

Already licensed somewhere else?

Missouri is a PT Compact member and is issuing compact privileges: physical therapists and physical therapist assistants licensed in another member state can obtain a privilege to practice in Missouri without applying for a new state license.

Licensed in another state: The board issues a license to a physical therapist who holds an active license in another jurisdiction with substantially equal or greater requirements and has no violations, suspensions or revocations; the applicant must also pass a board test on Missouri physical therapy laws and rules. [5]
Interstate compact: Missouri participates in the PT Compact: physical therapists can hold a compact privilege to practice in Missouri, and compact privilege holders must complete a Missouri jurisprudence examination before purchasing a privilege. [8]

Before your full license

New graduates and clinical fellows

Temporary or provisional license: A first-time examinee may pay a temporary license fee and submit an agreement-to-supervise form signed by a supervising Missouri physical therapist to obtain a nonrenewable temporary license to practice under supervision. [6]

After you are licensed

Keeping the license active

Renewal: Permanent physical therapist licenses expire on January 31 of each even-numbered year. [4]
Continuing education: Licensees must accumulate thirty hours of continuing education every two years to be eligible for relicensure, reviewed at renewal in each even-numbered year. [7]

Working in Missouri

Pay and openings

Physical therapists in Missouri earn a mean of $98,700 a year (BLS). Most of our Missouri searches are confidential and never posted; tell us what you want and we will match you quietly.

Sources

Every requirement above was checked against the official page listed here on October 22, 2026. Boards change fees and rules, so confirm with the Missouri board before you apply. This page is a guide, not legal advice.

Other Missouri licenses

Physical therapy licenses in other states

State-by-state license guides →

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