How to become a therapist: the route into each kind of therapist.
“Therapist” is a family of jobs, and each has its own route in. Here is the education, experience and training BLS lists for every one, what employers report about licenses, and the order to tackle them.
Postsecondary nondegree award to Doctoral or professional degree
Across the 13 BLS occupations on this page. Typical, not a legal requirement.
It depends on which kind of therapist: BLS lists typical entry-level education from a postsecondary nondegree award (massage therapists) to a doctoral or professional degree (physical therapists and clinical and counseling psychologists) across the 13 BLS therapist occupations on this page (Employment Projections, 2025–35). “Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors”, the largest of them (491,930 employed in May 2025), typically need a master's degree and an internship or residency. Many of these jobs also need a state license or certification; rules vary by state.
Becoming a therapist at a glance
BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education for 1 of the 13 therapist occupations on this page: massage therapists.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for 2 of the 13 therapist occupations on this page: respiratory therapists and radiation therapists.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for 3 of the 13 therapist occupations on this page: “therapists, all other”, recreational therapists and exercise physiologists.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for 5 of the 13 therapist occupations on this page: “substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors”, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, mental health and substance abuse social workers and marriage and family therapists.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education for 2 of the 13 therapist occupations on this page: physical therapists and clinical and counseling psychologists.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS lists an internship or residency as the typical on-the-job training for “substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors”, speech-language pathologists, mental health and substance abuse social workers and clinical and counseling psychologists and 1 more.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
Education BLS lists for each kind of therapist
Data One row per BLS occupation, ordered by typical entry-level education. Links open that occupation's own page.
Mental health therapists
| Occupation (BLS title) | Typical entry-level education | Related work experience | Typical on-the-job training | O*NET Job Zone | License or certification required (employers, ORS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | Master's degree | None | Internship/residency | n/a | not published |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | Master's degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | Master's degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | not published |
Rehabilitation and treatment therapists
| Occupation (BLS title) | Typical entry-level education | Related work experience | Typical on-the-job training | O*NET Job Zone | License or certification required (employers, ORS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory Therapists | Associate's degree | None | None | 3 | not published |
| Radiation Therapists | Associate's degree | None | None | 3 | not published |
| Therapists, All Other | Bachelor's degree | None | None | n/a | not published |
| Recreational Therapists | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | not published |
| Exercise Physiologists | Bachelor's degree | None | None | 4 | not published |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | Master's degree | None | Internship/residency | 5 | more than 90% |
| Occupational Therapists | Master's degree | None | None | 5 | more than 90% |
| Physical Therapists | Doctoral or professional degree | None | None | 5 | more than 99.5% |
Massage therapists
| Occupation (BLS title) | Typical entry-level education | Related work experience | Typical on-the-job training | O*NET Job Zone | License or certification required (employers, ORS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage Therapists | Postsecondary nondegree award | None | None | 3 | not published |
What each education level means
Data BLS Employment Projections education categories, 2025–35.
- Postsecondary nondegree awardMassage Therapists
A certificate or other award from a postsecondary program that is not a degree; BLS notes these programs can last from a few weeks to 1 to 2 years.
- Associate's degreeRespiratory Therapists; Radiation Therapists
An associate's degree, which usually takes 2 years of full-time study.
- Bachelor's degreeTherapists, All Other; Recreational Therapists; Exercise Physiologists
A bachelor's degree, which usually takes 4 years of full-time study.
- Master's degreeSubstance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors; Speech-Language Pathologists; Occupational Therapists; Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers; Marriage and Family Therapists
A master's degree, which usually takes 1 to 2 years of full-time study after a bachelor's degree.
- Doctoral or professional degreePhysical Therapists; Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
A doctoral or professional degree (for example an M.D., D.O., Ph.D. or Psy.D.), which takes several years of study after a bachelor's degree.
Five steps to becoming a therapist
Advice Steps 1, 2 and 4 apply the BLS data above; steps 3 and 5 are advice.
- Step 1Choose the occupation
“Therapist” covers 13 BLS occupations with different entry routes. Use the table above to pick the one you mean, then read its own page.
- Step 2Match the education
Plan for the education BLS lists for that occupation (a postsecondary nondegree award at the shortest end on this page, a doctoral or professional degree at the longest).
- Step 3Check licensing where you will work
Many of these jobs need a state license or certification, and rules vary by state; confirm the current requirements with your state's licensing board before you enrol.
- Step 4Plan the training after hiring
BLS lists the typical on-the-job training in the table; an internship or residency, where listed, comes after the degree.
- Step 5Apply with proof
When you apply, show the credential, clinical or field hours and results that the posting asks for; a resume check helps you see what an applicant tracking system reads.
Data Once qualified, median annual pay in May 2025 ranged from $58,450 (massage therapists) to $105,310 (radiation therapists) across these occupations (BLS OEWS). Full pay table: Therapists salary and education.
Becoming a therapist: common questions
What is the shortest route to becoming a therapist?
What degree do you need to be a therapist?
Do therapists need a residency?
Do you need a license to be a therapist?
How this page is built
Education, related work experience and on-the-job training are the BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 typical-entry categories for each BLS detailed occupation listed, which describe what is typical, not legal requirements. Job Zones are O*NET 31.0. The license or certification share is BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2025 (preliminary), as reported by employers; state licensing rules are separate. Which occupations count is the same editorial list as the Therapists page.
- Licensing or certification rules in your state.
- Admission requirements of a specific school or program.
- Which of these careers suits you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (public domain): typical entry-level education and projected employment change.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary; public domain): share of workers whose employer requires a license or certification.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license (Job Zones and related occupations). TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).