What Does a CWT Deficiency Mean?
If you completed your physical therapy education outside the United States, your credential evaluation may identify educational deficiencies under the Coursework Tool (CWT).
A CWT deficiency means your credential evaluator could not establish that your education satisfied one or more requirements of the applicable U.S. physical therapy educational standard.
This does not necessarily mean you lack the knowledge or clinical skills required to practice physical therapy. It means your educational records did not demonstrate that a particular educational requirement was met.
The CWT is developed by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) and used by authorized credentialing organizations, including the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT), International Education Research Foundation (IERF), and International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
Different CWT versions have different educational requirements. If you are unsure which version applies to your evaluation, read ourGuide to Choosing the Appropriate CWT.
What Types of CWT Deficiencies Can Appear in Your Evaluation?
Your evaluation may identify deficiencies involving educational content, academic credits, or supervised clinical education.
- General Education Topic Deficiencies
These occur when your evaluator cannot establish that your education included certain required general education subjects.
Examples may include:
- Humanities
- Communication
- Biological and physical sciences
- Mathematics
- Social and behavioral sciences
The specific requirements depend on the applicable CWT version.
- Professional Education Topic Deficiencies
These occur when your evaluator cannot establish that your education included sufficient instruction in a required physical therapy content area.
Examples may include:
- Pharmacology
- Diagnostic imaging
- Differential diagnosis
- Evidence-based practice
- Legal and ethical considerations in physical therapy
A professional topic deficiency does not necessarily mean you never studied the subject. It may mean the content was not sufficiently documented or did not meet the applicable evaluation criteria.
- Professional Education Credit Deficiencies
Your evaluation may identify an insufficient number of eligible professional education credits.
The minimum number of professional education credits depends on the CWT version and the requirements applicable to your evaluation.
A professional credit deficiency can exist even when you have completed coursework covering most or all required professional topics.
For example, your evaluation may recognize that you studied pharmacology, diagnostic imaging, and differential diagnosis but still determine that your overall professional education credit total is below the required minimum.
- Overall Academic Credit Deficiencies
Your credential evaluation may also identify a shortage in the total number of eligible academic credits.
This is different from a professional education credit deficiency.
Professional education credits represent coursework classified within the professional physical therapy curriculum.
Overall academic credits include eligible education counted toward the total academic credit requirement.
An applicant may meet the professional education credit minimum but still fall short of the overall academic credit requirement, or vice versa.
The applicable credit requirements vary by CWT version.
- Clinical Education Deficiencies
Clinical education deficiencies occur when your evaluator cannot establish that you completed the required supervised clinical education.
These deficiencies may involve:
- Insufficient supervised clinical education hours
- Missing or incomplete clinical education documentation
- Other clinical education requirements under the applicable CWT
Clinical education requirements vary across Coursework Tool versions.
What Is the Difference Between a Topic Deficiency and a Credit Deficiency?
This is one of the most important distinctions when reviewing a CWT evaluation.
A topic deficiency means your evaluator could not establish that you completed the required educational content in a particular subject.
A credit deficiency means your evaluator determined that you did not meet a required academic credit minimum.
These are separate evaluation findings, but they can be related.
For example, suppose your evaluation identifies:
- A professional topic deficiency in pharmacology
- A professional topic deficiency in differential diagnosis
- A 12-credit professional education shortfall
This does not automatically mean you must complete two separate courses plus 12 additional credits.
A university course may cover multiple required professional topics. The eligible credits earned through that same course may also contribute toward your professional education credit shortfall.
For example, if an accepted three-credit course addresses both missing topics, it may satisfy those content requirements while contributing three credits toward the 12-credit deficiency.
The course still provides only three academic credits, regardless of how many topic deficiencies it addresses.
The credential evaluator determines whether coursework satisfies the applicable topic and credit requirements.
How Do I Read My CWT Evaluation?
Your credential evaluation may contain several different types of information, depending on the organization that prepared it.
When reviewing your report, look for these three things:
- The educational requirement
Identify the specific topic, credit minimum, or clinical education requirement being evaluated.
- The education recognized by your evaluator
Review the coursework, credits, or clinical hours your evaluator accepted from your educational records.
- The identified deficiency
Determine which educational requirement remains unmet and, where applicable, the number of additional credits or clinical hours identified as deficient.
Be careful not to confuse the total requirement with the actual deficiency.
For example, if an evaluation lists a professional education credit requirement of 90 credits and recognizes 75 eligible credits, the identified shortfall would be 15 credits, not 90.
This example is illustrative. The applicable credit minimum depends on the CWT version and evaluation requirements.
Also, remember that a topic deficiency and a credit deficiency should not automatically be added together when calculating additional coursework.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a CWT deficiency mean my physical therapy degree is not valid?
No. A CWT deficiency does not automatically mean your degree is invalid. It means your credential evaluator could not establish that your education satisfied one or more requirements of the applicable U.S. educational equivalency standard.
Can I have a credit deficiency even if I have no missing professional topics?
Yes. Your education may demonstrate coverage of all required professional topics while still falling below the minimum number of eligible professional education or overall academic credits.
Can the same course address multiple deficiencies?
Potentially. A course may cover more than one required educational topic while also contributing eligible credits toward an academic credit deficiency. The evaluator determines whether the course satisfies those requirements.
Are CWT deficiencies the same for CWT4, CWT5, and CWT6?
No. Although the Coursework Tools share common categories of educational review, their specific educational requirements and credit standards may differ.
Does a CWT deficiency mean I cannot become licensed as a physical therapist in the United States?
Not necessarily. An identified educational deficiency means you have not yet demonstrated compliance with one or more applicable educational requirements. Whether you become eligible for licensure depends on the requirements established by the state licensing board and whether those requirements are ultimately satisfied.
Get Your Free CWT Deficiency Analysis
Have you received a credential evaluation identifying missing physical therapy coursework or academic credit requirements?
The Strelis PT License Deficiency Navigator can help you understand your evaluation and identify potentially relevant University of Montana coursework.
Our free educational planning process helps you:
- Understand your identified professional topic deficiencies.
- Recognize professional and overall academic credit shortages.
- Identify where multiple deficiencies may overlap.
- Explore University of Montana courses that may address your educational requirements.
Get My Free CWT Deficiency Analysis
the Navigator provides educational planning assistance. Course recommendations do not constitute official credential evaluation, coursework pre-approval, or a guarantee of U.S. physical therapy licensure.