Disadvantages and advantages that physical therapy and allied health programs have encountered in utilizing a mastery learning approach are identified, based on a literature review and questioning of health educators. Recommendations concerning the implementation of this approach at California State University, Fresno are offered, along with a time table for the post-baccalaureate curriculum. Experiences with mastery learning by the following disciplines are covered: physical therapy, nursing, medicine, and social work. The following problems (and effective solutions) are considered: time commitment for developing a mastery learning curriculum, faculty resistance to change and lack of knowledge about developing learning packages, costs to produce modules, registration problems, and difficulties in measuring all unit objectives on one unit exam. Advantages of mastery learning include: competencies and standards for mastery are preset and clear; the use of competencies encourage faculty to develop relevant learning experiences; faculty spend less time lecturing and become resource persons and managers of educational processes; and increased frequency of testing provides feedback and redirects learning efforts. A comparison of mastery learning and competency based education on various components is included. (SW)