How many years of school would it take to become a physical therapist?

I have a project for school. I pretend I am 23, just out of college, living on my own, and have to choose a theoretical career, and figure out how to pay for housing, car, electricity, etc. It’s an economics project. We have to be realistic, so I’m wondering, how many years does it actually take to become a PT and what degrees must you have? I have read about PTA’s, and a 2 year associate degree program. How does that work, and when do those 2 years of education start? I’m looking at education that starts just at freshman year of college. Any answers would help a lot—the research is a bit confusing to me.
Thanks!