PhD Programs in Physical Therapy

University of Florida

• The University of Florida currently offers two different doctoral programs in physical therapy. The first is the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and the second an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in rehabilitation science. (pt.phhp.ufl.edu/) The Ph.D. program is the largest of its type in the southeastern U.S. and is designed to prepare students for careers in teaching, research and, according to the departmental website, "to advance the science of rehabilitation." (pt.phhp.ufl.edu/rsd.html) The program offers a number of research emphases, including cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, locomotor training and recovery research, muscle disuse and regeneration, musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory neurophysiology and neurobiology and functional motor control. (pt.phhp.ufl.edu/labs.html)

  University of Florida
  Dept. of Physical Therapy
  PO Box 100154
  Gainesville FL 32610-0154
  (352) 273-6085
  pt.phhp.ufl.edu/welcome.html

University of Miami

• The University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine offers a Ph.D. in physical therapy designed to prepare students for careers in research and teaching. Similar to the University of Florida, the department also offers the DPT degree. The physical therapy department is "accredited by both the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) and the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities," according to the departmental homepage. (pt.med.miami.edu/x39.xml) Miami's department has been rated as one the best in the nation.

  University of Miami
  Department of Physical Therapy
  5915 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
  5th Floor
  Coral Gables, FL 33146-2435
  (305) 284-4535
  pt.med.miami.edu/x7.xml

New York University

• Founded in 1970, New York University's (NYU) physical therapy Ph.D. program was the first of its type and its primary emphasis is pathokinesiology research. (steinhardt.nyu.edu/pt/phd) NYU's program is designed to prepare students for academic careers as researchers and teachers. NYU may be a good choice for graduate students because of its small class size and its physical location right in the heart of Manhattan. Also, NYU students typically graduate with multiple certifications, increasing the chances they will be adequately prepared before entering the field full-time.

  New York University
  Department of Physical Therapy
  380 Second Avenue, 4th Floor
  New York, NY 10010
  (212) 998 5460
  steinhardt.nyu.edu/pt/dpt/reasons