Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences

No, our program does not have specific requirements with regard to classes applicants must take or have taken prior to applying.

While competitive applicants typically already possess an advanced degree, we will consider exceptionally qualified applicants with a bachelor’s degree, as well.

A maximum of 9 semester/12 quarter hours of credit obtained at another institution may be accepted towards the degree, provided the credits consist of work taken at the graduate level for graduate credit, carry grades of 3.000 (B) or better, and have not been used toward any other degree. These courses must have been taken within 5 years prior to the transfer.

Applications to the Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences PhD program must include GRE scores (taken within the past five years) from all applicants. This requirement cannot be waived. In addition, TOEFL scores are required from all international applicants who have received degrees from institutions outside the United States. Guidelines for submitting a request to waive the TOEFL requirement are outlined in the Admissions section.

Doctoral students in the Human Movement and Rehabilitation Science PhD program pay per credit taken. The latest cost per credit for Bouve College of Health Sciences programs can be found on Northeastern’s Student Financial Services webpage.

Our program offers a select number of graduate assistantships for doctoral students, which covers tuition and includes a yearly stipend in exchange for 20 hours of work each week. You do not need to do anything further than submitting an application to the Program to be considered for a graduate assistantship.

Some required courses have online course equivalents that doctoral students may choose to take, but it is not required.

Yes, we would be happy to put you in touch with our faculty. Please send your query to Kinaesiaa Carrington, Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences PhD Program Administrator, along with a description of your research interests so you can be appropriately matched.

The program leverages the unique faculty and research laboratories in human movement and rehabilitation sciences as well as our highly-ranked programs in Bouvé College of Health Sciences, the College of Science, and the College of Engineering. Northeastern is dedicated to advancing the field of human movement and rehabilitation science and translating research from bench to clinic. Students benefit from our new research laboratories utilizing state-of-the-art movement and rehabilitation methods including virtual reality, ultrasound, neuroscience, neurophysiology, robotics, and movement measurement technologies.

Our program focuses on research within a highly interdisciplinary setting using multidisciplinary and multidimensional concepts of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health model (ICF). It operates with the support of University based research activities at the interface of rehabilitation, neuroscience, and movement sciences that span the colleges of the university. All students will have exposure to basic, translational, and applied research training since these are considered hallmarks of the program. The curriculum incorporates global concepts for human movement and rehabilitation sciences.

Graduates of the program will be capable of conducting, creating, and communicating research that contributes new knowledge in the field of human movement and rehabilitation sciences in academic, industrial, policy, and governmental settings. Graduates will also be capable of leading and performing new independent research projects related to human movement and rehabilitation sciences. Our graduates are well-prepared to enter into a number of post-doctoral career paths including: industrial research positions, government consultants, post-doctoral or junior faculty positions in academic institutions in either technology programs or schools of health science, public health, or medicine.