Northeastern University Physical Therapy graduates are innovative, global leaders who excel in clinical practice, research, and community service. As one of the longest accredited Physical Therapy Programs in the United States, and the only program with Cooperative Education, our students graduate with exceptional clinical decision-making skills, and experience in the field of physical therapy.
Post Baccalaureate Physical Therapy (DPT)
Overview
The Northeastern University Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) is a comprehensive and rigorous graduate-level program. Applicants must complete all prerequisites and earn their undergraduate degree before starting the program in the summer semester.
A hallmark of our program is experiential learning and we offer students a variety of educational opportunities including:
- lectures
- labs
- cadaveric anatomy labs (within multiple courses)
- service learning
- interprofessional education
- clinical education
Students participate in several simulated patient encounters with people living in the community, representing a variety of health conditions, as well as standardized patients in our interprofessional, state of the art high-fidelity simulation center.
Embedded within our 38 month program is a unique and valuable cooperative (co-op) education experience, a six month paid work opportunity in a physical therapy setting.
Our DPT program builds on the university’s core values of interdisciplinary education, urban engagement, and cutting-edge research. Our exceptional faculty and staff are dedicated to promoting excellence in interprofessional practice, education, scholarship, and service.
All students in the DPT program at Northeastern University gain valuable research education through multiple courses culminating in the participation in research with a faculty mentor and presentation at the annual NU Research and Innovation Exposition. Many students also disseminate research findings with faculty through scientific publications and professional conferences.
Diversity Information
As global citizens, the Post Baccalaureate program in Physical Therapy is dedicated to access, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to developing future health professionals who can advance diversity by providing culturally informed care to people across race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, age, ability, and nationality. We support the acquisition of competencies that ready our students to recognize, broach, and interrupt discrimination in its many forms.
Global
We plan to offer multiple global academic and service-oriented experiences including PT academic exchange programs to Switzerland, and other international cooperative experiences as well as service PT programs to Ecuador.
Concentrations
Our Sports Performance Concentration enhances a graduate’s ability to treat athletes at all levels, and work within a multidisciplinary medical team including athletic trainers, physicians, strength and health coaches, and more. Admitted DPT students have the opportunity to observe the varsity athletic medical care and performance team, complete a related research project and sports/orthopedic clinical education experience, and take sports medicine and conditioning course work. Coursework includes emergency medical care for athletes, concussion care, preparation for strength coach certification, and more.
The Pediatric Physical Therapy Concentration will engage physical therapy students with an interest to pursue clinical practice in pediatric physical therapy. It will enhance the entry-level Physical Therapy (PT) graduate’s ability to engage in interprofessional, family-centered services with children from infancy through young adulthood in a variety of settings. The requirements to complete the concentration are outlined in the course catalogue.
SPEAK WITH A CURRENT STUDENT
The PB-DPT curriculum begins during the summer semester of each academic year.
Application Due Date
PB-DPT Application Deadline:
November 1, 2022
PTCAS is open for application as of July 15, 2022
Contact Info
Christopher Cesario, PT, DPT, MBA
Director of Student Affairs
Associate Clinical Professor
Department of Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences
301F Robinson Hall
Northeastern University
Boston, MA 02115-5000
Tel: 617-373-5536
[email protected]
Prerequisites
All science prerequisites with the exception of Exercise Physiology MUST be taken with a co-requisite lab.
Satisfactory completion – within 7 years of all science courses is required:
- Anatomy & Physiology with Lab (2 Courses, 3-4 Credits each)
- Chemistry with Lab (2 Courses, 4 Credits each)
- Physics with Lab (2 Courses, 4 Credits each)
- Exercise Physiology (3-4 Credits)
Satisfactory completion within 10 years of the following prerequisites:
- General Psychology (3-4 Credits)
- Higher Level Psychology Course(3-4 Credits)
- Statistics (3-4 Credits)
A minimum of forty [40] observation/volunteer hours in a Physical Therapy facility is required. Please note observation hours on your CV. ALL components of the application to the PB-DPT program MUST be received by the noted deadline in order for prospective students to be considered for acceptance into the program.
ATTENTION:
If you are a physical therapist with a bachelors or masters degree interested in pursuing a terminal clinical doctoral degree in physical therapy (t-DPT) click here for more information.
Essential Functions for Northeastern University Physical Therapy Students
Introduction
The Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy (DPT) at Northeastern University is a challenging and intense program, which places specific demands on a student enrolled in the program. The academic rigor of the program closely corresponds to intellectual and physical demands that a graduate will encounter as a practicing physical therapist.
Northeastern’s DPT program is designed to prepare students to enter the physical therapy profession as a generalist with the skills, knowledge, and ability to successfully perform all the required functions of an entry-level physical therapist.
Essential functions are the aptitudes and abilities required of physical therapist students to successfully complete the curriculum of the DPT program, and to perform the clinical skills of a physical therapist consistent with Patient/Client Management as detailed in the Guide to Physical Therapy Practice.
The purpose of this document is to delineate the essential functions that are fundamental to the DPT program. Upon admission, students must be able to perform each of the essential functions outlined below during classroom, laboratory, and experiential education learning activities [including but not limited to: participation in one-on-one interactions, small group discussion and presentation, large group lectures, service learning, and patient encounters] in both academic, community, and clinical settings.
Students are also required to demonstrate good judgment, responsibility, integrity, sensitivity, and compassion, while simultaneously being able to accurately synthesize and apply knowledge in a timely and safe manner.
Essential Functions
Students are required to perform the following essential functions of the DPT program:
Communication Functions
- Read, understand, and communicate information in written and spoken formats using the English language.
- Interpret and respond to the verbal, non-verbal, and written communications of others in an appropriate, professional manner.
Affective Functions
- Establish, value, and continue to develop professional, respectful, empathetic relationships with individuals from all lifestyles, cultures, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and abilities.
- Develop, value, and maintain effective working relationships with faculty, students, professional colleagues, peers, patients/clients, families, and the general public.
- Meet externally imposed deadlines and time requirements.
- React effectively in challenging situations with use of appropriate resources.
- Demonstrate an ability to function effectively in complex, highly stimulating environments.
- Demonstrate responsibility for self-directed assessment, reflection, and professional growth.
- Demonstrate core values of honesty, integrity, and accountability for the consequences of one’s own actions.
- Demonstrate ethical behavior, proper judgement, and decision making skills.
Cognitive Functions
- Demonstrate self-management skills including planning, organizing, time management, and adhering to legal/regulatory requirements.
- Use a variety of sources, including reading material, lecture, discussion, observation, and physical examinations to:
- Recall, interpret, extrapolate and apply information.
- Measure, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information.
- Gather and prioritize information needed to solve a problem.
- Respond appropriately to emerging problems and potentially hazardous situations by making timely judgments to react effectively and seek assistance when necessary.
- Accept and apply constructive feedback.
Psychomotor Functions
- Possess physical strength, stamina, balance, movement, hand-eye coordination, and dexterity required to perform patient care tasks in a manner that does not compromise the safety of self or others.
- Perform intermittent physical activity of the whole body throughout an eight to twelve-hour period.
- Engage in complex, coordinated movements needed during a variety of activities including skills lab practice; manual techniques, patient examination, intervention, and guarding.
- Utilize auditory, visual, and tactile senses to receive information from written, spoken, and non-verbal communication mechanisms; observation of human structures; postures and movements; and equipment and or technology.
- Quickly and appropriately react to sudden or unexpected events or movements of others.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
The Bouvé College strives to meet the needs of diverse learners. Student who may need a reasonable accommodation for a disability should contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) via the following contact information:
Location: 20 Dodge Hall.
Phone: (617) 373-2675
TTY: Contact DRC via Relay 711
Students must register with the DRC and meet with a specialist prior to matriculation. If a disability develops while a student is enrolled in the University, the student is expected to contact the DRC as soon as practical to address his/her situation. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively.
Reference: Ingram, D. (1997). Opinions of Physical Therapy Education Program Directors on Essential Functions, Physical Therapy, 77(1), 37-45.
Polly Cerasoli Scholarship Fund
Thank you for your interest in the scholarship fund to honor Pauline (Polly) Cerasoli. 
Polly Cerasoli, clinician, teacher, mentor, scholar, leader, skier and friend, passed away on September 11, 2010 at the age of 71 while residing at the Rose Meadow Farm in New Boston, N.H. Polly’s career was cut short in 1996 when she sustained a traumatic brain injury from an unknown assailant while attending the APTA combined sections meeting in Atlanta. Life in Rural Vermont Polly grew up in Vermont where she accompanied her father, a country doctor, on his rounds to patient/client homes, braving the snow and ice of the Green Mountains to reach those in need in rural Vermont. Those special times with her dad fostered a love for medicine and a commitment to help others. When she learned about the profession of physical therapy, she knew it would become her life-long passion. Career Development Polly received her BS in Physical Therapy from the University of Connecticut. She then moved to Boston where she worked as a clinician while attending Boston University to earn a Master’s in Education. She became a member of the PT faculty at Northeastern University in the early 1970s. As a teacher, she taught a variety of courses, but her specialty was therapeutic exercise. She also served as academic coordinator of clinical education and acting chairperson of the physical therapy department. Polly earned her Doctor of Education degree in Rehabilitation Administration from Northeastern. Her dissertation addressed the relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction among physical therapist clinicians. Polly loved teaching and was devoted to nurturing the best in those around her. She always had time to mentor and inspire students and colleagues. Polly served the profession in other ways through her activities with the American Physical Therapy Association. She was an active member of the House of Delegates and the Education and Legislation/Regulations Sections. She also served on evaluation teams for the Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education as well as participating in various task forces. Polly left Northeastern to become Director of Rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital and to teach at the MGH Institute. From there she moved to Denver, Colorado to live and ski in the Rocky Mountains. She became the Assistant Dean of Allied Health and Director of the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Colorado, where she continued working to advance the profession of physical therapy. In spite of her career moves, Polly always maintained her ties to Northeastern. Polly inspired students and colleagues to excel both personally and professionally. You can help cultivate Polly’s ideals and qualities in the next generation of physical therapist by contributing to the Polly Cerasoli Scholarship Fund. Proceeds from the fund will be used to award an annual scholarship to a physical therapy graduate student who exemplifies the characteristics that reflect those Polly displayed throughout her life and career. This scholarship is awarded to a DPT student upon graduation. Making a Contribution If you would like to make a contribution to the Polly Cerasoli Scholarship Fund, please contact Kathy Cotter at 617.373.2637 or you can send a check to 215 Behrakis Health Sciences Center, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.
Double Husky Scholarship
Alumni with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from Northeastern are automatically considered for the scholarship when they are admitted into an eligible graduate degree or certificate program. Upon acceptance, applicants receive a letter indicating the tuition discount that applies to their program. Please refer to Student Financial Services regarding other options that may be available to accepted graduate students There is no application process for the Double Husky Scholarship.