The Physical Therapy Department at the University of Delaware (UD) is involved in several exciting educational programs, including our outstanding DPT program, a highly successful interdisciplinary PhD in Biomechanics and Movement Sciences, and clinical residency programs for practicing clinicians in sports, orthopedic, geriatric, neurologic physical therapy, and acute care.  Also unique to UD is the opportunity for interested students to pursue an intermediate Master of Science degree in Anatomy and Clinical Health Science simultaneous to their DPT studies.

Located on the new STAR campus, student instruction takes place in modern state-of-the-art facilities. Two on-site, full-service Physical Therapy Clinics managed by the Department also provide outstanding integrated clinical education experiences for all DPT students. Clinical and translational research laboratories within the same physical facility provide students with an authentic perspective of how the discovery of new knowledge informs academic teaching and clinical practice.

The DPT program begins in late June and continues for 2.5 calendar years (including summer and winter sessions). UD has a total student enrollment of over 20,000, which includes approximately 5,000 graduate students. The DPT program currently enrolls approximately 60 students per cohort.

All students in the DPT program live off campus. The UD campus is located in Newark, which is approximately 40 miles south of Philadelphia and 60 miles north of Baltimore. There are many cultural and entertainment activities conducted at or near the University.

Three full-time clinical internships occur at the conclusion of the didactic curriculum. Each clinical internship is 10 weeks in length. Students are required to complete internships in the following areas: multisystem complexity, rehabilitation, and elective (practice setting or population of choice). The identification and development of quality clinical partners has been a strategic priority and has resulted in the maintenance of clinical contracts with over 270 facilities throughout the United States. Students are also required to complete two, semester-long, part-time, integrated clinical education experiences (ICEs) during the first two years in the program. All students will complete ICEs in the following areas: sports and orthopedics and neurologic and older adult. Further, students will have the opportunity to participate in experiential learning within pediatric settings.

The Department is also proud to report that all UD graduates have been successful on the licensure examination and have secured gainful employment post-graduation.

UDPT boasts a large teaching faculty representing content expertise in all clinical practice domains. Students receive instruction from 27 faculty holding primary or secondary appointments and 75 associated faculty members. Of the 16 faculty who hold primary appointments, 14 are PhD-prepared and are either tenured or on the tenure-track. The remaining 11 faculty possess clinical doctorates and maintain areas of practice expertise. Nine are certified as clinical specialists, five of whom are certified in two specialty areas of practice. Over the past three years, the faculty has averaged over 50 research publications per year in peer-reviewed journals. Currently, the faculty brings approximately $6 million (direct costs) in external research grant funding to the department per year. Most of this funding is from the National Institute of Health.  

Information about admission to our DPT program can be found on our website at: http://sites.udel.edu/pt/study-with-us/.   

Application procedures can be found at http://sites.udel.edu/pt/study-with-us/udpt-application-procedures/.  

Our spring information session is scheduled for Saturday, May 6 from Noon-3PM. Please join us!

Following is our fair schedule: