Become an RSD student
Housed within the Department of Physical Therapy, the Rehabilitation Science Doctoral Program provides graduate students with access to world-class rehabilitation science researchers, a wide variety of seminars, and coursework that can be tailored to specific interests.
Rehabilitation science is a diverse and expanding discipline that encompasses both basic and applied aspects of health science and services, the social sciences, and engineering as they relate to restoring human functional capacity and improving a person’s interaction with the surrounding environment.
Most physical therapists interested in the Rehabilitation Science PhD Program (RSD) participate in the neuromuscular plasticity track offered as one of the disciplines within the degree. Movement science, the study of human movement and postural control, serves as the foundation for the development of evidence-based rehabilitation practices, and reflects the converging knowledge from multiple disciplines.
These disciplines include motor control and learning, anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology, muscle physiology, neurophysiology, and neuroscience. The aim of the research in the neuromuscular plasticity track is to develop scientifically-based assessment and treatment strategies to promote:
- Maintenance of movement
- Restoration of movement
- Compensation for movement loss or dysfunction, secondary to the consequences of aging, injury, disease, or developmental disorders
To review all of the concentrations/emphasis areas that the program offers, click on the links below to take you to the Rehabilitation Science website.
- Concentration in Neuromuscular Plasticity
- Concentration in Communication and Swallowing Sciences and Disorders
- Emphasis in Disability, Occupation, and Participation Science
For more information about admission, please visit the Rehabilitation Science Admissions page.