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Academic Catalog 2023-2024

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  • Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, PhD

Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, PhD

2023-2024 Edition

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        • Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, PhD
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        • Human Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, MS
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  • Course Descriptions
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  • Overview
  • Program Requirements
  • Advanced Entry Program Requirements

The Department of Physical Therapy, Movement, and Rehabilitation Sciences offers a PhD program in human movement and rehabilitation sciences. The PhD program seeks to prepare graduates to conduct independent (original) basic, translational, and applied research with the goal of creating new knowledge about neuromotor mechanisms and methods of restoring and maximizing human functional capacity and well-being across the life span. The program emphasizes core competencies in motor control and motor learning, movement measurement and analysis, knowledge translation theory, and the use of traditional and emerging technologies. The program is based on the integration of core skills and concepts across the multiple disciplines that are associated with human movement and rehabilitation sciences, coupled with the acquisition of research methodology, analyses, and skills, as well as specialization within specific areas of human movement and rehabilitation research.

The program showcases the unique faculty and research laboratories in human movement and rehabilitation sciences, as well as 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 sciences 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.

Advanced Entry

Based on a student’s background in their preceding master's or clinical doctorate degree, core coursework and total hours for the advanced entry program may vary. The graduate program director will consider all the program requirements and applicants' previous experience when advising students on a plan of study. All students, whether entering from traditional or advanced PhD pathways, will complete the milestones as documented in the curriculum.

Please visit Bouvé College Learning Outcomes for the specific student learning outcomes for this program.

Milestones

All students, whether entering from traditional or advanced PhD pathways, will complete the following milestones:

  • Annual review
  • Qualifying exam
  • Dissertation committee
  • Dissertation proposal
  • Dissertation defense

Core Requirements

Course List
Code Title Hours
Seminar
Students must enroll in the following course every semester until start of the dissertation phase of the program (the course is repeatable two times for 1 semester hour and four times for 0 semester hours): 2
PT 7030
Interdisciplinary Seminar in Rehabilitation Science
Rehabilitation Science and Human Movement
PT 7001Core Concepts in Rehabilitation Science and Research3
PT 7005Experimental Design and Applied Statistics4
PT 7020Technologies in Movement and Rehabilitation Science4

Electives

Course List
Code Title Hours
Complete 19 semester hours from the list below chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor.19
Some courses may require prerequisite coursework.
BIOE 5235
Biomedical Imaging
BIOE 5800
Systems, Signals, and Controls for Bioengineers
BIOE 5810
Design of Biomedical Instrumentation
BIOL 5601
Multidisciplinary Approaches in Motor Control
CAEP 6326
Behavioral Concepts and Principles
EXSC 5210
Physical Activity and Exercise: Prescription, Measurement, and Testing
HLTH 5450
Healthcare Research
IE 5630
Biosensor and Human Behavior Measurement
IE 6500
Human Performance
IE 7315
Human Factors Engineering
ME 5250
Robot Mechanics and Control
ME 5659
Control Systems Engineering
ME 5665
Musculoskeletal Biomechanics
ME 7247
Advanced Control Engineering
PHTH 5202
Introduction to Epidemiology
PHTH 5210
Biostatistics in Public Health
PHTH 6202
Intermediate Epidemiology
PHTH 6210
Applied Regression Analysis
PHTH 6440
Advanced Methods in Biostatistics
PT 5133
Kinesiology
PT 5138
Neuroscience
PT 5150
Motor Control, Development, and Learning
PT 5209
Neurological Rehabilitation 1
PT 5321
Applications of Biomechanics in Human Function and Movement
PT 6221
Neurological Rehabilitation 2
PT 7010
Measurement and Analysis of Human Movement and Bioinstrumentation

Dissertation

Course List
Code Title Hours
PT 9990
Dissertation Term 1
PT 9991
Dissertation Term 2

Program Credit/GPA Requirements

32 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required

Milestones

Annual review
Qualifying exam
Dissertation committee
Dissertation proposal
Dissertation defense

Core Requirements

Based on a student’s background in their preceding master's degree, core coursework and total hours for the advanced entry program may vary. The graduate program director will consider the following program requirements when advising students on a plan of study.

Course List
Code Title Hours
Seminar
Students must enroll in the following course every semester until the start of the dissertation phase of the program:2
PT 7030
Interdisciplinary Seminar in Rehabilitation Science (Repeatable 2 times for 1 semester hour and 4 times for 0 semester hours)
Rehabilitation Science and Human Movement
PT 7001Core Concepts in Rehabilitation Science and Research3
PT 7005Experimental Design and Applied Statistics4
PT 7020Technologies in Movement and Rehabilitation Science4

Electives

Course List
Code Title Hours
Some courses may require a prerequisite course.
BIOE 5235
Biomedical Imaging
BIOE 5800
Systems, Signals, and Controls for Bioengineers
BIOE 5810
Design of Biomedical Instrumentation
BIOL 5601
Multidisciplinary Approaches in Motor Control
CAEP 6326
Behavioral Concepts and Principles
EXSC 5210
Physical Activity and Exercise: Prescription, Measurement, and Testing
HLTH 5450
Healthcare Research
IE 5630
Biosensor and Human Behavior Measurement
IE 6500
Human Performance
IE 7315
Human Factors Engineering
ME 5250
Robot Mechanics and Control
ME 5659
Control Systems Engineering
ME 5665
Musculoskeletal Biomechanics
ME 7247
Advanced Control Engineering
PHTH 5202
Introduction to Epidemiology
PHTH 5210
Biostatistics in Public Health
PHTH 6202
Intermediate Epidemiology
PHTH 6210
Applied Regression Analysis
PHTH 6440
Advanced Methods in Biostatistics
PT 5133
Kinesiology
PT 5138
Neuroscience
PT 5150
Motor Control, Development, and Learning
PT 5209
Neurological Rehabilitation 1
PT 5321
Applications of Biomechanics in Human Function and Movement
PT 6221
Neurological Rehabilitation 2
PT 7010
Measurement and Analysis of Human Movement and Bioinstrumentation

Dissertation

Course List
Code Title Hours
PT 9990
Dissertation Term 1
PT 9991
Dissertation Term 2

GPA Requirement

A minimum 3.000 GPA required

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