10 Reasons to Study With US

University of Delaware (UD) Physical Therapy Program has an excellent reputation and is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation by US News & World Report.  Ninety-six (96%) percent of admitted students graduate from the program (10-year average). All program graduates have passed the licensing examination. (See CAPTE Commission on the Accreditation of PT Education website for more details).

Highly Qualified Board Certified and Ph.D. Level Faculty. UD faculty are not only superb teachers, but they are also excellent clinicians and researchers. Among the faculty are many Board Certified Clinical Specialists who provide outstanding didactic and clinical instruction to students throughout the curriculum. Additionally, these faculty are instrumental in supervising students in clinical research and preparing students’ work for publication. The PhD level faculty perform research in state-of-the-art laboratories and have received major research funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, the Whittaker Foundation and the Department of the Army. Faculty research includes the assessment of innovative treatment techniques for persons with sports injuries, in conjunction with the Physical Therapy Clinic, and investigations into how the nervous system controls movement and behavior. Students routinely take advantage of the opportunity to participate in a faculty-lead research projects.

Outstanding clinical education opportunities!  In addition to the three (3) Integrated Clinical Education (ICE) experiences, all students participate in three (3) full-time clinical educational experiences. Our clinical education program holds contracts with outstanding facilities throughout the United States that demonstrate high-quality, evidence-supported practice appropriate for student learning and training.

Contemporary Facilities. Our academic, clinical, and research areas are housed within the newly constructed STAR Campus that is hallmarked by open, collaborative spaces supported by modern technologies. The newly constructed human anatomy lab provides opportunities for students to solidify learning through the generosity of anatomical donors. Spaces allow for interprofessional collaboration, simulation-enhanced learning, team-based learning, and service learning.

The UD Physical Therapy Curriculum is offered as a 2.5 year program.  Along with excellent didactic and clinical education, this timing permits students to begin their professional practice early.

Location, Location, Location!  Newark, Delaware (pronounced “New Ark”) is a town of just under 30,000 people located close to Philadelphia and Baltimore, beaches and mountains. Our college town has the advantages of small town hospitality and low cost of living along with the tremendous cultural and entertainment opportunities of the big cities close by, and plenty of recreation in nearby beaches and mountains!

The UD Physical Therapy curriculum emphasizes life-long learning.  Physical Therapy students discover quickly that learning continues well after graduation from PT school. Our program trains students to seek out and evaluate resources from the research literature while the coursework draws upon available studies from the research literature to justify patient/client examination and intervention. Many of the research studies cited by our professors were performed right here at UD! UD students learn about the current theories underlying patient treatments and how to use the literature to continually improve on physical therapy practice. This allows UD students to achieve exceptional problem solving skills to use as they encounter new patient problems and situations.

UD has a high rate of faculty retention and the faculty are cohesive with a commitment to quality education. Faculty are highly accessible and routinely meet with students to provide assistance in course work, career planning, or simply to chat.

UD Physical Therapy faculty are highly regarded as leaders in their profession. It’s not uncommon for them to receive national recognition from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Six of our current faculty have been awarded Catherine Worthingham Fellow designations (FAPTA), which recognizes a physical therapist or life physical therapist member of the association whose contributions to the profession through leadership, influence, and achievements demonstrate frequent and sustained efforts to advance the profession. All faculty ​are highly involved in the profession, within the APTA and other professional associations.