Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences

Department Faculty
Faculty Publications

The Rutgers Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences currently houses our nationally ranked, entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program and the developing Occupational Therapy Doctorate and Master’s in Speech and Language Pathology. These programs are located on the RBHS-Newark campus and provide interprofessional education, research and clinical practice.

Faculty in these programs are national and international leaders in their field. They are committed to offering students opportunities for scholarship, research and professional leadership. Scholarly work by faculty and students is regularly accepted for dissemination at national and international conferences, and by top journals in our faculty members’ fields of expertise.

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD), a three-year program will be admitting its first class in the Fall of 2021. The OTD program focuses on graduating students who provide progressive, innovative and interprofessional therapy in community-based practice settings, promote health-wellness and expand innovative practice in novel settings (e.g., justice-based settings).

The Doctorate of Physical Therapy is a three-year, full-time degree program that prepares students for practice in physical therapy. This long-established program – accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education since 1980 – has relationships with clinical facilities throughout the United States and internationally where students can complete their clinical rotations. With a 100% employment rate among graduates (within six months post licensure), for the past five years. Rutgers physical therapists are sought after for residency programs and clinical practice in every practice venue.

The Speech and Language pathology (MS) program is an innovative masters program with a unique integrated bilingual track anticipating admitting its first class in September of 2021.

Department Chair: Alma S. Merians, PT, Ph.D.

Vice Chair: Nancy R. Kirsch, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA

 Graduate Progams