Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree Program

Our three-year program offers a rigorous curriculum that blends coursework, lab work, and three full-time clinical experiences. The coursework focuses initially on the foundational sciences, providing a base of knowledge in normal human structure and function. Next, you engage in evidence-based approaches to the physical therapy management of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities. You learn both the functional and psychosocial impacts of health conditions, relevant medical and surgical interventions, and the physical therapy tests, measures, and interventions.

The program creates an open and welcoming culture that aspires to excellence and facilitates collegial shared learning — a community where every student feels safe, empowered, and supported academically, personally, and socially.

Our goal is to provide a rigorous program where you are fully invested in becoming the best professional graduate student — and ultimately the best physical therapist — you can be.

To learn more about the program, see the Curriculum or visit the Academic Catalog.

• You will be supported to succeed in starting your physical therapy career. The licensure exam first-time pass rate for UNE D.P.T. grads is 94.5% (2020-2021), and 100% of UNE D.P.T. students are employed within one year of graduation (class of 2021 survey).
• You will experience all areas of PT practice to prepare you to meet the needs of a wide range of patients and communities and consider diverse career options.
• You will have local, national, and international full-time clinical placement options to choose from.
• Students in our program have unique opportunities to travel internationally and gain a global perspective of PT. this might be on UNE's Morocco campus; on short-term, faculty-led experiences in Iceland, Guatemala, Italy, Ghana, and Australia; or semesters abroad in Italy and Belize.
• You’ll be able to earn Honors recognition in Rural Health or Interprofessional Collaboration or participate in our Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program.
• You will be encouraged and supported to participate in professional activities offered by the program, the Maine Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and the national APTA.
• You will learn from established faculty who have an established record of scholarship, professional service, and clinical practice, as well as effective teaching skills.
• You will have numerous opportunities to develop your leadership skills during classroom, university, and community projects.
• Community service is a cornerstone at UNE. All D.P.T. students participate in valuable service learning activities.
• The UNE D.P.T. program creates and supports a diverse group of learners. We believe that diversity makes us a better program.
• You will learn how to collaborate in today’s team-based health care by training alongside UNE students who are future physicians, nurses, and other health professionals.

Learn what makes the UNE Doctor of Physical Therapy program special

As part of the program, you complete three full-time clinical experiences, totaling 36 weeks. These occur during your second and third years when you choose from hundreds of clinical sites across the United States. These sites represent the continuum of health care settings, including acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, outpatient private practices, ambulatory care centers, skilled nursing facilities, school/preschool programs, and home care.

Upon finishing the program and earning your degree, you may sit for the National Physical Therapy Exam and then enter the profession.

As a graduate of our program, you are highly regarded in the physical therapy marketplace. Our graduates enjoy a record of virtually 100 percent employment within the first six months after receiving their degree and passing the National Physical Therapy Exam.

Employment opportunities are available for graduates of the UNE Physical Therapy Program who wish to live and work in Maine. Recently named the best state in the nation to raise children, Maine and the greater Portland region offer a magnificent quality of life. The Greater Portland Region has also been called "the economic center of Northern New England." Assistance with career planning and job placement is available from the Office of Career Advising.