Doctoral Programs

Until recently, the only doctoral programs for orthotics and prosthetics existed outside of the U.S. in Glasgow, Scotland, Hong Kong, China and Melbourne, Australia.

There are now doctoral programs available in the U.S. The University of Washington’s PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences now offers a focus on orthotics and prosthetics. The goal of the PhD Program in Rehabilitation Science is to prepare researchers, educators, and leaders in the area of rehabilitation science to contribute to the development of rehabilitation practice, research, and policy. It is expected that graduates of the PhD Program in Rehabilitation Science will be prepared as researchers, educators, and leaders in the field of rehabilitation science, who will work in academic institutions, service delivery systems (e.g., hospitals, public schools), government agencies, and the private sector. These individuals will be prepared to address research, education, service delivery, and policy challenges requiring an interdisciplinary perspective.

Another program is available at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Through their school of Applied Physiology, students can pursue a PhD with a focus on O&P. Research in the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech is organized around the physiology of movement: motor planning and control, the mechanics of movement, and the physiological responses to activity. Students participate in a core curriculum that provides an integrated understanding of physiology and a base of quantitative tools and research processes. Regardless of a graduate's career aspirations, he or she will be in a position to educate-students, employees, policy makers, or clients.