About the Department

Physical Therapy

The department has a long and rich history that started with a focus on physical therapy education. Founded in 1976, the then-named Department of Physical Therapy was the first and only public institution of higher education in Massachusetts to offer a physical therapy degree program, which still holds true today. The program has been accredited now for nearly 30 years. Graduates of our program earn a Doctorate of Physical Therapy.

The strength of our program is reflected in the success of our students: We have over a 95% graduation rate from the prior 3 years, with a 98% pass rate on the NPTE exam during that time. Thus, our students go on to enter the profession as outstanding future clinicians.

Our DPT program is comprised of highly accomplished faculty, who are both expert clinicians, excellent teachers, and scholars in the field. Areas of expertise of our Physical Therapy faculty include sports injury epidemiology, hand therapy, neurological rehabilitation, human performance optimization and standardized patient education, among others.

Exercise Science

While our undergraduate Exercise Science program was initially created as a pathway for students to apply for our DPT program, the Exercise Science major is a free-standing, robust, and rigorous undergraduate educational program with three options - clinical, exercise and fitness management and pre-physician assistant.

Students who major in Exercise Science go on to work in a variety of exciting settings that focus on human performance, injury and illness prevention, treatment, and recovery, wellness and nutrition, and more. We recently added the Pre-Physician Assistant option that includes the prerequisite courses for students who want to apply to graduate school.

In 2019 we added the Exercise and Fitness Management option, which is in collaboration with the Manning School of Business. It allows students to earn a Bachelor of Science degree with a special concentration in business so that they can go on to careers that blend interests in exercise with the allure of business management and leadership.

Areas of expertise of our Exercise Science faculty include stroke rehabilitation, injury prevention in sport, fall prevention, bone health, sport-related concussion and biomechanics of human movement, among others. Learn with Purpose A UMass Lowell belief is that we live and learn with a purpose. This underscores the amazing accomplishments of our faculty and achievements of our students.

Collectively, we are passionate, eager, entrepreneurial, inquisitive, and caring. So, whether you are visiting us with interest as a student, a parent of a potential or current student, or a member of our community, I invite you to explore the rest of our website where you will find information about our educational programs, its students and faculty, and highlights from the exciting news, events and opportunities happening throughout the academic year.