Doctor of Physiotherapy

The Department of Physiotherapy recently celebrated 25 years of excellence in physiotherapy education. The Doctor of Physiotherapy draws on the University of Melbourne's reputation for excellence in teaching and research to inspire and enable students to become outstanding physiotherapists ready to excel as world-class leaders in their chosen field.

Graduates will be work-ready and immediately employable following registration having gained diverse clinical experience in major hospitals and knowledge of primary healthcare and community engagement.

Led by highly credentialed and networked lecturers and mentors, as well as connections with leading hospitals, research institutes and the private sector, the Doctor of Physiotherapy is designed to meet the current and future needs of students, patients and the changing nature of the health workforce.

Graduates have the opportunity to pursue careers in a range of health settings including hospitals, private practice, sporting and rehabilitation facilities, community organisations, in public health advocacy or industry bodies.

The course prepares students for the current needs and changing roles of the physiotherapist in areas such as chronic disease management, health promotion and prevention, as well as acute care, rehabilitation, and sports and private practice. The clinical program builds progressively to independent practice, with approximately 37 weeks of clinical practice.

The program also features include advanced theoretical knowledge in areas such as pharmacology, leadership and management, and  including a student conference.

The program includes:

• Clinical placements in major metropolitan teaching hospitals, primary care, rural and international settings
• Innovative teaching methods and an extensive clinical program that offers advanced skills that will create work-ready and highly employable graduates
• Being part of one of the largest health sciences faculties in Australia
• Being part of Australia's strongest research university

Course description

The Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) at University of Melbourne is a three-year, full-time (300 credit point) entry to practice graduate degree.

Building on prior learning at an undergraduate level, the Doctor of Physiotherapy provides students with a comprehensive, integrated course in the theory and practice of physiotherapy.

With a mix of individual and group work assessments, written and oral presentations and skills-based assessments. Desired graduate attributes have been carefully defined, developed and mapped to every component of the course. The 67 attributes, listed in the Course and Subject Handbook, have been collated into six domains:

• Self
• Knowledge
• Patient
• Physiotherapy profession
• Systems of health care
• Society

In addition, students will complete a ‘Critical perspectives in physiotherapy’ portfolio that will explicitly and cumulatively build on students’ ability to reflect on their learning experiences and their understanding of the physiotherapy graduate attributes.

Please see the Course and Subject Handbook for more information about the subjects.

The program will be delivered outside the standard university semester. The semesters are 17 weeks in duration. This allows us to incorporate the clinical component of the course within the subjects.

Upcoming information session

Doctor of Physiotherapy Information Session: 2025 Intake

When:  Thursday 2 May 2024, 6.00-7.00pm (Melbourne, Australia Time)

Hear from current students and Course Coordinator, Dr Karen Donald, discuss how we prepare students for the changing roles of the physiotherapist in areas such as interprofessional practice, chronic disease management across the lifespan, health promotion, acute care, community care and private practice.

Register here