The PhD in Movement Science is an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare students for productive research careers in academia and industry. The program offers training to investigators who seek to answer questions about human movement, its functions and its dysfunctions. The program is organized around three core content areas: biocontrol (neuroscience), bioenergetics (exercise physiology) and biomechanics. Our students are trained to investigate and improve movement impairments in people with chronic diseases such as obesity, stroke, diabetes, neuropathy, Parkinson's disease and low back pain.
The movement science program is administered through the physical therapy program. Applicants come from a variety of academic backgrounds, including physical therapy, exercise science, kinesiology, biomedical engineering, neuroscience and occupational therapy. Students learn from and collaborate with scientists from multiple departments, such as anesthesiology, medicine, psychiatry, orthopedics, biomedical engineering, psychology, neurology and biology.
Accepted students receive full tuition remission, a stipend and health insurance. The movement science program is supported by National Institutes of Health training grant T32HD007434.
| Contact: | Jennifer Brown |
|---|---|
| Phone: | 314-273-6067 |
| Email: | jennifer.brown@wustl.edu |
| Website: | https://pt.wustl.edu/education/phd-in-movement-science |
Chair
Gammon M. Earhart
Professor
PhD, Washington University
Neural control of locomotion in people with Parkinson's disease
Professors
B. Ruth Clark
PhD, Saint Louis University
Promotion of nutrition and exercise in urban residents
Joseph W. Klaesner
PhD, Vanderbilt University
Rehabilitation engineering
Catherine E. Lang
Associate Director, Movement Science Program
PhD, Washington University
Stroke recovery and rehabilitation; neurorehabilitation
Michael J. Mueller
PhD, Washington University
Metabolic and movement factors in people with diabetes mellitus
Susan B. Racette
PhD, University of Chicago
Dietary and exercise interventions for health promotion and disease prevention
Linda R. Van Dillen
PhD, Washington University
Musculoskeletal pain problems in the low back, hip and neck
Assistant Professors
Michael Harris
PhD, University of Utah
Whole body and joint-level orthopaedic biomechanics
Jacob G. McPherson
PhD, Northwestern University
Sensorimotor neural plasticity and neurological injury
Laura McPherson
PhD, Northwestern University
Neurological injury and neurorehabilitation
Gretchen A. Meyer
PhD, University of California, San Diego
Mechanical and cellular contributors to skeletal muscle disease
PhD in Movement Science
Students will complete the required courses and electives during the first two years of the program. In addition to courses, the requirements to complete the PhD degree include the following:
- Qualifying examination: Part one of the qualifying exam requires the student to develop a research proposal pertinent to the projected area of dissertation research that is based on a question/problem provided by the student’s mentor(s). Part two of the qualifying exam is an oral examination that consists of a presentation of the proposal by the student followed by a question-and-answer period with the faculty reviewers.
- Laboratory research: Students will develop, implement and complete original laboratory research appropriate for a doctoral dissertation.
- Doctoral dissertation: Students will successfully provide an oral defense of their dissertation proposal, complete a written doctoral dissertation, and defend an oral presentation of the doctoral dissertation.
On average, students complete the degree in four and a half years.