Professional Doctorate of Physiotherapy

Bond's Professional Doctorate of Physiotherapy is Australia's first nested professional doctorate of physiotherapy, offering a faster pathway to completion with up to one year of credit for prior learning. It is structured as an integrated, nested degree that builds upon the two-year Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT), allowing students to attain an AQF Level 10 doctoral qualification without starting from scratch.

Students complete a substantial program of advanced research training, including supervised Higher Degree Research, a doctoral research thesis, and an industry-based Doctoral Capstone Internship that addresses contemporary physiotherapy practice challenges. The thesis represents a significant contribution to the knowledge or understanding of an aspect of physiotherapy and demonstrates the capacity of the student to carry out independent research at a doctoral level and generate new knowledge.

Eligible students can access Research Training Program (RTP) fee offsets and Bond University scholarships during the Higher Degree Research component of the program, which corresponds to Years 3-4 equivalent of the Professional Doctorate of Physiotherapy.

Graduates will emerge as highly skilled clinician-researchers equipped to lead evidence-informed practice and pursue diverse career opportunities across health, education, research and broader community settings. The program positions graduates competitively for roles across clinical practice, research, education, management and industry partnerships locally, nationally and globally.

The program has intake dates in May 2026, May 2027, and May 2028. It is delivered on-campus at the Gold Coast Campus and runs for 4 years (12 semesters).