Program Director, PT
A Program Director, PT provides strategic leadership and oversight for a physical therapy program, guiding its vision, ensuring academic quality and accreditation, and managing faculty and operations. This is a sample job description from Excelon Associates that you can adapt as a template for your own hire.
What does a Program Director, PT do?
A Program Director, PT provides strategic leadership and oversight for the physical therapy program. Working closely with university leadership and faculty, the director guides the program’s vision, ensures academic quality and integrity, manages operations, and fosters an innovative culture aligned with the institution’s mission and values.
The role brings together strategy, accreditation, faculty development, and day-to-day operations under one leader. It is the central academic leadership position for a physical therapy program, within the healthcare education space.
Physical therapy (PT) education prepares students to become licensed physical therapists, typically through a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program. CAPTE (Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education) is the body that accredits PT education programs, and the director leads the program through its accreditation standards.
What does the Program Director oversee?
Key responsibilities of a Program Director, PT
- Develop and execute the program’s strategic plan, analyzing metrics and implementing improvements.
- Oversee day-to-day operations, including curriculum, learning outcomes, faculty supervision, admissions, accreditation, budgets, and policies.
- Perform administrative duties such as approving transfers and substitutions, attending meetings, and serving on committees.
- Recruit, manage, mentor, and evaluate program faculty and staff.
- Cultivate strong teams, leadership skills, and professional development across the program.
- Contribute to scholarly activities and service as outlined in a professional development plan.
- Lead accreditation processes, ensure regulatory compliance, and uphold quality standards.
- Stay current on developments in physical therapy education and healthcare through conferences, research, and professional organizations.
- Collaborate across university departments to coordinate activities, and foster relationships with students, faculty, staff, and external partners.
What qualifications does the role require?
- Doctorate in physical therapy or a related field.
- Licensed or license-eligible as a Physical Therapist in relevant states.
- Experience teaching physical therapy curriculum.
- Leadership experience directing an accredited program (preferred), with willingness to travel periodically to campuses and conferences.
- Strategic thinking, collaboration and relationship-building, and strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Resilience and adaptability, trustworthiness and integrity, and a results-driven mindset.
Why is the Program Director, PT role important?
The program director sets the academic and operational direction of a physical therapy program. Their leadership over curriculum, faculty, and accreditation directly shapes whether graduates are well prepared for licensure and practice, and whether the program keeps its CAPTE standing.
Because the role blends clinical credibility, academic leadership, and administrative discipline, the strongest directors are licensed physical therapists who can also build faculty teams and steward a program through accreditation. That combination keeps a PT program both rigorous and well run.
A hiring note from Excelon
PT program director searches sit in a narrow candidate pool: a licensed physical therapist with a doctorate, teaching experience, and the leadership to carry CAPTE accreditation. Through our healthcare practice, we prioritize candidates who have actually directed or helped lead an accredited program, since accreditation stewardship is the part of this role hardest to learn on the job.
The role blends clinical credibility, academic leadership, and accreditation stewardship, and the best directors carry all three at once.
Related sample job descriptions
Program Director, PT: frequently asked questions
What does a Program Director, PT do?
A Program Director, PT provides strategic leadership and oversight for a physical therapy program. The role guides the program’s vision, ensures academic quality and accreditation, manages operations and budgets, and recruits, mentors, and evaluates faculty and staff.
What qualifications does the role require?
This sample role requires a doctorate in physical therapy or a related field, experience teaching physical therapy curriculum, and licensure or license eligibility as a Physical Therapist in relevant states. Leadership experience directing an accredited program is preferred.
Is a Program Director, PT the same as a Program Director, DPT?
They are closely related and often the same role. PT refers to physical therapy generally, while DPT refers specifically to the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program. Both lead the academic program that prepares students for physical therapy licensure and practice.
What is CAPTE accreditation?
CAPTE, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, accredits physical therapy education programs in the United States. A Program Director leads the accreditation process and ensures the program meets CAPTE standards.
Why is this role important?
The program director sets the academic and operational direction of a physical therapy program. Their leadership over curriculum, faculty, and accreditation directly shapes whether graduates are well prepared for licensure and practice and whether the program keeps its standing.
Hiring a Program Director, PT?
Excelon Associates places physical therapy program directors, department chairs, and health-professions academic leaders at universities and allied health schools across the United States through our healthcare recruitment practice. Retained executive search since 2007, headquartered in Asheville, NC, with offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, FL.
More Sample Job Descriptions
Templates you can adapt for your own roles.