Ph.D. Program in Rehabilitation Science
Curriculum
72 credits, up to 12 credits of dissertation credits can go towards the 72 credit requirement
Up to 36 relevant credits from a Master’s or Clinical Doctoral degree (if applicable)
Required RS courses (offered alternating years: 9 credits) (If the student has taken any of these required courses, or their equivalent, the course can be waived by the director of the Ph.D. Program):
- Doctoral Seminar: RSC600 Research in Rehabilitation Science (1 credit)
- A new course: RSC648 Aging, Health and Disability (3 credits)
- A new course: RSC570 Culture and Disability (2 credits)
- A new course: RSC528 Human Development from Conception to Adolescence (3 credits)
Public Health (6 credit minimum): Any public health courses offered in the School of Public Health and Health Professions on Public Health. At least one course must be in the general area of Epidemiology.
Possible electives:
SPM 501 Epidemiology Principles (fall semester, 4 credits)
SPM 502 Advanced Methodology (spring semester, 3 credits)
SPM507 Introduction to Health Care Organization (fall, 3 credits)
SPM 527 – Study of Health Behavior (spring semester, 3 credits)
SPM533 Principles of Public Health (Fall, 3 credits)
SPM535 Biological Basis of Public Health (Fall, 3 credits)
SPM537 Public Health Law (Fall, 3 credits)
SPM542 Health Policy (Spring, 3 credits)
ES528 Health Promotion & Wellness
NTR503 Nutrition & Health
Rehabilitation Science Concentration Area (minimum: 6 credits)
(Coursework can be either within or outside of Department of Rehabilitation Science).
Research Electives
It is highly desirable that students take other research-oriented electives, including such areas as research design, research ethics, and grant writing courses. Possible electives in this category include:
RSC522 Research Design & Methodology for Clinical Problems
GSC640/PHI640 Graduate Research Ethics
SPM602 Advanced Epidemiological Study Designs
SPM553 Fundamentals of Grant Development
SPM531 Human survey Research: Issues in Law, Science and Public Health
SPM517/SOC578 Methods of Survey Research
Statistics/Design (6 credits minimum)
Any two 3-credit statistics courses at the graduate level, but courses in the Biostatistics Department strongly encouraged.
Suggested Statistics Courses:
RSC521 Stat analysis Group Design
RSC523 Adv Statistical Technique
PTR502 Anal Health Related Data
STA 527 Introduction to Biostatistics
STA 506 Statistical computing
PSY607 Adv Statistics Methods 1
PSY608 Adv Statistics Methods 2
PSY609 Multivariate Statistics
CEP523 Stat Meth Ed Inference 2
CEP525 Multivariate Stat Technique
CEP532 Intro Stat Research
Other Requirements:
- Each Ph.D. student will be required to have a formal teaching experience, preferably completed by the end of the first semester of their second year in the program, which will be supervised by a fulltime faculty member in RS. This requirement does not require registration for formal coursework, and previous teaching experience can be used to meet this requirement (such approval must come from the Ph.D. Program Director or Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Science).
- Each Ph.D. student must write a grant proposal, with the support and mentorship of their advisor and Advisory Committee. It is strongly encouraged that the student have formal grant writing instruction (e.g., a course or a workshop). It is required that this grant proposal be submitted to his/her Advisory Committee, presented to the faculty and students of the Rehabilitation Science Department, and it is encouraged that the grant be submitted to an appropriate granting agency. Note that this requirement is envisioned to be a small grant proposal- such as a Foundation grant, rather than a large (e.g., NIH or NIDDR) proposal. It is strongly recommended that this grant proposal be completed by the end of the first semester of their second year of the program.
- Each student must complete a pre-dissertation project, and publicly defend this project. Typically, this project will be small in scope. A written document must be presented to their Advisory Committee, and this project should be written in a journal-style format. This project should be initiated by the beginning of the second year in the program, and will (preferably) be completed by the end of the second year in the program.
- All students must take an on-line module series “Foundations of Public Health’. This currently includes 12 on-line lectures in Powerpoint format with audio voice over. Ph.D. students must review these lectures, and take and pass all end-of-module quizzes, by the end of their second year in the RS program.
- Dissertation: All Ph.D. students must complete a doctoral dissertation. The student will propose this work at a public dissertation proposal meeting. The dissertation committee must be comprised of a minimum of three faculty members, who must have an earned Ph.D. or equivalent. If the Chair has his/her primary appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation Science, then the other committee members can come from outside Rehabilitation Science. If the Chair is from outside of the Department of Rehabilitation Science, then the remaining two committee members (or the majority of the committee, if there are more than 3 members), must have their primary appointments in the Department of Rehabilitation Science. All committee members must be present at the defense of the dissertation, and the defense must be announced at least two weeks in advance. No dissertation defenses will be scheduled during intersession, except under extraordinary circumstances, and with the permission of the Ph.D. Program Director and/or the RS Departmental Chair. It is acceptable for such defenses to be held during academic summer sessions. The dissertation must be appropriately formatted, and given to all committee members two weeks prior to the defense. The dissertation defense will not be scheduled until the Director of the Ph.D. Program has seen the dissertation and agrees that it is appropriately formatted. Committee members should have the final document two weeks before the defense. The presentation should start on time, last no more than 45 minutes, followed by questions by non-committee members, and followed by a closed session where committee members ask the students their questions.
Entering Student Guidance
- Each incoming PhD student will select or have assigned a Ph.D. advisor whose primary academic appointment is in the Department of Rehabilitation Science.
- Note that the course requirements specified above mandates the minimum coursework required to complete this degree. It is anticipated that most if not all students will take more than this minimum, based on their specific career goals, specific area of study, and their academic background. Each student will meet regularly with his or her advisor to create and regularly update the curriculum plan, to reflect any changes in specific academic needs.
- By the end of their first year, the student must select a permanent research advisor. The Research Advisor and one other RS faculty member will serve as the student’s Advisory Committee.
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