Program of study requirements

A total of 72 credit hours completed as part of the doctoral program of study

• 12 of these hours may be relevant master’s level coursework if the content fits within the program of study.
• Remaining 60 hours are completed as part of the doctoral program, as follows:
  • 6 hours: courses in foundational theory and research in health and rehabilitation science
  • Minimum of 12 hours: research design and statistics, drawn from SLHS and other departments
  • Minimum of 30 hours of didactic coursework, including classes and seminars, exclusive of research hours (SLHS 8050, 8090, 9090). At least 12 of these hours will be taken in SLHS, and at least 12 in other departments. Research design and statistics courses in excess of the 12 required above may be counted in this category.
  • Research credit hours (SLHS 8050, 8090, 9090) to bring the total program hours of study to a minimum of 60 semester hours beyond the Master’s degree. Research credit hours will not exceed 28 hours. Students are expected to obtain research experience with multiple faculty members.

Research products and examination requirements

• Research project completed during first two years of program. Requirement may be waived if master’s thesis was completed prior to entering the doctoral program and the thesis is approved by the student’s committee.
• Comprehensive written and oral examination. May be taken after the student has completed 48 of the final 60 hours of coursework, as follows: foundational courses in health and rehabilitation science (6 cr), research design and statistics courses (12 cr), and didactic coursework (30 cr). Format and content of this examination will be determined by the doctoral committee, in consultation with the student. The primary purpose of the exam is to evaluate the preparation of the student for dissertation and other research, and for university-level teaching. Students are expected to have identified a primary and a secondary research area. The three components of the exam will cover these two areas and either an additional secondary area or research methods/analysis. The components of the exam should include a variety of formats, such as a literature review and formulation of research questions, a position statement on a controversial issue, a research design, a critical article review, a faculty-written limited-time exam, or other formats/question types.
• Completion of one or more professional presentations of research at national- or international-level conferences.
• Submission of at least one research article (may be co-authored) to a peer-reviewed journal prior to defense of doctoral dissertation.
• Doctoral dissertation consisting of original research.

Additional experiences

In addition to these required, credit-based experiences, PhD students will be encouraged to participate in a range of other professional activities to gain additional academic experience. These activities may include:

• The development of a research statement
• Teaching or co-teaching a college-level course under faculty supervision
• Gaining experience in student clinical supervision
• Submitting a grant proposal
• Reviewing a journal article