School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences - Doctor of Philosophy Programs

The School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences offers doctorates in two areas:

The University-wide academic requirements for students pursuing a PhD are detailed under General Academic Regulations, beginning on page 17 of the bulletin. Students pursuing the PhD should review Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Degrees before reading their program-specific requirements below. The residence and registration requirements detailed below apply to students in both SHRS PhD programs, and are specifications of previously detailed University-wide requirements:

Residency and Registration Requirements

It is beneficial for most students to register for full-time study (nine-15 credits) throughout their doctoral program. However, in some instances students have significant off-campus responsibilities. Therefore, if the student receives approval, the PhD can be completed by a combination of full-time and part-time study. All students must engage in a minimum of one term of full-time doctoral study, which excludes any other employment except as approved by the department chair.

Active Status

PhD students are required to register for at least one credit within each 12-month period to maintain active status. The student who is placed on inactive status must file an application for readmission to graduate study before being permitted to register. Upon readmission, the student's Plan of Study will be adjusted to meet the PhD requirements at the time of readmission.

Probation and Dismissal

PhD students are required to maintain a 3.00 quality point average (QPA). If a student's cumulative QPA falls below 3.00, the student will be placed on academic probation. If the student is on probation for two consecutive terms, the faculty of the PhD program may choose to dismiss the student from the program.

Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Science and Disorders

The doctoral program in Communication Science and Disorders is oriented toward the basic scientific questions in the discipline, with an emphasis on basic and applied research training. The program has four objectives for students at the doctoral level:

1. To provide academic course work and scientific experience sufficient to ensure that students are well versed in the most current theories, models, and methods in the major areas of Communication Science and Disorders.
2. To facilitate students' interaction with members of the University of Pittsburgh community from related disciplines by providing students with knowledge of the theories and models relevant to interdisciplinary research.
3. To foster students' development of a personal philosophy of, as well as direct experience in, university teaching.
4. To imbue in students a desire to become leaders in the field.

The expectations of graduating doctoral students are that they are able to conduct a program of independent, creative, scholarly research and that they can plan and execute effective teaching at all levels of pedagogy.

Admission Requirements

Unless they have recently been students in the department's master's program, doctoral applicants must submit, at a minimum, the materials specified in the standard SHRS graduate application form. At present, these materials include transcripts from all colleges attended, three letters of recommendation (at least one from an academic referee), a statement of goals for doctoral study, and scores on the Graduate Record Examination (General Exam). Prospective students whose native language is not English must also submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Current master's students in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders need only submit a statement of purpose and goals, but are welcome to submit letters of reference or any other materials that represent them well.

The full departmental faculty reviews doctoral applications. Admission to the PhD program requires both that the applicant meets departmental academic standards, and that a faculty member agrees to serve as the major advisor for that applicant.

Requests for applications and additional program information can be obtained from the admissions secretary at the following address:

Admissions Secretary

Department of Communication Science and Disorders

4033 Forbes Tower

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

E-mail: samuels+@pitt.edu

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is often available from a variety of sources, including teaching assistantships, doctoral traineeships, targeted Clinical Fellowship Years, and graduate research assistantships. Such appointments typically require 20 hours each week of teaching, research, and/or clinical service, in exchange for a monthly stipend. A scholarship based on merit covers at least partial tuition remission, fees, and health insurance. The Department's Financial Aid Committee works with each admitted student's advisor to secure a funding opportunity that is rewarding academically and financially. Prospective applicants who are interested in financial support should indicate this on their application for admission.

Program Requirements

A minimum of 72 credits beyond the bachelor's degree level is needed for the PhD degree in Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. For further detail on allowable credits, see Credit Requirements under Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Study.

All doctoral students are required to take the Departmental Doctoral Research Seminar (CSD 3048) and a minimum of three additional departmental doctoral seminars:

Communication Science and Disorders doctoral students also take a minimum of 12 credits of course work in statistics and experimental design, and six credits of research practicum. Doctoral students are required to attend the departmental Proseminar (CSD 2060), which includes both a colloquium series and a student-centered research roundtable that allows participation and problem-solving by students at various stages of their research training. In addition, students are strongly encouraged to take courses in teaching and grant preparation, and to complete teaching practica.

Other doctoral program experiences are individually tailored and designed to meet a variety of academic and professional goals, including the development of research, teaching, and writing skills. No later than the second term of residence, each doctoral student consults with his or her major advisor to develop a plan of study document that specifies course work and experiences that are relevant to the student's goals, and an approximate timetable for completion. Soon thereafter, the student meets with members of his or her Preliminary Committee (see Major Advisor and Advising Committees below), who evaluate and approve the Plan of Study. Subsequently, three formal degree requirements must be satisfied before a student initiates doctoral dissertation work:

1. First, to satisfy the University requirement for preliminary evaluation, the student maintains an academic portfolio until the time at which the student takes the comprehensive examination. The portfolio, which the student recompiles on an annual basis, consists of at least three pieces of written work that are presented to the student's Preliminary Committee prior to an annual review meeting. The student's Plan of Study will also be reviewed at these annual meetings.
2. Second, the student must complete a pre-dissertation project, consisting of a publishable data-based manuscript resulting from a research practicum experience. This project must be completed prior to the Comprehensive Examination.
3. Finally, the student must pass a Comprehensive Examination consisting of two substantive written projects, and an open-ended oral examination. Students on provisional or special status, or on probation, are not eligible to take the Comprehensive Exam.

Students should then complete the dissertation overview and file an application for admission to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. See below and also Admission to Candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in this bulletin for details.

Major Advisor and Advising Committees

Students admitted to the PhD program are assigned a major advisor in their main area of specialization. The advisor is primarily responsible for providing assistance and advice to the student throughout all facets of the doctoral program, and typically serves as the chair of the Preliminary and Dissertation Committees. Either doctoral students or their advisors may initiate a change of advisor, but no student may remain in the program without an advisor.

The student, upon consultation with his or her major advisor, secures the agreement of at least two other departmental faculty members with graduate faculty status to serve with the advisor on the student's Preliminary Committee. This committee initially convenes to review and make recommendations concerning the student's Plan of Study. Thereafter, the committee meets annually with the student to review, and make recommendations concerning, the student's portfolio and general progress in the doctoral program. This committee also administers and evaluates the student's Comprehensive Examination.

See Doctoral Committee under Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Degrees for an overview of the dissertation committee's makeup and responsibilities.

Overview or Prospectus Meeting

See Overview or Prospectus Meeting under Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Study on the regulations pertaining to this meeting and then read the following information that is specific to the doctoral program in Communication Science and Disorders. After securing the advisor's approval, each student must submit a written dissertation proposal to the Dissertation Committee at least two weeks prior to a formal overview meeting with that committee. (See Dissertation and Abstract section for details on the characteristics of an appropriate dissertation.) The written prospectus should include a complete, critical literature review that leads to the student's specific research questions, and a detailed method section that specifies the research plan. In the overview meeting, the student makes a brief presentation of rationales and plans, and responds to questions from the dissertation committee. The dissertation committee has the authority to make approval contingent on reconceptualizing and/or rewriting the proposal.

Final Oral Examination

See Final Oral Examination under Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Study and then note the following additional program-specific information. After securing the advisor's approval, the student submits copies of the complete document to the dissertation committee at least two weeks prior to the final oral examination in defense of the dissertation.

Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science

The mission of the Doctoral Program in Rehabilitation Science is to advance the frontiers of knowledge underlying the practice of health and rehabilitation disciplines and professions through research, teaching, and professional development. Graduates of this program will have a specific area of expertise in rehabilitation science as well as a core of interdisciplinary knowledge related to this specific area. They will become the researchers, scholars, teachers, thinkers, and planners in the demanding and changing field of health and rehabilitation sciences.

Admission Requirements

Applicants should have a strong interest in rehabilitation research as a career. Applicants should also have an advanced master's degree or a professional master's degree in an area related to rehabilitation science. The exceptional student with a bachelor's degree and six or more credits of graduate course work and compelling clinical/research experience in rehabilitation science will be considered.

Resources, including research mentors, must be available to enable the PhD student to engage in a plan of study and research in the student's major area of interest in rehabilitation research. Therefore, it is important that there is a match between the research interests of an applicant and the faculty of the PhD program. Prospective students should obtain an updated listing of the faculty with their research interests from the SHRS Office of Admissions prior to applying to the PhD Program.

A minimum grade point average of 3.00 in all college work and a score of at least 1500 on the Graduate Record Exam (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) is recommended. Students for whom English is a foreign language must have a minimum Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550.

Application Process

All prospective students are required to submit the following:

In addition, if a faculty member of the PhD Program is advocating an applicant, a letter from that faculty member should be enclosed with the application.

Members of the PhD Admissions Committee will evaluate all applicants. Admission to the PhD Program requires that the applicant meet the standards for a PhD student in SHRS and that a faculty member of the PhD Program agrees to be the academic advisor for that applicant.

The completed application must be received by April 1 for Fall Term admission and by August 1 for Spring Term admission. An application form can be obtained by writing or calling the Office of Admissions of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the address and number listed below:

Office of Admissions

PhD Program

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

4019 Forbes Tower

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone: (412) 383-1252

E-mail: shrsadmi+@pitt.edu

Web site: http://www.shrs.upmc.edu/index2.html

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is often available from a variety of sources, including Graduate Student Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships. These assistantships typically require 20 hours per week of research, teaching, or clinical service in exchange for a monthly salary. A scholarship based on merit covers tuition, fees, and individual medical insurance. Other forms of financial assistance, including fellowships and support as Graduate Student Researchers, may be available through individual faculty grants. Applicants interested in financial support should indicate this on their applications. Acceptance into the PhD program does not assure that a student will be offered financial aid.

Program Requirements

A minimum of 72 credits beyond the bachelor's degree level is needed for the PhD degree at the University of Pittsburgh. See Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Study for further information on University-wide credit requirements.

The following courses or credit hours in content areas are required as part of the 72 credits:

HRS 3000 - Doctoral Seminar 6 credits

HRS 3001 - Dissertation Research 18 credits

Content in the areas of research design and statistics: 9 credits

Content in the area of psychosocial aspects of rehabilitation and disability: 2 credits

The student will also be expected to participate in the teaching of at least one course.

Transfer of Credits

If a student wishes to transfer credits, the student and the student's academic advisor must submit a Credit Transfer Request Form to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies during the first year of study. Transcripts verifying the graduate courses and course descriptions must accompany the petition. The student and student's academic advisor will be informed by the Director of Doctoral Studies concerning which courses are acceptable as transfer credits, and this information will be placed in the student's file.

Core Areas

Students will be expected to show competency in four of seven core areas in rehabilitation science plus competency in statistics and research methodology through the successful completion of a Preliminary Examination, taken in May after completion of at least two terms of study.

Specific Core Areas include the following:

In addition, the student must develop and show competency in the area of statistics and research methodology related to the student's area of research interest.

Academic Advisor

Upon admission into the PhD program, the student will be assigned an academic advisor in the student's main area of specialization. The academic advisor and student will determine the four specific core areas and plan course work or other experiences to enable the student to demonstrate competency in these core areas as well as statistics/research methodology through the Preliminary Examination.

It is the responsibility of the Academic Advisor to provide assistance and advice to the student during the following steps of the PhD program:

1. Petitioning the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for transfer of credits
2. Determining the specific Core Areas related to the area of specialization of the student
3. Locating individuals in these Core Areas to serve on the student's Academic Committee
4. Determining course work and other experiences needed to meet competencies in the Core Areas
5. Preparing a Plan of Study outlining course work and dissertation credits leading to the PhD degree
6. Revising the Plan of Study as needed after the Preliminary Examination
7. Finding a research mentor

Plan of Study

The student and academic advisor will prepare a Plan of Study during the student's first year. This Plan of Study will include transfer credits, course work, proposed date of Preliminary Examination, and dissertation credits leading to the PhD degree. This Plan of Study should be submitted to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for approval. A copy of this plan will be placed in the student's file.

After receiving the results of the Preliminary Examination and the recommendations of the faculty grading the examination, the student and academic advisor may need to revise the Plan of Study. This Plan of Study should be reviewed each term at registration and updated as needed by the student and academic advisor. Changes or additions to the Plan of Study should be submitted to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.

Preliminary Examination

Prior to taking dissertation credits, the student must demonstrate competency in four core areas and in statistics and research methodology through the Preliminary Examination. The Preliminary Examination will be administered by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies once each year, near the end of May. Students should indicate their intent to take the Preliminary Exam by the Spring Term prior to the Preliminary Examination.

The student may request a sample question and reading list for their core areas.

For each area, the student will receive one of the following grades:

1. Unconditional pass: The student has demonstrated the desired level of competency in a Core Area; no additional course work or experiences are required in that area.
2. Conditional pass: The student needs to take additional course work or independent study in the Core Area, as recommended by the faculty of that Core Area. The student does not need to retake the components of the test for which a conditional pass was received.
3. Failure: The student must retake the examination in any Core Areas that were failed. These must be retaken within one year of the first Preliminary Examination. However, the student will have the opportunity of retaking these portions earlier if the student feels prepared for the retest. Only one retake of a Core Area preliminary exam will be allowed. Failure to unconditionally or conditionally pass the Core Area the second time may result in dismissal of the student from the PhD Program.

The Academic Advisor will inform the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies of the grades received on each part of the preliminary examination, the dates of removal of any conditional passes, and the grade for the retake of any portion of the Preliminary Examination. The Associate Dean of Graduate Studies will make the final decision concerning the status of the student.

Doctoral Committee and Committee Chair

The makeup and duties of the doctoral committee are detailed under Doctoral Committee under Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Study. In addition, the following regulations and practices apply in SHRS:

After the student has passed the Preliminary Examination and has completed most of the course work needed for the PhD, the student and academic advisor are responsible for identifying a research mentor who will serve as chair of the doctoral committee, subject to approval by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. The student and research mentor will form a doctoral committee, again subject to approval by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. In addition to the standard makeup of the committee as detailed in the section referenced above, non-faculty with appropriate expertise may serve on the committee with the approval of the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.

The student will prepare a dissertation proposal, which must be approved by the Doctoral Committee. The Doctoral Committee will administer the Comprehensive Examination and review and approve the proposed research project before the student may be admitted to candidacy.

The Chair of the Doctoral Committee will have the following responsibilities:

1. Assisting the student in forming the Doctoral Committee
2. Advising the student in the preparation of a dissertation proposal
3. Informing the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies of the members of the Doctoral Committee
4. Informing the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies of the results of the Comprehensive Examination/Dissertation Proposal
5. Informing the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies of the time and topic of the Dissertation Defense
6. Informing the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies of the results of the Dissertation Defense
7. Assisting the student in the submission of the completed Dissertation

Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation Proposal

The purpose of the Comprehensive Examination is to assess the student's depth of knowledge and ability to use research methods in the area of specialization. The administration of this examination is the responsibility of the Doctoral Committee. This examination will normally be combined with the overview of the dissertation proposal. This examination must be held at least one term prior to the scheduling of the final dissertation defense. The Chair of the Doctoral Committee will inform the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies as to the results of the Comprehensive Exam and dissertation proposal by submitting the Comprehensive Examination Performance Form.

See Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Study for requirements for admission to candidacy, requirements for the dissertation, and regulations regarding the final oral examination.

Dissertation

The student needs to complete at least 18 credits of dissertation research. The dissertation must be submitted to all members of the Doctoral Committee, and then must be defended orally to the Doctoral Committee. The dissertation defense will be advertised and will be open to other interested individuals. After final approval of the dissertation by the Doctoral Committee, the student has then completed all requirements for the PhD degree. The Chair of the Doctoral Committee will inform the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies when the student has successfully completed the dissertation defense and all revisions to the dissertation.