Rehabilitation Science — Ph.D.

Program director
Terry D. Douglas

The School of Allied Health Professions offers the Doctor of Philosophy degree in rehabilitation science. By design, the degree program is inclusive of the many rehabilitation professions and offers opportunities for qualified clinical professionals in allied health to prepare for careers in independent research, teaching, and administration.

Program learning outcomes

By the end of the program, the graduate should be able to:

1. Provide vision and direction for the integration of the rehabilitation professions.
2. Commit themselves to whole-person care.
3. Advance the theory and practice of rehabilitation science through research.
4. Acquire and integrate knowledge related to the social and basic medical sciences.
5. Assess, develop, and implement interdisciplinary community-based services.

In addition to Loma Linda University and School of Allied Health Professions admissions requirements, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Master's degree in any allied health professions area or discipline related to rehabilitation science.
• Minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 in academic and professional coursework.

Prospective students are required to submit the following:

1. A formal letter of support from a primary research faculty member at Loma Linda University whose research interests and availability most closely match those of the applicant. The program director will coordinate meetings between applicants and prospective research faculty members.
2. Curriculum vita, including work history, formal education, continuing education, licensure or certification, professional organizations, honors, awards, publications, presentations, and grants.
3. At least one example of written work (e.g., term paper, course assignment, publication, master's degree research project or thesis).
4. Proof of involvement in a complete research project (group or individual) that involved data collection and production of a research paper or research poster.

A minimum of 80 units beyond the master's degree is required for students holding a master's or doctoral degree in a professional area.   The student's program coursework for the degree must be approved by the Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science Committee.

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Fulfills service learning requirement

Service learning requirement

This requirement may be met by taking PHCJ 610 Building Healthy Communities or a religion course designated as a service learning course. For more information about this requirement and a list of religion courses that fulfill it, see section on academic service learning in this CATALOG.

Comprehensive examinations

The written comprehensive examination is designed to establish that the student has a broad understanding of rehabilitation science. A student is eligible to take the written examination after completing coursework from the three domains and  six units in research and statistics.

The oral examination is designed to establish that the student has adequate foundational information in appropriate content areas, as well as a plan to answer a research question appropriate for a doctoral dissertation. Following successful completion of the written comprehensive examination, the oral examination will be scheduled by the student's research mentor in consultation with the program director. The examination will cover the student's research proposal and content areas on which the proposal rests.

Advancement to candidacy

The student may apply for admission to doctoral candidacy after (a) passing the written and preliminary oral comprehensive examinations, and (b) securing the approval of their research advisory committee.

Dissertation

The candidate's capacity for independent investigation and scholarly achievement must be demonstrated by the presentation and oral defense of an acceptable dissertation, resulting in at least two publications in peer-reviewed journals. One paper must be accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal before the candidate's graduation.

General requirements

For information about requirements and practices to which all graduate students are subject, the student should consult the Policies and General Regulations sections of this catalog for the University and the School of Allied Health Professions.

Normal time to complete the program

Four (4) to five (5) years based on three-quarter-time enrollment