Plan of Study
The student and academic advisor will prepare a tentative plan of study within the first term of enrollment. If a plan of study has not been submitted by the end of the first term, the student will not be permitted to enroll in the subsequent term. The plan of study should include transfer credits, coursework to date, future coursework and dissertation credits leading to the PhD. A copy of the plan of study will be placed in the student’s file. The plan of study should be reviewed each term at registration and updated as needed by the student and academic advisor. A final updated plan of study must be on file in the student’s permanent file in Student Services in the term in which the student graduates, or the student cannot be certified by the Registrar for graduation.
In all cases, at least 36 credits must be completed as a PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. No undergraduate credits (1000 level courses) may be applied towards the doctoral degree. Please note, credits transferred from another institution may not be used to substitute for credits of courses required in the degree study plan. For example, credits transferred for a statistics course taken at another institution will not count toward the 9 credits of statistics required in the PhD program here at the University of Pittsburgh. The student will still need to take 9 credits of statistics at the University of Pittsburgh.
The overall form and content of each student’s program is the responsibility of the graduate faculty of SHRS. To carry out this responsibility, each student has an academic advisor who, in consultation with the student, plans a program of study and research in accordance with SHRS guidelines.
Course and Competency Requirements
The following requirements apply to all PhD in Rehabilitation Science students: Doctoral Seminar: 4 credits
Core Areas
There are two Core Areas which are required for all students in the PhD in the Rehabilitation Science Program – Methods of Inquiry for Rehabilitation Sciences and Core Concepts in Disability and Rehabilitation Sciences.
All students pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science degree will be required to demonstrate basic competency in designing and appraising research studies and to demonstrate basic competency in understanding the fundamentals of disability and rehabilitation sciences.
CORE: Methods of Inquiry for Rehabilitation Sciences
Upon completion of the courses, students will be able to design a research study to answer a specific research question, including the best design for the question asked, sampling, controls for bias or confounding, and basic statistical analysis. They will be able to critically appraise research and apply it to clinical practice.
CORE: Core Concepts in Disability and Rehabilitation Sciences
Upon completion of the modules, students will be able to describe and discuss core concepts in disability and rehabilitation sciences, and analyze and synthesize multiple perspectives on the current and future state-of-the science.
A grade of B or better for each term of the Methods of Inquiry for Rehabilitation Scientists Core and Core Concepts in Rehabilitation and Disability Core (2 terms, 2 credits)
Prior to scheduling the dissertation defense, each PhD student will demonstrate a minimum amount of experience in manuscript writing and submission by completing:
- 1 co-author manuscript accepted for publication
- 1 first author manuscript submitted and reviewed by a peer-reviewed journal
- Data-based manuscripts are strongly preferred.
Prior to scheduling the dissertation defense, each PhD student will demonstrate a minimum experience with grant writing and submission by completing one of the following:
- Submission and peer-review of a Doctoral Research or Research Fellowship Grant applications (SHRS Doctoral Scholarship Award or NIH or Private Foundations)
- Submission and peer-review of Pilot study grant applications (e.g., foundations, professional societies, the UPMC Rehab Institute Pilot Award)
- Completion of a grant writing course
- Submission of a provisional and non-provisional patent application
- Submission and peer-review of an SBIR like applications, or other options to secure funding for technology development (pitching an idea for commercial development, etc.)
Note: The peer-review may be internal or external peer review. A copy of the summary report from the review should be submitted with a copy of the grant application to Courtney Fleck (Courtney.fleck@pitt.edu) to be kept in the student’s file.
Also, note: Submission to the $1,000.00 SHRS scholarship award will NOT qualify for satisfying the grant submission requirement.
Note: PhD students are required to maintain a 3.000 Cumulative GPA and receive a grade of C or better in all courses required by their program curriculum.
Students who receive a grade below a C in a required course must repeat that course and attain a grade of C or better to graduate. (Note: University regulations state that a student may repeat any course in which a grade of B- or lower is received if an authorization to repeat the course is given by the student’s adviser/faculty.) Students will not be permitted to register for a course until they attain a C or better in its prerequisites. Failure to receive an acceptable grade after the second opportunity to complete a required course may result in the student being dismissed from the program and SHRS.
