PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences

$5,300,000
Grant Funding for Faculty

16
Faculty Mentors

4
Average Years to Graduation

Best described as an “apprenticeship” program in which doctoral students work closely with a faculty member, our interdisciplinary program places less emphasis on course work and greater emphasis on the development of research, scholarship, and independent thinking skills.

PhD Spotlights

Congratulations to Taylor Snodgrass!

Taylor Snodgrass, PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders concentration, working under the direction of Dr. Jamie Perry has been awarded an NIH/NIDCR F31 Predoctoral Fellowship. The title of her grant is: Evaluating Velopharyngeal Function During Phonation in Children Utilizing Static MRI. For this award she will seek to describe the typical movement of the velopharynx in children without a history of cleft palate or hypernasal speech, as this could be used for comparison to children with hypernasal speech and can benefit surgical planning for children with hypernasal speech.

Congratulations to Dr. Wyatt Bunner

Congratulations to Dr. Wyatt Bunner who successfully defended his dissertation “Understanding the role of RAB10 in neuronal resilience”. He completed his doctoral program under the direction of Dr. Erzsebet Szatmari in the movement sciences & disorders concentration. Dr. Bunner has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Gunner Poplawski’s in the Center for Immunotherapy and ImmunoOncology at the Clevelands Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute. Dr. Bunner’s initial focus will be on researching possible therapeutic interventions for glioblastoma propagation. The theme of Dr. Bunner’s new lab is the development of regenerative and diagnostic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.”

Curriculum & Degree

Each doctoral student is required to take the general curriculum courses. However, the degree plan becomes varied dependent on concentration choice and area of research interest.

Rehabilitation Sciences General Curriculum (8 s.h.)

• HUMS 7004 Ethics and Research: Humanities and Basic Medical Sciences
• PSYC 6430 – Statistics and Research Design or BIOS 7021 Biostatistics for Health Professionals I
• CSDI 8030 Doctoral Colloquium (3 s.h.) or PTHE 8030 Doctoral Colloquium in movement disorders (3 s.h.)

For those interested in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Concentration (45 s.h.)

• Statistics curriculum (6 s.h. minimum)
• Science curriculum (12 s.h. minimum)
• Support curriculum (6 s.h. minimum)
• Dissertation (3 s.h. minimum)

For those interested in the Movement Sciences and Disorders Concentration (45 s.h.)

• Statistics curriculum (6 s.h. minimum)
• Science curriculum (12 s.h. minimum)
• Support curriculum (6 s.h. minimum)
• Dissertation (3 s.h. minimum)

Expected Standards

n conjunction with coursework, our students are also expected to participate in applied learning experiences and produce finished products. It is through these experiences that students will be able to highlight their understanding and capability to apply key learned skills and concepts.

Performance Checklist

Graduation

• Make a formal application for graduation
• Follow the graduation application guide and submit the completed application form to the Graduation Services office in the Office of the Registrar at least one semester prior to completing the requirements of the degree

Admission Requirements

How to Apply

All applicants must apply online using the Graduate School online application. Applicants are required to submit:

• Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores, submitted to institution code 5180. GRE scores must be within the previous five years.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
• A sample of scholarly writing
• A personal statement

All applicants are also required to do a telephone or face-to-face interview.

International Applicants

In addition to the above requirements, international applicants are also required to submit:

• An official course by course credential evaluation of all foreign transcripts
• A copy of your transcript(s) and diplomas showing a full education history issued in your native language as well as a notarized or certified copy in English
• If English is not your native language and you have not completed at least one year of education (minimum of 18 credit hours) at a United States School, you are required to submit scores to the Graduate School from one of the following:
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE)
• Additional information for international applicants can be found on the Graduate School website.

Application Deadlines

We have rolling admissions meaning that applications are accepted year-round. Please familiarize yourself with the Graduate School admissions deadlines.

PhD Career Opportunities

Our PhD Program is designed to develop and prepare students to become extraordinary researchers, educators, and leaders in the field of rehabilitation science.

A PhD prepares you for employment as:

• A post-doctorate fellow at various research institutions
• A business development manager/director
• A technical advisor for public policy in your field of expertise

A PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences prepares you for employment as:

• A faculty-researcher in fields such as Physical Therapy, Oncology, Health Sciences, Rehabilitation, Gerontology, etc
• A researcher within the biomedical and technology industry
• A clinician within the discipline of Rehabilitation Sciences

Our past graduates currently hold positions as:

• Tenure-track faculty
• Clinical researchers
• Postdoctoral Scholars

Alumni Spotlights

Katelyn Kotlerak, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Katelyn received her Ph.D. in Communication Disorders in 2019 from ECU. She currently serves as a tenured-track Assistant Professor in the Communication Disorders Department at the University of Wyoming. Specializing in craniofacial and velopharyngeal disorders, Dr. Kotlarek’s current research projects include improving surgical and speech outcomes for individuals born with cleft palate. In addition to her role as a researcher, Dr. Kotlarek also teaches courses in anatomy and physiology of speech, swallowing, and hearing, acoustics of speech and hearing, and dysphagia.

Vikram Dayalu, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Vikram received his Ph.D. in Communication Disorders in 2004 from ECU. He currently serves as Department Chair and Associate Professor in Seton Hall University’s Department of Speech-Language Pathology. He also oversees the Fluent and Dysfluent Speech Laboratory. His current research projects include the study of sensory modalities and its influence on the speech production. In addition to his administrative and research duties, Dr. Dayalu also teaches courses in fluency disorders and speech science.