Doctoral Program in Rehabilitation Sciences

DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN REHABILITATION SCIENCES (ScD)
Curriculum
Mentorship
Degree Requirements
Elective Courses
Admission Requirements
Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation
Specializations
Health, Adaptation & Disability
Movement Sciences
Laboratories
Financial Aid
Rehabilitation Sciences Program

Department of Physical Therapy & Athlectic Training
Department of Occupational Therapy

Doctor of Science Degree Program in Rehabilitation Sciences

The mission of the Doctor of Science Program in Rehabilitation Sciences is to prepare students committed to understanding and improving the lives of individuals with—or at risk of developing—injury, disability, or long-term health conditions. Program graduates will have the critical thinking skills needed to become independent, internationally recognized researchers, capable of leading and contributing to interdisciplinary research teams. They will be able to teach in higher education, publish and present their research, and write successful research proposals to funding agencies.

Rehabilitation science is an interdisciplinary field of study with the primary aim of enhancing health, function, and quality of life among those who have, or who may be at risk of developing, acute injuries or long-term conditions. Rehabilitation professionals—both scientists and clinicians—strive to optimize performance of functional activities and participation in work, personal care, and social roles. The conceptual and theoretical foundations of rehabilitation and movement studies, clinical outcomes research, and program evaluation are fundamental aspects of rehabilitation science.

Graduate education and the training of clinicians, researchers, educators, and managers must be multidisciplinary and multi-tiered. Multidisciplinary refers to observational and theoretical training in the movement, behavioral, and psychological sciences, and in qualitative and quantitative methodology (mathematical/computational modeling and statistical analysis). Multi-tiered refers to the requirement that rehabilitation covers diagnostic and intervention processes whose targets range from impairment to disability.

The ScD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences at BU Sargent College has the crucial components for graduate education in rehabilitation sciences, including collaboration among programs in athletic training, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. The ScD program’s strengths include its internationally renowned faculty members, state-of-the-art research facilities, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Academic and research programs focus on evaluation, analysis, development, and modeling of disablement, role performance, rehabilitation and recovery, and aspects of human movement. Faculty research spans the entire life course, from infancy to older adulthood, and addresses a wide variety of populations, including individuals with and without disabilities in diverse cultures.

The interdisciplinary ScD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences is seeking outstanding applicants interested in deepening and broadening both research and clinical practice. Applicants will be considered with and without a clinical professional degree. Current students come from varied backgrounds, and include BS and MS graduates in biology, health sciences, psychology, and engineering, as well as experienced professionals with licensure or certification in fields such as athletic training, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychiatric rehabilitation, and rehabilitation counseling. Current students have elected to focus on health, adaptation, and disability, or to specialize in movement sciences.

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Doctor of Science Degree Program in Rehabilitation Sciences (ScD)

The Doctoral Program in Rehabilitation Sciences prepares students for research and teaching careers in the rehabilitation sciences domain. The degree awarded is the Doctor of Science (ScD) with specializations in health, adaptation and disability, and movement sciences. Prerequisites for entering the program depend on the specialization that the student chooses (see “Admission Requirements”). The program beyond the core requirements is flexible, and necessary coursework is determined on an individual basis by the student’s specialization.

Curriculum

The ScD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences includes a core curriculum of six courses taken by all ScD students, a series of specialization courses, a comprehensive examination, and dissertation research. On admission, students select a field of specialization that determines the specific requirements of their programs of study.

SAR RS 650 Philosophy of Science (2)
SAR RS 890 Doctoral Seminar in Rehabilitation Sciences (1 cr/sem.)
CAS MA 614 Statistical Methods I (4)
CAS MA 684 Multivariate Statistics (4)
SAR RS 750 Research Design (4)
SAR RS 790 Teaching Skills (2)

Mentorship

The ScD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences is built around a mentorship model, where the mentor plays a specific role in guiding the professional development of the student. The mentor serves as a professional role model, while providing individualized professional and academic development opportunities. An initial mentor is assigned to each student at the time of admission. Early in the student’s first semester, a mentorship plan is developed with the mentor for the first year, which specifies learning goals, performance expectations, and required tasks. For example, the mentorship relationship is likely to involve the student working on the mentor’s research project; and the mentorship plan would indicate work schedule, responsibilities, and supervision format. Typically, the first-year mentorship experience will include collaboration on a publication.

While a mentor is responsible for facilitating a student’s professional development, the academic advisor is responsible for overseeing a student’s registration, monitoring financial aid, tracking satisfactory completion of program and specialization requirements, maintenance and verification of records, and approval for graduation.

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Degree Requirements

Students are required to take a minimum of 32 credits at Boston University, although more credits may be required to complete a specialization. Most students complete a total of 54–56 credits. Students entering with a bachelor’s degree, and students who have not taken the prerequisites for a specialization, are required to take additional courses, as indicated in the specialization descriptions. Students must be enrolled full time for at least two consecutive semesters, usually during the first program year. The exact sequence of the specialization courses, comprehensive examination, and dissertation research is determined by the specialization faculty, in consultation with the individual student.

The requirements for the degree must be completed within five years of initial matriculation.

Elective Courses

Because the resources of Boston University and the surrounding area are extensive, doctoral students may take courses in various schools and colleges of the University, and benefit from the many other universities and training programs in the surrounding area. Electives are selected in consultation with the student’s mentor. Students take a variety of elective courses, such as health care management, administration, psychology, statistics, computer science, engineering, disability law, and public health.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have completed at least an undergraduate degree in a related field at an accredited college or university. Students who have completed a master’s degree in a related field also may enter the program. While professional experience is not an explicit requirement, applicants with experience will be given priority for admission. Applicants are required to submit their test scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test, which must have been taken within the previous five years.

Applicants also must submit official academic transcripts, three letters of reference, and an essay. In the essay, ScD applicants must describe their professional interests, identify a potential mentor from among the faculty participating in the Doctoral Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, and explain the reason for the selection of that mentor. Other essay requirements are detailed in the application packet. Admission into a specialization considers the compatibility of the applicant’s interests and goals with the interests and research activities of the faculty who would be the applicant’s mentor. Information concerning faculty research interests and current projects is available on the BU Sargent College website.

International students whose first language is not English are required to submit scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Additional information for international applicants is available on the website for the Boston University International Students & Scholars Office.

Basic computer literacy (MS Office, Internet) must be demonstrated.

The ScD program is designed for students to begin study in the fall semester. Applicants who wish to begin their program of study in January will be considered on an individual basis.

Application review for fall admission begins in mid-January. Applicants desiring consideration for financial aid should apply by January 15.

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Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation

The comprehensive examination process commonly occurs during the spring semester of the student’s second year. Exact timelines are determined by the specialization faculty, in consultation with individual students. Each student preparing for the comprehensive examination will have completed at least three semesters of coursework, and will have worked closely with the faculty mentor over the fall semester to discuss areas of interest and select a comprehensive examination committee of specialization faculty. A single comprehensive examination is required.

Multiple tasks are to be completed before the comprehensive examination, and while completing the dissertation process.

For all students in the ScD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, the research-related requirements include a minimum of three research papers (one manuscript published, one submitted publication, and one ready to be submitted), one professional presentation, and one grant application to complete the full dissertation research process.

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Specializations

Health, Adaptation & Disability

Theory and research in the Health, Adaptation & Disability specialization focus on processes that support meaningful participation in daily life, particularly in the context of health challenges. Research in this specialization is concerned with understanding a broad range of barriers and supports to successful adaptation, and understanding the processes that contribute to meaningful participation or to restriction and disablement. Faculty research and interests span the entire life course, from infancy to older adulthood, and address a wide variety of populations, including individuals with and without disabilities in diverse cultures.

A clinical degree and experience are desirable, but not required. However, a strong interest in health-related research is essential.

Applicants must document prior coursework providing a foundation in the following areas:

1. Basic research methods and introductory statistics
2. Developmental theory and/or adaptive processes
3. Understanding health and disability

For students who have completed the prerequisites, a total of 54 credits is required. In addition to the common core coursework required of all students in the ScD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, the courses listed below are required for the Health,
Adaptation & Disability specialization. All courses listed are 4 credits, unless otherwise specified. Electives are selected in consultation with the mentor to build knowledge of theory and methodology in the area of planned research. Courses may be taken at BU Sargent College, other graduate programs at Boston University, or at Consortium schools (Boston College, Brandeis, or Tufts).

SAR HP 804 Teaching Practicum
SAR HP 870 Theory & Research in Health, Adaptation,
and Disability
SAR HP 891 Health, Adaptation, and Disability Research Seminar (2 cr/semester, attendance for first four semesters)
SED RS 652 Qualitative Research Methods

Electives (16 credits total); sample elective topics include:

• Cognition and Language
• Contemporary Issues in Maternal and
  Child Health
• Epidemiology
• Ergonomics
• Human Neuropsychology
• Psychometric Theory
• Research Methods, including survey research
  and clinical trials
• Social Perspectives on Aging and Old Age
• Work and Society

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Movement Sciences

The Movement Sciences specialization provides state-of-the-art training for doctoral students for careers in academia, and in clinical and theoretical research. Designed to bring together the best minds in rehabilitation and engineering technology, the program seeks students with a strong background in the sciences, including engineering, mathematics, and physics, as well as experienced clinical scientists, such as physical therapists. In addition to specialized coursework, students have the opportunity to collaborate with the program’s internationally renowned core research faculty, and to engage in ongoing research activities in the three Sargent College human motion laboratories.

Prerequisites:

(must be taken during doctoral program if not completed previously)

• Calculus I & II
• Physics
• Human Anatomy
• Neurophysiology
• Psychology
• Functional Anatomy

For students who have completed the prerequisites, a total of 54 credits is required. In addition to the common core coursework required of all students in the ScD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, the following courses are required for the Movement Sciences specialization. All courses listed are 4 credits, unless otherwise specified.

SAR HP 550 Scientific Basis of Human Movement
SAR HP 565 Biomechanics
SAR HP 737 Instrumentation for Analysis of Motion
SAR HP 739 Software for Human Movement
SAR HP 741 Time Series Analysis
SAR HP 771 Foundations of Motor Control
SAR HP 782 Advanced Human Movement
SAR HP 891 Research Seminar (1 cr/semester, attendance throughout program)

Laboratories

Research laboratories represent faculty expertise that includes biomechanics, coordination dynamics, the development of theoretical models of locomotion, posture, speech, and reach and grasp. Studies include the evaluation of movement disorders in individuals with cerebral palsy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and musculoskeletal and developmental disorders, and the effects of rehabilitation.

This laboratory, jointly directed by Drs. Kenneth Holt and Elliot Saltzman, focuses on the nonlinear dynamics underlying the coordination of skilled movement, and the link between biomechanical and task-specific control processes. Focus is placed on the study of human locomotion, and the spatiotemporal patterning of action units in complex movement sequences and rhythms. Results of the locomotion research have been applied to load carriage and backpack design, gait disorders in children with cerebral palsy and Down’s syndrome, to individuals with chronic musculoskeletal injury of unknown etiology, to individuals with Parkinson’s disease, and to gait instability in the elderly at risk of falls. Experimental research tests the efficacy of physical therapy evaluations and interventions.

The laboratory contains equipment for acquisition of 3-dimensional data and physiological data. Computer hardware and software in the lab allow for the complete collection, analysis, and preparation of data.

Associate Professor Elliot Saltzman’s experimental and computational work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, and he has published and lectured nationally and internationally on the dynamics underlying motor skills.

Associate Professor Kenneth G. Holt has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation, the Physical Therapy Foundation, the United States Army, and the National Institute on Aging. He has published and presented his research nationally and internationally in psychology, motor control, biomechanics, and physical therapy forums.

This laboratory is directed by JoAnn Kluzik, PT, PhD. Dr. Kluzik’s research focuses on postural control and understanding mechanisms of sensorimotor adaptation and learning that enable postural activity to be well-matched to current task and environmental conditions. Dr. Kluzik is especially interested in understanding how children develop adaptive postural control and in applying her research to the rehabilitation of children with developmental disorders such as cerebral palsy that affect postural control.

The laboratory equipment includes an OPTOTRAK motion analysis system, 2 AMTI force plates, and an EMG system.

Dr. Kluzik is currently studying changes in postural activity that take place when adults and children of different ages adapt their reaching movements to novel forces that are applied by a robotic manipulandum.

Clinical Movement Sciences Laboratory

This laboratory is directed by Professor Robert C. Wagenaar. Dr. Wagenaar’s research interests are coordination dynamics (e.g., the influence of perceptual disorders on motor behavior), and the effects of rehabilitation methods on people with neurological disabilities and individuals with musculoskeletal injury. Current projects include the development of dynamic models for human walking and the evaluation of the efficacy of rehabilitation interventions (e.g., external auditory and visual rhythms) and rehabilitation for self-management in people suffering from Parkinson’s disease, as well as forced use of upper extremity function in stroke patients.

This laboratory is designed to study coordination dynamics, biomechanics, and dynamics of physiological systems (e.g., heart and lungs). The lab is equipped with a Silicon Graphics workstation connected to a video projection system, the OPTOTRAK motion analysis system, force plates, and an impedance cardiography system.

Collaborative research is conducted at the College of Engineering; the departments of Neurology and Psychology at Boston University; Boston Medical Center; Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital; the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst); the Research Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Human Movement Sciences (Amsterdam); and various other research groups at other universities (Groningen, Nijmegen, and Leiden) in the Netherlands. Professor Robert Wagenaar has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the United States Army, and the Hartford Insurance Company.

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Financial Aid

Students may apply for graduate teaching or research assistantships in their area of interest or expertise. Graduate and teaching assistants are sought for a wide variety of courses and laboratories. Please request a Teaching/Research Assistantship Application from the Student Academic Support Services office. Graduate, full-tuition scholarships may also be available to Doctor of Science students. To be considered for graduate assistantships, all materials must be received by January 15.

Rehabilitation Sciences Program

Director & Professor
Robert C. Wagenaar
617-353-7533
wagenaar@bu.edu

Professors Anthony, Coster, Jette, Wagenaar

Associate Professors Holt, Keysor, Orsmond, Saltzman, Vergara

Assistant Professors Helfrich, Kluzik, Lewis

Clinical Professor Jacobs

Clinical Associate Professors Cohn, Ellis

Research Assistant Professors Latham, Ni

Adjunct Associate Professor Tickle-Degnen

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Published by Trustees of Boston University
One Silber Way
Boston, MA 02215

19 November 2009
Boston University
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