Doctoral Program in Rehabilitation Sciences
Department of Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Counseling

Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training

DS DEGREE PROGRAM IN REHABILITATION SCIENCES

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

Rehabilitation science is an interdisciplinary field of study with the primary aim of enhancing health, function, and quality of life among persons 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 an individual’s performance of functional activities and his or her participation in work, personal care, and social roles, thereby minimizing disability. The conceptual and theoretical foundations of rehabilitation and movement, clinical outcomes research, and program evaluation are fundamental aspects of rehabilitation science.

Rehabilitation science has evolved to the point where it is clear that graduate education and the training of clinicians, researchers, educators, and managers must be grounded in a framework that is both multidisciplinary and multi-tiered. Multidisciplinary refers to empirically and theoretically directed 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 encompass diagnostic and intervention processes whose targets range from impairment through disability. The relatively local level of body structure and function includes such things as neurological functioning or ranges of motion at single joint. The level of activities moves to the performance of important life activities, and includes such physical skills as locomotion and opening a jar, both of which require coordinated movement patterns spanning multiple joints, as well as cognitive and interpersonal skills. The relatively global level of participation examines the participation of an individual in societal roles—work, education, family, and personal.

The ScD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences currently has many of the crucial components for graduate education in rehabilitation sciences, including existing collaboration among the programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation counseling. The program’s strengths include its internationally renowned faculty members, its state-of-the-art research facilities, and its existing 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 both individuals with and without disabilities and their families in diverse cultures. Additionally, and crucially, we view and formulate the rehabilitation process within an integrative framework that combines the descriptive power of disablement models with the analytic power of systems/constraints models.

The interdisciplinary ScD program in Rehabilitation Sciences is seeking outstanding applicants interested in deepening and broadening both research and clinical practice. This program provides a unique opportunity for graduates to attain the advanced science and research training needed to further knowledge and understanding in rehabilitation sciences. 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 occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychiatric rehabilitation, and rehabilitation counseling. Current students have elected to focus broadly on health, adaptation, and disability, or to specialize in, for example, movement sciences, orthopedics, or rehabilitation counseling.

DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN REHABILITATION SCIENCES (ScD)

The Rehabilitation Sciences Program consists of two tracks. The “research track” prepares students for research and teaching careers in a number of specializations in the rehabilitation sciences domain. The “clinical track” prepares licensed therapists for careers as clinical specialists who excel in the scientific basis of case management. This track also prepares some students for careers in clinical training and research. In both tracks, the degree awarded is the Doctor of Science (ScD) or Master of Science (MS). The research track has specializations in Health, Adaptation and Disability, and Movement Sciences, the clinical track in Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Counseling. Prerequisites for entering the program depend on the track 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 track.

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 either a clinical track or a research track, and detail a field of specialization that determines the specific requirements of their programs of study. Research requirements differ for students in research-track specializations from those in clinical-track specializations. Students in clinical-track specializations have a structured clinical training placement requirement.

Common Core Coursework Across Specializations

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

Mentorship

The ScD program in Rehabilitation Sciences is built around a mentorship model, where the mentor plays a very specific role in guiding the professional development of the student. The mentor is both a guide and support—someone who 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 student’s 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.

TOP OF PAGE

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, as described. Most students complete a total of 52–56 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, clinical placement, 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 courses in 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 for all specialization areas, applicants with experience will be given priority for admission. Professional licensure or certification is required for admission into the clinical specializations for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Counseling. Applicants are required to submit their test scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Tests, 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 research track 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 at Sargent College.

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

Basic computer literacy (MS Office, Internet, search engines) 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 Deadline Application review for fall admission begins in mid January. Applicants desiring consideration for financial aid should apply by February 1.

Termination with MS Degree

A student may request (by petition) to terminate graduate study with an MS degree in Rehabilitation Sciences. Petitions will be considered after the student has completed two semesters of full-time equivalent study. In addition, each student’s performance and program of study will be reviewed annually by the program faculty. If the petition to complete the MS degree is approved, the student will be given the opportunity to complete the requirements for the MS degree and be terminated from the doctoral program. If faculty decide that the student is not making successful progress toward the doctoral degree, the student will be terminated from the program.

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 to select a comprehensive examination committee of specialization faculty. A single comprehensive examination is required.

Multiple tasks are to be completed while leading up to the comprehensive examination, and while completing the dissertation process. While the tasks are listed here in a particular order and time frame, the actual process for each student is designed individually.

All students in the ScD program in Rehabilitation Sciences complete the following research-related activities:

For students in the research track, requirements include a minimum of three manuscripts submitted for publication, one professional presentation, and one grant application to complete the full dissertation research process.

For students in the clinical track, requirements are limited to a single research study with no requirement for preliminary research. In addition, clinical track students complete a minimum of one research-based manuscript submitted for publication, and one research-based professional presentation resulting from the dissertation research. A grant application also must be written and submitted, but is not necessarily related to the student’s dissertation research.

TOP OF PAGE

Sample Specializations

Health, Adaptation, and Disability (Research Track)

Theory and research in the Health, Adaptation, and 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 both individuals with and without disabilities and their families in diverse cultures.

Prerequisites:

• 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

Coursework

For students who have completed the prerequisites, a total of 52 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, and 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 Sargent College, other graduate programs at Boston University, or at Consortium schools.

Specialization Courses

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

TOP OF PAGE

Movement Sciences (Research Track)

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 actively 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 five Sargent College human motion laboratories.

Prerequisites:

(must be taken during doctoral program if not previously)

Calculus I & II
Physics
Human Anatomy
Neurophysiology
Psychology
Functional Anatomy

Coursework

For students who have completed the prerequisites, a total of 52 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.

Specialization Courses

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)

TOP OF PAGE

Orthopedics (Clinical Track)

The Orthopedics Specialization combines advanced science training with advanced clinical training in manual therapy. The program is designed to develop advanced clinical skills through a structured clinical training experience, while using scientific theory and evidence as a basis for practice.

Prerequisites

• Licensed in physical therapy (Massachusetts eligible)
• Functional anatomy (preferred, not required)

Coursework

For students who have completed the prerequisites, a total of 56 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 Orthopedics Specialization. All courses listed are 4 credits, unless otherwise specified.

Specialization Courses

SAR HP 550 Scientific Basis of Human Movement
SAR HP 565 Biomechanics
SAR HP 891 Research Seminar
SAR PT 531 Clinical Medicine & Physical Agents (Module I only: Pain Theory, Pharmacology)
SAR PT 634 Diagnostics

Clinical Training (The current affiliation is with the Institute of Manual Therapy, an APTA-approved clinical residency program. Applicants are permitted to complete the approved clinical training requirement prior to entering the academic portion of the program, but must request this arrangement by formal written petition.)

TOP OF PAGE

Rehabilitation Counseling (Clinical Track)

The specialization in Rehabilitation Counseling prepares professionals for leadership positions in administration and service delivery, and in rehabilitation education. Existing Rehabilitation Counseling graduate courses and the option for electives permit students to focus their study on psychiatric rehabilitation, vocational evaluation, and industrial rehabilitation and disability management.

Prerequisites

Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC)

One year professional experience (preferred not required)

Coursework

For students who have completed the prerequisites, a total of 77 credits is required, with the option of waiving down to 53 credits if courses were taken as part of a CORE-accredited master’s degree program in rehabilitation counseling. 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 Rehabilitation Counseling Specialization. All courses listed are 4 credits, unless otherwise specified.

Specialization Courses

(**) Can be waived if taken previously as part of a CORE-accredited master’s degree program in rehabilitation counseling.

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 effects of rehabilitation on individuals with cerebral palsy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and musculoskeletal and developmental disorders. Students bring together their unique backgrounds with the faculty expertise in rehabilitation, development, and movement sciences.

Barreca Motion Analysis Laboratory This laboratory is designed for the study of human locomotion. The research focuses on the interface between biomechanical and non-linear dynamic models of gait and their relationship to motor control and coordination. Applications of the models are made to load carriage, gait disorders in children with cerebral palsy and Down’s syndrome, the elderly at risk of falls, and individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Experimental research tests the efficacy of physical therapy evaluations and interventions that are suggested by the findings of the modeling and basic theoretical research. Other research is concerned with the mechanical and metabolic effects of backpack design. The laboratory is directed by Associate Professor Kenneth G. Holt, PhD, PT, whose background is in dynamic systems, biomechanics, and physical therapy.

The laboratory contains equipment for acquisition of 3-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data, and metabolic data during treadmill and overground walking. Computer hardware and software housed within the lab allow for the complete collection, analysis, and preparation of data for dissemination.

Collaborative research is performed with the Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action, University of Connecticut; the Department of Kinesiology, University of Michigan; the U.S. Army Research Facility, Natick; and the Department of Exercise Science, University of Massachusetts.

Coordination Dynamics Laboratory This laboratory is equipped to collect and analyze three-dimensional kinematic data (using an OPTOTRAK motion analysis system) and eight channels of electromyographic data. A VAXStation 4000/90 is used for data analyses and the development of computational models of skilled actions.

The laboratory is directed by Associate Professor Elliot Saltzman, PhD. Dr. Saltzman’s research interests are in the application of the experimental, computational, and theoretical tools of nonlinear dynamics and complexity theory to the investigation of human sensorimotor coordination and control. Within this framework, skilled coordinated movements are viewed as instances of biological pattern formation, constrained task—specifically according to environmental and intentional context. Current research goals are to investigate the sequential dynamics underlying the temporal patterning of limb and speech activities, the acquisition and development of skilled sensorimotor behaviors, and the relations between the production and perception of speech.

Clinical Movement Sciences Laboratory The laboratory is directed by Professor Robert C. Wagenaar, PhD. 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 disabilities of neurologically disabled persons and individuals with cardiopulmonary disorders. Current projects include the development of dynamical models for human walking and the evaluation of the efficacy of physical therapy interventions (e.g., external auditory and visual rhythms) in patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, forced use of upper extremity function in stroke patients, and pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders.

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 Boston Medical Center, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, the Department of Exercise Science, 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 Maastricht) in the Netherlands.

Financial Aid

Students may apply for graduate teaching or research assistantships in their area of interest or expertise. Graduate and teaching assistants are sought in a wide variety of courses and laboratories. Please request a Teaching/Research Assistantship Application from the Student Academic Support Services (SASS) 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 February 1.

Rehabilitation Sciences Program

Professors Cermak, Dell Orto, Haley, Jette, Wagenaar

Associate Professors Coster, Holt, Hursh, Saltzman, Vergara

Assistant Professors Keysor, Orsmond

Clinical Professor Jacobs

Clinical Associate Professors Cohn, Nemec

Research Assistant Professors Latham, Ni

Adjunct Associate Professor Tickle-Degnen

TOP OF PAGE

Published by Trustees of Boston University
One Sherborn Street
Boston, MA 02215

20 September 2007
Boston University
Questions
Credits