Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Sciences
The Ph.D. program in Rehabilitation Sciences focuses on scientific discovery as it relates to the impact of disease and impairment on people’s ability to assume their role and function in society. Students will have the opportunity to develop knowledge in rehabilitation sciences by carrying out research on issues ranging from basic science questions to psychosocial repercussions of health conditions in a rehabilitation context. The program is designed to prepare candidates from both professional and research backgrounds to become independent researchers and leaders in all areas of the rehabilitation sciences as well as from areas not traditionally associated with rehabilitation. The goal of the Ph.D. program is to develop rehabilitation scientists with independent and collaborative research skills who will contribute to the knowledge base that informs the practice of rehabilitation professionals.
This program is the only program among Canadian PhD programs in Rehabilitation Sciences that offers students the possibility of studying in French and/or English. All professors are capable of supervising students in both languages. The new Ph.D. program will thus permit the training of health professionals in both official languages at the highest levels of research training in an interdisciplinary context. In accordance with University of Ottawa regulations, students will be able to submit their work in the official language of their choice: English or French.
Fields
The basic elements which make up the fields of the proposed Ph.D. program come from international models of health and functioning which describe health as the result of the interaction between the individual and the environment in the attainment of an optimal quality of life. Three fields have been identified in relation to these core concepts:
Field 1, Impairment and Rehabilitation, concerns the impact of motor, sensory, cognitive, and mental health impairments on the individual’s daily functioning. It includes research on fundamental views of disease and disease etiology as risk factors for eventual difficulties in functioning.
Field 2, Environment and Rehabilitation, focuses on the way social and physical environmental factors can either enable or hinder an individual’s functioning.
Field 3, Participation in Life Situations and Rehabilitation, focuses on how the individual is reintegrated into the community and takes part in life activities while gaining functional autonomy following the onset of disease, disorder, or trauma.
Admission
Applicants must have completed a master’s degree in Health Sciences or a related discipline (e.g., education, health administration, psychology) with an overall B+ (75%) average. Candidates coming from non-thesis master’s degree programs (e.g., professional or course-based) must have research competence demonstrated either through activities completed during practice and/or as part of their program. These students will be required to present a dossier demonstrating research skills that may include research reports, publications in peer-reviewed journals, program development and evaluation reports, abstracts, presentations or the like. The proposed thesis supervisor will evaluate the dossier and submit a letter of evaluation to the admissions committee which will make the final decision about the student’s suitability for the program.
Applicants must submit the following information:
- a printed copy of the completed on-line graduate program application form;
- official transcripts of the applicant's academic record;
- at least two confidential letters of recommendation from professors who have known the applicant and are familiar with his or her work and able to comment on the candidate’s potential for research studies;
- evidence of proficiency in one or the other language of instruction, English or French;
- an up-to-date curriculum vitae including a list of relevant publications;
- a letter indicating the reasons for Ph.D. study, career goals, why they are interested in their proposed research area and a potential thesis topic and potential funding sources for their studies, and the name of a potential thesis supervisor;
applicants will need to have contacted the proposed supervisor and include in their application a signed letter indicating the supervisor’s willingness to supervise the applicant’s.
Degree requirements
Students enrolled in the doctoral program will take a minimum of 12 credits of courses (three compulsory and one elective course, courses will be offered in both official languages). In addition to course work, students will have to successfully complete a comprehensive examination and a thesis.
Sample courses
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Research areas
Research by professors at the School of rehabilitation Sciences can be grouped under four main themes:
- Functional adjustment and independence processes;
- Rehabilitative care delivery;
- Neuroscience and perception;
- Technology and virtual reality.
