Starting this August, MU students will be able to pursue a Ph.D. in health and rehabilitation science.

The new program, a part of the School of Health Professions Department of Health Sciences, was approved by the UM System Board of Curators in September 2018 and will be the first of its kind at a public institution in the state of Missouri.

The program is aimed at students who wish to pursue careers of research, higher education and leadership in the fields of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, health psychology, health science and public health.

Stephanie Reid-Arndt, associate dean for Academic Affairs, is the founding director of the Ph.D. program.

“The Ph.D. in health and rehabilitation science program was developed by faculty within the MU School of Health Professions. Our school has 14 existing undergraduate and graduate programs aimed at preparing students for careers in health care,” Reid-Arndt said.

This new program is somewhat different from many of the others within the school in that it is not intended for direct patient care, but rather for research.

“A majority of our programs prepare students to provide direct patient care,” Reid-Arndt said. “To complement these, this interdisciplinary Ph.D. program will prepare graduates to conduct research and advance the science of our disciplines.”

MU and the School of Health Professions expect the program to be relatively small, according to Reid-Arndt.

“The Ph.D. in health and rehabilitation science is a research-intensive, mentorship-model program in which students are admitted to work with specific faculty mentors,” she said. “Given this model, the MU School of Health Professions anticipates enrolling 5-8 new students each year.”

Students who are pursuing careers in physical therapy, like freshman Jack Faris, are excited by this new Ph.D. program.

“I think it’s great,” Faris said. “As a hopeful physical therapist I will work with individuals directly, and this program being from the public health and research side will help me do that more effectively.”

Junior physical therapy student Jacob Detering echoed the statements by Faris about how important this research is.

“I personally would not apply because I want to be active in direct patient care but I think it is important to research the rehab sciences to further focus and improve on exercises and recovery,” Detering said.

For students interested in applying for the Ph.D. program, applications open March 1.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a preferred GPA of 3.0 and a GRE score of 360. They must also submit three letters of recommendation, a resume, a 500 word personal statement, an example of scholarly work and a faculty interest document. An interview is required as well.

_Edited by Emily Wolf | ewolf@themaneater.com_