PhD/MS Requirements

PhD Degree Requirements

The PhD degree requires a minimum of 36 graduate credits not including dissertation credits. The minimum of 36 graduate credits is broken down as follows:

16 credits of Rehabilitation Science (RSC) course work. Five courses are mandatory. The 5 courses are: RSC 5106 (1 credit), RSC 5306 (1 credit), RSC 8106 (2 credits), RSC 8206 (2 credits) and RSC 8306 (2 credits). Completion of the 5 mandatory courses (8 total credits) counts towards the 16 credit RSC course work requirement.

12-14 additional graduate credits from RSC courses, non-RSC courses, or a combination of both. The number of additional credits is dependent on the statistics courses chosen by the student.

6-8 credits of statistics is required. Acceptable statistics courses include, but are not limited to:

- EPSY 8251 – Statistical Methods I (3 credits)
- EPSY 8252 – Statistical Methods II (3 credits)
- PUBH 6450 – Biostatistics I (4 credits)
- PUBH 6451 – Biostatistics II (4 credits)

In addition to these minimum requirements, the student’s advisor may require additional courses.

Minimum Grade Requirements

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all coursework taken, including minor or supporting program and statistics course work. Students must also earn a letter grade of C- or better in each individual course.

Thesis: Minimum of 24 thesis credits (RSc 8888). Students register for thesis credits after the minimum of 36 graduate credits are completed.

Exam Requirements

Preliminary Written Exam

All doctoral students are required to pass a written examination administered by the student's examining committee. This examination covers all work completed in the major field and must include work completed in the minor or supporting field, plus questions probing the student's ability to collect and interpret information from the scientific literature.

Preliminary Oral Exam

All doctoral students are required to pass a preliminary oral examination administered by the student's examining committee. The preliminary oral examination covers the major field, the minor field or supporting program, and any work fundamental to these areas, including possible plans for thesis research. Additionally, the oral examination can include questions elaborating on earlier responses from the preliminary written examination.

Final Oral Exam

The final oral exam consists of a seminar in which the candidate defends their thesis to an examining committee and other members of the scholarly community. The examining committee is the same as the committee assembled for the Preliminary Oral Exam.

MS Degree Requirements

Plan A: Master's Degree with Thesis

This plan consists of a minimum of 23 graduate credits not including thesis credits.

14 credits of RSC coursework. RSC 5106 is required and counts toward the 14 credit requirement.

5 or 6 additional graduate credits from RSC courses, non-RSC courses, or a combination of both. The number of additional credits is dependent on the statistics course chosen by the student.

 3-4 credits of statistics is required. Acceptable courses include, but are not limited to:

  • EPSY 8261 – Statistical Methods I (3 credits)
  • PUBH 6450 – Biostatistics I (4 credits)

 

Minimum Grade Requirements: Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all coursework taken, including minor or supporting program and statistics course work. Students must also earn a letter grade of C- or better in each individual course.

Thesis: Minimum of 10 thesis credits (RSC 8777). Students register for thesis credits after the minimum of 23 graduate credits are completed.

Preliminary Oral Examination: Defense of thesis proposal to an examining committee, following Graduate School guidelines.

Final Oral Examination: Defense of thesis research to an examining committee, following Graduate School guidelines.

Plan B: Master’s Degree without Thesis

This plan requires a minimum of 30 graduate credits without a thesis. 

14 credits of RSC coursework. RSC 5106 is required and counts toward the 14 credit requirement.

5 or 6 additional graduate credits from RSC courses, non-RSC courses, or a combination of both. The number of additional credits is dependent on the statistics course chosen by the student.

 3-4 credits of statistics is required. Acceptable courses include, but are not limited to:

  • EPSY 8261 – Statistical Methods I (3 credits)
  • PUBH 6450 – Biostatistics I (4 credits)

Additional Courses: The remaining credits to reach the overall 30 credit minimum are chosen by the student with advisor approval.

Minimum Grade Requirements: Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all coursework taken, including minor or supporting program and statistics course work. Students must also earn a letter grade of C- or better in each individual course.

Plan B Project(s): Demonstration of familiarity with the tools of research or scholarship in the major field, ability to work independently, and ability to present the results of investigation effectively, by completing at least one Plan B project. The Plan B project(s) should involve a combined total of approximately 120 hours of work. The student’s advisor specifies both the nature and extent of the options available to satisfy this requirement, and whether the requirement is to be satisfied in conjunction with, or independent of, the courses in the student’s program.

Final Examination: Written or oral (or both) responses to questions from an examining committee.

Other Requirements

Ethics in Research Training

Students must complete training in research ethics, as required by the Graduate School at the University of Minnesota. The Graduate School requires that all Graduate Students receive Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) Training. Students will train in the following areas:

- Conflict of interest
- Responsible authorship
- Code of conduct and policies for handling misconduct
- Policies for use of human and animal subjects, informed consent, patient privacy
- Data management (record keeping; data archival and storage; data practices)
- Intellectual property, copyright issues, data ownership
- History of ethics in research
- Interaction and communication with advisors and collaborators
- Plagiarism, peer review, scientific fraud
- Research funding and fiscal responsibilities
- Mentorship and responsibility to others
- Environmental health and safety issues (may be discipline specific)
- Social responsibility in research

Depending on the student's research area, additional training may be required in human and/or animal subjects.

 

HIPAA: The Program in Rehabilitation Science is a part of the Academic Health Center (AHC) at the University of Minnesota. The AHC requires all students and faculty to be compliant with the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Once a student is admitted to the Program in Rehabilitation Science, they will receive instruction on completing HIPAA training.

Immunization: The Rehabilitation Science Program is a part of the University's Academic Health Center (AHC). According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, and Academic Health Center (AHC) policy, all AHC students are required to have a health clearance as a condition of enrollment. This information must be completed to register for classes in the AHC. When you are notified of acceptance to the Program, the Graduate School will also inform you of the University's immunization policy and direct you to Boynton Health Service's website for information and immunization form.

Contact

Rich Adamczak
Program Coordinator
adamc002@umn.edu
Phone: 612-625-3966
Fax: 612-625-4274

Mailing Address

Rehabilitation Science Program
MMC 388
420 Delaware St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455