PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Science in Columbia United States | University of Missouri

This interdisciplinary, research-intensive PhD program equips students for careers in academia, research, and leadership roles across healthcare fields (such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, health psychology, health sciences, and public health). Candidates may include practicing clinicians with advanced degrees seeking research-oriented positions or recent bachelor's graduates. The program follows a mentorship approach, pairing students with faculty advisors for hands-on laboratory research. Coursework is customized to individual research goals and spans multiple disciplines, with instruction provided by faculty from the MU School of Health Professions and other university departments. The 72-credit post-baccalaureate curriculum includes foundational Health and Rehabilitation Science courses, along with core statistics and research methodology classes. Students take specialized graduate courses aligned with their research focus, as approved by their faculty mentors, including a minimum of 15 credits at the 8000-9000 level in their research specialization. The program also requires 11 mentor-guided credit hours in readings, problem-solving, or research projects. While only 28 research credit hours count toward the 72-hour requirement, students may complete additional research credits to finish their dissertation work and defense.