PhD in Rehabilitation and Communications Sciences Admissions Information
Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact individual PhD and research faculty members whose professional areas of interest align most closely with their own. All applicants must identify a suitable major advisor with whom they wish to work. Prior to starting the program, the applicant must obtain written consent from their major advisor (stating they agree to mentor them), and likewise the applicant must submit written consent (stating they agree to work with the selected major advisor).
Application Information
Applicants seeking admission consideration for the Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., in Rehabilitation and Communication Sciences program at ISU must apply to, and meet all criteria for, admission to the ISU Graduate School.
All applicants are reviewed on a competitive case-by-case basis. Qualified applicants will be invited for an interview with members of the SRCS Ph.D. Studies Committee. Meeting entry-level requirements for admission does not guarantee an offer of admission to the program. Additionally, an offer of admission for the PhD program does not guarantee financial aid. Applicants who are interested in financial support should indicate this in their application and will be put into a merit-based pool for available teaching assistantships, doctoral traineeships, and positions on research grants that will be evaluated annually. Assistantship positions typically require 20 hours per week of research, teaching, or clinical service in exchange for a monthly stipend. For students with qualifying stipends, a scholarship typically covers at least partial tuition, fees, and individual medical insurance. Additional funding options separate from the assistantships may also be available (e.g., hourly paid positions, adjunct academic teaching, or adjunct clinical supervision).
Preferential consideration will be given to those applicants already holding a graduate degree in one or more of the four disciplines, have clinical certification in one of the professions, and is eligible for Idaho Licensure in one of the four professions. Additionally, applicants with demonstrated academic and scholarly potential in Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, or other related fields are encouraged to apply. Others may apply and will be considered for admission based on merit and potential for success.
Program Admission Requirements
- Submit official academic transcripts from institutions of higher education where any credits were obtained that contributed to bachelor’s degrees and from all graduate-level coursework.
- Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or greater over the last 60+/- semester credits (90± quarter credits) is required.
- Three Letters of Recent Professional Reference
- Referees must complete the summative evaluation and upload their letters of reference via the link generated from the application portal by February 15th of the calendar year in which the applicant wishes to start the Fall cohort.
- Submit an example of scholarly writing (e.g., thesis, publication, term-paper, etc)
- Submit a brief (1000 word maximum) letter of intent describing your professional area(s) of interest and experiences that lead you to pursue your Ph.D. degree at Idaho State University and how this would help you attain your professional goals.
- Submit written consent obtained from a suitable CRCS major advisor agreeing to mentor the applicant once they are accepted to the program.
- Submit a current resume /curriculum vitae
*International students whose native language is not English must meet ISU and program English proficiency requirements.
*Some exceptions may be made to program admission requirements pending approval of the CRCS Ph.D. studies committee and Ph.D. program directors.
