Welcome to the home page of the Ph.D program in Rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). We appreciate your interest in our program.
The Rehabilitation Institute at SIUC is a multi-faceted educational unit that consists of four distinct graduate training programs. Each graduate training program has its own strengths, history and areas of specialization. Our areas of focus are recognized as leaders. Our programs in Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Rehabilitation Administration, and Rehabilitation Counselor Training are among the oldest and most respected programs in the United States today, and two of our programs were the "first of their kind." To this day, the Rehabilitation Institute continues to be unique in that it is the largest program of its kind with the largest complement of Rehabilitation faculty members in the world.
The doctoral program at SIUC has been preparing students for careers in rehabilitation education, administration, and research since 1978 (For a list of past positions assumed by graduates, click here). In the years since the program accepted its first students, over 130 individuals from all over the world have completed their doctoral work at the Rehabilitation Institute, and our graduates are among the most respected leaders in the field of rehabilitation.
Our graduates are an incredibly diverse group representing every region of the U.S. as well as over a dozen foreign countries. The doctoral program has produced more minority alumni than any other doctoral program in rehabilitation as well as more minority alumni who have gone on to successful careers in rehabilitation education than any other doctoral training program in the United States.
SIUC is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Doctoral/Research University-Extensive (Highest Category), and the Ph.D. program at the Rehabilitation Institute has a long tradition as a student-centered research program. While there are opportunities to pursue additional clinical training through our program, historically, students have been encouraged to focus on enhancing their ability to conduct independent scholarly research:
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The Institute is involved in multiple federal and state funded research projects, and Ph.D. students have opportunities to participate. Numerous doctoral students are funded as research assistants.
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To assist students in best preparing to do the kind of research they want, the Ph.D. curriculum includes a flexible 20-credit hour research tool.
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Current doctoral students are involved in helping to publish the Journal of Teaching in the Addictions, the Journal of
Rehabilitation Administration, Rehabilitation Counselors', Educators' Journal, Analysis of Gambling Behavior, Journal of Behavior Health and Medicine and the Psychological Record. -
For a list of past dissertation titles, click here.
The Ph.D. program is divided into two areas, each with their own curriculum: Behavior Analysis and Therapy, and Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration. Within Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration, students usually specialize in either counseling or administration, although combination programs are possible. Within Behavior Analysis and Therapy, students are trained to be researchers and to work for the academy. Upon application to the doctoral program, students identify a faculty member within their area who, in most cases, will both serve as academic advisor and chair the student's dissertation committee. Applicants should work with their respective programs to determine with whom they will work during their doctoral studies.