Degree Requirements
Program of Study & Core Course Requirements
Entry into the Occupation and Rehabilitation Science Ph.D. may occur through three routes:
1. Enrollment in back-to-back Master of Science occupational therapy program/Occupation and Rehabilitation Science Ph.D. programs. Students who complete a MS degree in Occupational Therapy at CSU and wish to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Occupation and Rehabilitation Science must apply for the Ph.D. program. Eighteen credits successfully completed in the CSU MS program will apply toward partial fulfillment of the required 72 credits. An additional 12 graduate credits may be accepted if approved by the student’s committee, the Department of Occupational Therapy, and Graduate School.
2. Admittance directly into the Ph.D. with a master’s degree. For students submitting a previously earned master’s degree in partial fulfillment of the required 72 credits, up to 30 credits may be accepted. All potential credits accepted towards partial fulfillment of the requirements must be approved by student’s committee, the Department of Occupational Therapy, and Graduate School.
3. Admittance directly into the Ph.D. with a bachelor’s degree. For students not submitting a previously earned master’s degree in partial fulfillment of the required 72 credits, up to 10 credits earned after the bachelor’s degree may be accepted for transfer. Only courses taken at a 500 level or higher will be considered. All potential credits accepted towards partial fulfillment of the requirements must be approved by student’s committee, the Department of Occupational Therapy, and Graduate School.
Credits and Program Timing
The Occupation and Rehabilitation Science Ph.D. program of study consists of 72 credits. Each student along with his or her advisor and doctoral committee collaborate to create an individualized program of study in the student’s first semester. Students should generally enroll in courses at or above the 500 level. Courses at the 300-400 level may be deemed by the student’s doctoral committee as acceptable in counting towards the Ph.D. degree; however, limits do exist on the number of courses below the 500 level which may be counted towards the degree (see Graduate Bulletin). As per the Graduate Bulletin, graduate credit is not granted for completion of courses at the 100-200 level. All course work, which constitutes the required curriculum for the student, is submitted on the Program of Study (GS6) form. The GS6 should be submitted no later than the student’s third semester in the program. Courses listed on the GS Form 6 can be modified after submission to the Graduate School. All changes must be in consultation with—and with the approval of—the research advisor. While courses not yet taken may be removed or added, no course that has received a grade may be removed and courses with a “D” or lower may not be counted toward the degree. Changes are reconciled when the student completes the Application for Graduation (GS25) form.
Guidelines for the amount of student effort attached to dissertation, research, and independent study are published in the Graduate Bulletin. These guidelines state: for dissertation, research and independent study graduate courses, the number of student credit hours earned will be determined using a base rate of 48 hours of student effort per credit hour. The faculty adviser, or other department official, shall estimate the total number of hours of student effort required over the length of the semester. This effort shall include consultation with the adviser, as well as library, laboratory, field or studio work. The total number of hours shall be divided by 48 and the resultant quotient (rounded off to a whole number) shall define the number of credits to be awarded.
While enrolled in the ORS PhD program, students should complete all credits at CSU. In rare circumstances, a student may be granted permission to take a course at another institution. To have an external to CSU course approved as part of the student’s program of study, the following must occur:
1. If the student feels a needed course is not available at CSU, she/he must demonstrate that, following a thorough search within the CSU course offerings, such a course is not offered at CSU. The student should email the information to the advisor and PhD Director.
2. Prior to registering for any course outside of CSU, the student must obtain permission from her/his advisor and the PhD Program Director to register for the course. If this permission is not obtained, the course will not be considered as part of the student’s program of study, i.e., it will not satisfy any credit-related requirements towards the PhD degree.
3. The course must be at the graduate level.
4. The student must receive a grade of “B” or better.
5. Courses may only be taken at appropriately accredited institutions.
6. A final transcript showing the course completion and grade must be submitted to the CSU Graduate School.
Leave of Absence
After working with your mentor to decide if taking a leave of absence is the best option, you must enroll in one continuous registration credit to maintain your status as an active student. More information is available here. In addition, if you are an international student, please contact ISSS to make them aware of your plans to ensure you remain in compliance with your immigration status.