Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

• Prior Degrees Bachelor’s degree in a related area. Prospective students are expected to have backgrounds in physical therapy, occupational therapy, kinesiology, speech and language pathology, prosthetics and orthotics, nursing, medicine, engineering, mental health, or other fields related to rehabilitation sciences. The ideal applicant should have a strong interest in rehabilitation research, completed preparatory coursework in biology, physiology, anatomy, physics and mathematics, psychology, and statistics as well as a master’s degree in an area related to rehabilitation sciences. The exceptional applicant with a bachelor’s degree, a sufficient number of credits of relevant graduate coursework, and/or compelling clinical/research experience in rehabilitation will be considered. For other applicants, conditional acceptance may be granted with the understanding that by enrolling in appropriate prerequisite courses missing areas will be addressed before PhD program courses may commence. Transfer of graduate credits from another institution will be handled on a course-by-course basis.
• Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours of undergraduate study, and at least 3.50/4.00 for any previous graduate work.
• Tests Required None.

• English Proficiency Additional information on the English proficiency test requirement for international students can be found on the UIC Admissions website. Minimum test scores for this program are:

  • Minimum English Competency Test Scores

    Exam	Score	Reading	Listening	Speaking	Writing
    TOEFL iBT (exams taken on or after January 21, 2026)	4.5	4	4	4.5	4.5
    TOEFL iBT (exams taken prior to January 21, 2026)	80	19	17	20	21
    IELTS Academic	6.5	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0
    PTE Academic	54	51	47	53	56

• Letters of Recommendation Three required letters of recommendation on official letterhead, from individuals who can explain their relationship to the applicant and assess the candidate’s aptitude and potential to complete a research doctorate.
• Personal Statement Required to submit a personal statement that does not exceed two pages. The statement should address three elements: 1) the applicant’s career vision; 2) the applicant’s rationale for pursuing a research doctorate to advance their career vision; and 3) the applicant’s clinical, teaching, and/or research experience(s) that shaped their interest in pursuing our research doctorate.

• Curriculum Vitae Required to submit a current CV, including scholarly activities and record of publications and presentations to date.

• Faculty Commitment to Advise Because this program follows a mentorship model, it is important that applicants identify and contact at least one desired faculty mentor/advisor working in their desired specialty area prior to applying and secure faculty signature on the form that gets submitted as part of the application.
• Deadlines Application deadlines for this program are listed on the Graduate College website.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 96 hours from the baccalaureate.
• Course Work Students entering with a graduate or professional degree may be allowed to apply up to 32 semester hours toward their PhD. Only 400- and 500-level courses can be applied to this degree. Excluding dissertation hours, credit toward a graduate degree is only given for courses in which a student received a grade of A, B, C, CR, or S. Students must earn at least 32 hours using the 599 rubric (PhD Thesis Research). Each student will have a primary advisor from the faculty of the program. This faculty advisor will mentor the student to complete any remaining core, selective, and elective coursework, and this faculty member will serve as chair for the student's dissertation committee.

• Examinations 
  • Preliminary exam
  • Dissertation proposal
  • Dissertation defense
• Dissertation Required. Students must earn at least 32 hours in AHS 599.
• Other Requirements All PhD students are expected to participate in the teaching programs of the College of Applied Health Sciences.

Interdepartmental Concentrations

Students earning this graduate degree may enroll in select concentrations after consulting with their graduate advisor. Interdepartmental concentrations available for this degree include:

• Neuroscience