Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science- Communication and Swallowing Sciences and Disorders

The Communication and Swallowing Sciences and Disorders (CSSD) concentration requires 18 credit hours of coursework outside of other program requirements. This coursework focuses on the sciences investigating all aspects of communication and swallowing disorders and their rehabilitation. This concentration includes a range of interdisciplinary, conceptually broad subfields, unified by the anatomical and neurophysiological structures they share. Students may focus on the mechanisms and rehabilitation of swallowing and the upper aerodigestive tract, and/or speech, language, and hearing sciences and disorders. The required courses reflect the fact that CSSD is conceptually broad. Thus, graduate courses have been identified which encompass the wide range of science being conducted by the graduate faculty, and are selected from departments and institutes across the University of Florida. Students may choose from a variety of courses to fulfill their core requirements to create a unique program preparing them to do research in their field of interest.

Apply to the Program
Identifying a Faculty Mentor
An important component of admission to the Rehabilitation Science program is to identify a potential faculty mentor. Prospective students should review the PhD faculty page to determine which graduate faculty have research interests in line with their own and then make contact to discuss the possibility of collaboration. Prospective students are encouraged to demonstrate a basic knowledge of the faculty member's work and explain their interest in working with him/her. They should also be prepared to provide a brief description of their background and current curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.

Application Procedure
Graduate applications are submitted through the University of Florida Office of Admissions. The following items are required:

Transcripts
For purposes of the application review, we accept unofficial transcripts. These transcripts should be scanned copies of the official paper versions issued to you by your previous or current institution(s). We will not accept screen shots of your grades from your institution's student academic portal.

Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded through your Application Status page for each postsecondary institution attended and should match the educational history provided on your application.

Applicants who receive an offer of admissions should arrange to have official transcripts sent to the UF Office of Admissions. If you attended UF as your postsecondary institution, you do not have to order a transcript from the Office of the University Registrar. Official transcripts can be sent to UF in two ways: paper transcript received by UF in a sealed envelope or electronic transcripts sent from your institution directly to UF.

Non-U.S. Academic Credentials
Non-English Transcripts
Transcripts and degree certificates/diplomas not issued in English must be accompanied by a certified, literal line-for-line English translation of the original document. Acceptable certified translations are issued by your institution or a professional translating service. These documents may be unofficial and should be uploaded in the application.

Degree Certificate/Diplomas
Applicants must provide degree certificate/diplomas for degrees conferred/awarded outside of the U.S. These documents may be unofficial and should be uploaded in the application. Digitally uploaded academic credentials must include the same information appearing on an official transcript, including biographical information, institution name, signatures, seals and stamps. They should be scanned or digital copies, we do not accept screen shots

Credential Evaluation
Applicants are required to submit World Education Services (WES) ICAP Course-by-Course evaluation of academic records college coursework competed outside of the U.S.: http://wes.org. This is required in addition to transcripts and degree certificates as described above.

Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
Statement of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose (Personal Statement/Professional Goals Statement) is an opportunity to learn more about your goals. For the Rehabilitation Science statement of purpose, please respond to the two questions below.
Additionally, unofficial transcripts should be uploaded as a part of all applications. Applicants with a bachelor's degree only, a minimum grade point average of B (3.0), calculated from all grades and credits after the semester where the applicant reached 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours is required.
GRE Scores
The Rehabilitation Science Doctoral program does not require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for admission consideration.
For applicants from countries where English is not the ofcial language, a minimum score on one of these English Language Skills tests, IELTS - 6.0,TOEFL IBT- 80, PBT- 550.