Growing by One Degree....

It's final! We have been notified by both the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and also the New England Association of Schools and Colleges that we are approved to grant the degree, Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences.   This is a true mark of the Institute's commitment to fulfilling the vision of our Founders and to the work of so many who have led us to this point!  Congratulations especially to Dr. Robert Hillman, Associate Provost for Research, to the Institute's Research Committee, and to the long list of faculty and staff who have worked to make this day a reality. 

So, now that we have been notified that we can award the degree, what happens? 
1.  We will begin to market and recruit for a small entering class for Fall 2012.
2. We will begin to create the schedule of courses and the plan for advising for the new cohort.
3.  We will work with our partners at Spaulding and Mass General, as well as within the IHP, for part time clinical  appointments for our students.
4.  We will work with our friends in the Department of Communications and Marketing to come up with creative ways to notify the academic community of our new program!
5.  Students will come.
6.  An increased focus on research will be experienced at the Institute.

Why is this significant and important?  The Institute now offers a full complement of academic degrees at the graduate level.   We offer professional (practice based) doctoral degrees in Nursing and Physical Therapy; the MS in Communication Sciences and Disordersand in Phyiscal Therapy.  Adding the Doctor of Philosophy aligns us with other top notch programs in our disciplines.

Look for a new blog posting soon, with more details and descriptions.  In the meantime, please thank your colleagues who worked on this and "smell the roses."  The addition of the PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences is a remarkable and laudable accomplishment in our history.  Feel free to brag shamelessly for at least a couple of days or so!