Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Doctoral Program

Lokman Hekim University Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Doctorate Program was opened within the body of Lokman Hekim University Health Sciences Institute, after the decision of the Higher Education Executive Board meeting dated March 17, 2021. The program is executed by expert academicians in their field. The language of instruction is Turkish. PhD degree in the field of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation PhD Level The applications of the candidates are made in accordance with the Postgraduate Education Directive of Lokman Hekim University, Institute of Health Sciences. Before each application period, the special conditions required for the applicants, the entrance exam place, and the date are determined and announced with the recommendation of the relevant Department and the decision of the Institute Board of Directors before the application. Students with a master’s degree from the Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation or the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation and its sub-departments/ programs, or students graduating from an equivalent degree abroad, and candidates whose graduate degree was approved by the Graduate School Board with the recommendation of the Academic Board of the Department can apply to the program. Turkish or foreign students who have completed their master's program in foreign countries are required to have the equivalence or recognition certificate they will receive from the Higher Education Council. Candidates should have a score to be determined by the Institute Board, provided that it is not less than 55 from the Academic Personnel and Postgraduate Education Entrance Exam in the numerical score type, and provided that it is not less than 55, they should have an equivalent score to be determined by the Senate upon the recommendation of the Academic Board of the Department and the decision of the Institute Board from the Foreign Language Placement Exam or equivalent and nationally or internationally accepted foreign language exams. Students who meet the application requirements are taken to the scientific evaluation exam (written and/ or interview). The calculation of the general achievement grade is conducted by considering the Academic Personnel and Postgraduate Education Entrance Exam score, the Foreign Language Exam score, the Postgraduate Graduation grade average, and the results of the scientific evaluation exam. The students gain the right to register within the specified quota according to the general success grade ranking. The doctorate program consists of a total of 21 national credits and a minimum of 240 ECTS credits, including at least 7 courses, a seminar, and a thesis study, not less than 60 ECTS credits for an academic semester. 120 ECTS credits of 240 ECTS credits include lectures, seminars, and Preparation for the Doctoral Qualifying Exam, 120 ECTS credits for thesis studies. The duration of the doctorate program is eight semesters, regardless of whether the student has registered for each semester, starting from the semester in which the courses related to the program the student is enrolled in, excluding the time spent in scientific preparation. The duration of the doctoral program is eight semesters, excluding the time spent in scientific preparation, starting from the semester in which the courses regarding the program are given, regardless of whether the student has registered for each semester, and the program is completed within a maximum of twelve semesters. Even if the student has credit transfer courses, he/she must take at least half of the total credits required by the program to which he/she is affiliated, from his/her own program. If the advisor deems appropriate and necessary, courses from other programs can also be selected. The maximum period of successfully completing the credit courses required for the doctorate program is four semesters. Students who fail to complete their credit courses successfully or who fail to achieve a GPA of at least 3.00 within this period are dismissed from the university. The " Lokman Hekim University Regulation on Graduate Education and Examination" is taken as a basis in evaluating the course success of students. The qualifying exam is to measure whether the student who has completed his courses and seminars has the depth of scientific research related to the basic subjects and concepts in his field and his doctoral study. A student takes the proficiency exam at most twice a year. A student who successfully completes the doctoral qualifying exam defends the thesis proposal covering the purpose, method, and study plan of the research to be conducted verbally in front of the thesis monitoring committee within at most six months. For the student, whose thesis proposal is accepted, the thesis monitoring committee meets at least twice a year, once between January-June and July-December. The student submits a written or oral report to the committee members at least one month before the meeting date. In this report, the summary of the work conducted so far and the work plan to be executed in the next semester are stated. The student's thesis work is determined by the committee as successful or unsuccessful with an absolute majority. A student who fails twice in a row or three times intermittently by the committee is dismissed from the university. A student in a doctorate program writes his/her results in accordance with the Institute of Health Sciences Thesis Writing Guide and defends the thesis verbally in front of the jury. After the completion of the thesis exam, the jury decides on the thesis to be accepted, rejected, or corrected by the absolute majority. Student whose thesis is accepted is considered successful. This decision is reported to the institute within three days following the thesis exam by the head of the institute department. The student whose thesis is rejected is dismissed from the university. The student whose thesis is decided to be corrected defends the thesis again in front of the same jury by conducting the necessary corrections within six months at the latest. The student who fails in this defense is dismissed from the university. Provided that he is successful in the defense of the thesis and meets the other conditions, the student who submits at least three bound copies of his doctoral thesis to the institute within one month from the date of entry to the thesis exam and whose thesis is eligible in terms of form is entitled to receive a doctoral diploma.   Recognition of prior learning is issued in accordance with Lokman Hekim University Regulation on Graduate Education and Examination   Lokman Hekim University Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Doctorate Program is structured to train physiotherapists with PhD degrees who address the subjects related to physiotherapy and rehabilitation with a holistic perspective, can follow and apply evidence-based practices, can solve the problem by determining the solution methods for the problem, analyzing and interpreting physiotherapy evaluation results and planning and implementing an appropriate physiotherapy program, having advanced skills in choosing current therapeutic modalities and using rehabilitation technology, able to use assessment and treatment methods related to his/ her field in clinical and academic studies, establish hypotheses, determine appropriate research methods, implement projects, producing, planning and applying in the field of physiotherapy by combining clinical experience with academic knowledge, having sufficient clinical knowledge and skills to adapt to rapid information flow and continuous change, gain lifelong learning behavior with professional and scientific ethical sensitivity.

1. Follows up-to-date developments in the field of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation by following international literature and national/ international scientific events, transfers the acquired knowledge to clinical practice and scientific research.
2. Uses the technological equipment required by the evaluation and treatment methods in the field in clinical practice and scientific research.
3. Plans, executes, and analyzes scientific research and project, presents its results in scientific meetings, and converts them into scientific publications.
4. Adheres to ethical principles in scientific research and publishing processes.
5. Conducts the clinical practices within the framework of ethical principles and legal legislation and conducts multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary work with other professionals in the field of health.
6. Uses the knowledge in the field of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation in activities that improve public health and contributes to the development of public health policies at national and international level.
7. Develops programs for Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation education and contributes to educational processes.
8. Communicates orally and in writing in international clinical and academic environments with his/her foreign language skills, publishes international scientific publications.

Students who have completed the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Doctorate Program can carry out clinical and academic studies in various institutions and organizations in their fields of specialization. They can work as lecturers to support the academic staff of universities, as well as take an active role in the development and execution of research and projects in national and international research and application centers. In addition, they can be employed in special education centers, special education schools, sports centers and sports clubs, prosthetics and orthotics application centers along with physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopedics, cardiology, chest diseases, neurosurgery, neurology, and pediatrics departments of hospitals. Candidates with a Doctorate degree can apply for associate professorships in the relevant field in case they complete the required academic studies. Exams and evaluations are carried out by considering the learning outcomes of each course as shown in the introductory information of each course in line with the rules set by the Lokman Hekim University, Institute of Health Sciences and the Lokman Hekim University Regulation on Graduate Education and Examination. For a student to graduate from the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Doctorate Program, he/ she must have completed all the courses in the program, must provide a minimum of 240 ECTS credits, and his/ her GPA must be at least 3.00 out of 4.00. “Lokman Hekim University Regulation on Graduate Education and Examination” is taken as basis in the evaluation of the course success of the students. The student who successfully completes the courses and successfully completes the doctoral qualifying exam defends his/ her thesis proposal, including the purpose, method, and study plan of the research, orally in front of the thesis monitoring committee within six months at the latest. The student writes the results obtained from the thesis study in accordance with the spelling rules accepted by the institute and defends the thesis verbally in front of the jury. After the completion of the thesis exam, the jury decides on the thesis to be accepted, rejected, or corrected by absolute majority. The student whose thesis is accepted by the jury submits at least three bound copies of his doctoral thesis to the relevant institute within one month from the date of entrance to the thesis exam. Doctoral student whose thesis is found suitable in terms of form is awarded a doctoral diploma. The graduation date of the student is the date he defended his thesis in front of the jury and succeeded. The maximum duration of the doctorate program is 12 semesters. The way of working is full time. If necessary, lessons and exams can be conducted remotely after the weekdays and/ or on Saturdays and Sundays or online synchronously. Prof. Dr. Nilgün BEK Head of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department E-mail: nilgun.bek@lokmanhekim.edu.tr Phone: 444 8 548, Ext: 6439