Fields of Study

Western’s Graduate Program in Health & Rehabilitation Sciences (HRS) centres around eight different fields of study that reflect areas of strength among researchers in the six schools that comprise the Faculty of Health Sciences. Students in both the master’s and PhD programs apply and are admitted to one specific field, though opportunities exist to create a program of study that incorporates courses from additional fields.

The fields reflect a cross between the disciplinary strengths in rehabilitation sciences and areas of multidisciplinary research that cut across the health and rehabilitation disciplines. Research is emphasized in all nine fields and all have thesis-based projects at both the master’s and PhD levels. Visit the individual field pages to view a complete list of research supervisors in that area.

Health & Aging

Develop an in-depth understanding of the complexities of aging across the lifespan and explore significant health issues related to aging and age-related social determinants of health.

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Health Professional Education

Come together with students from within the Faculty of Health Sciences and other faculties to improve professional education and practice in health and social care disciplines.

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Health Promotion

Become familiar with various health promotion applications and research in areas such as behaviour change, lifestyle education and community development.

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Hearing Science

Develop expertise in normal and impaired auditory sensation, and investigate technologies and rehabilitation strategies for persons with hearing loss and other auditory processing disorders.

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Measurement & Methods

Understand the measurement approaches and analytic methods that help researchers in health and rehabilitation fields make new discoveries.

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Occupational Science

Take an interdisciplinary look at the complexities of human occupation and its contribution to the health and well-being of individuals, communities and societies.

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Physical Therapy

Understand the mechanisms underlying physical mobility in areas such as assessment, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, outcome measurement, and risk and prevention.

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Speech & Language Science

Understand the complexity of human communication at the crossroads of speech-language pathology, psychology, physiology, linguistics, neuroscience and engineering.

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