The College of Applied Health Sciences will be holding its annual Ph.D. Recruitment Day on Nov. 15 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in 114 Huff Hall.

Attendees will learn more about Ph.D. degree options within AHS, including information about admissions, financial aid and career prospects. 

Cynthia Johnson Parsons, associate professor and director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science, gave her insight into the event in regards to her own department.

“Ph.D. Recruitment Day is an important opportunity for prospective students to learn the nature of a research doctoral program at the University, to hear why current students wanted to pursue this advanced degree, why they chose the University of Illinois over other opportunities, what it is like to be a Ph.D. student, what the career prospects are and what sort of funding will be available to help them successfully complete their Ph.D. program,” Parsons said in an email.

Current doctoral students will speak at the event about their reasons for joining AHS and their experiences within the program.

Attendees will also visit their program of choice to learn about the specifics of the application process and speak with faculty concerning their research.

“Speech and Hearing Science visitors for Ph.D. Recruitment Day have the opportunity to get to know better the research mentor they may have already chosen and communicated with, and to become familiar with the mentor’s lab team of other students and the research projects conducted in the lab,” Parsons said. “Recruitment day attendees also have the opportunity to meet many other faculty members in SHS, tour their labs and meet our current Ph.D. and other graduate students.”

Parsons said attending recruitment day can be a great help in a student’s application progress since visitors can get advice and answers on what to include in their applications and what factors can make them more appealing when applying for positions or programs.

“We also answer questions about what the visitors might want to consider covering in the personal statement, what to include in the resume and what factors to consider when requesting letters of recommendation,” Parsons said.

Parsons said this event is intended to showcase the brightest opportunities and the best resources AHS has to offer to future innovators.

“Our department strives to send Ph.D. graduates out into the world as national and international scholars and leaders in communication sciences and disorders, who will educate the next generation of audiologists, speech-language pathologists and researchers,” Parsons said. “Our department is dedicated to solving real communication problems for people who experience disabilities, just as our College of AHS is dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of those with disabilities.

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