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DHSc ARP Guide: Policies and Procedures

This website will serve as a guide for all students enrolled in the Applied Research Project (ARP) course series, DHSC8020 (pre-requisite) and DHSC9015 to 9055. Please refer to the guide often for direction following up with the ARP Facilitator as needed.

Developing and Completing the ARP

The ARP is a work in progress, in the sense that it starts with the first course and continues throughout the completion of the program of study.

By design, the DHSc program prepares its graduates to practice and serve as advanced leaders, educators, researchers, and contributors to the health science field. A.T. Still University faculty and resources are not the only sources of information and support available as you progress through the program. Your cohort, peers, colleagues, and many others, including family, will contribute greatly to your academic success.

The ARP consists of five courses that develop a research project from the stages of proposal to dissemination. The project is an applied, research-based effort in an area chosen by the student with the approval of the ARP Facilitator and DHSc Program Chair. The goal of the ARP is to advance practical knowledge in the health sciences based on applied research and analysis.

Policies and Procedures Specific to the ARP

  • You are encouraged to select an ARP topic relevant to your professional practice, interest, and background.

  • You cannot use a research project you are already involved with at your institution of employment to fulfill your ARP requirement. If you have questions about this, please contact your ARP Facilitator.

  • Projects that require an external Institutional Review Board (IRB) are discouraged. If, however, the study you wish to conduct would require approval from an institution's IRB (e.g., hospital, University) in addition to ATSU's IRB, please contact your ARP Facilitator.

  • You CAN collect survey data from current ATSU students, however, you MUST follow the procedures outlined in the attached document (Process for Students to Request ATSU Student Email Addresses for Surveys and Research Projects).

  • You may not use a mixed-methods research design.

  • If you do not successfully pass an ARP course you will not move forward in the next ARP course in the series.

  • It is your responsibility to keep your ARP Facilitator aware of how your data collection and ARP are progressing throughout the entire ARP process.

  • All ARP final manuscripts will be made accessible to ATSU faculty, students, staff, and alumni. Please do not propose an ARP that you cannot or do not feel comfortable sharing with the ATSU community.

  • Use the ATSU University Writing Center (UWC) for assistance with grammar and general readability for all ARP related writing as your facilitator will not provide this service; this is your responsibility. Use of the UWC is built into most assignments throughout the ARP course curriculum.

  • Please note students are responsible for all costs incurred to complete the ARP. Therefore, ensure you plan and budget for the project or choose a project that accommodates your available financial resources.