They also may provide general and specialized counseling to the non-disabled population as professional counselors in those states that regulate counselors. The rehabilitation counseling program at ESU was first accredited in 1975. Rehabilitation Counseling Program Accreditation is a type of professional recognition granted to M.S. degree programs that have met specified standards of preparation for master's level students. The rehabilitation counseling curriculum meets national preparation standards so that graduates are eligible for national certification . Students who follow the recommended 60 hour program option are also eligible to become licensed professional counselors in Kansas.
Certification is a form of professional recognition provided an individual .
The primary purpose of certification is to provide assurance that professionals engaged in rehabilitation counseling will meet acceptable standards of quality in practice. A limited number of federal scholarships may be available to full-time qualified graduate students majoring in rehabilitation counseling. These scholarships, which provide both tuition and a monthly stipend, are provided by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, a federal agency in the Department of Education. One important criteria to receive a scholarship is that the student, upon graduation, will obtain and maintain employment in a State rehabilitation agency or in a nonprofit rehabilitation or related agency providing services to individuals with handicaps under an agreement with a State agency on a full-time basis for a period of not less than two years for each academic year for which a scholarship is received . An application form for a scholarship may be obtained from the Director of Rehabilitation Programs.