The Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Counseling is an interdisciplinary program in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling. The curriculum, in accordance with the guidelines of accreditation and certification organizations in rehabilitation counseling, provides for flexible programming in response to individual student needs and interests. The program is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education and fulfills national certification requirements in rehabilitation counseling. Program graduates are eligible to sit for the Rehabilitation Counseling Certification Examination. The program trains students to understand the physical, psychological, social, cultural and economic factors of persons with disabilities in terms of vocational adjustment, independent living, and employment.
Rehabilitation counseling is a challenging and expanding profession.
The rehabilitation counselor provides and coordinates services to persons with emotional, physical, learning, and developmental disabilities which interfere with productive functioning and independent living. Emphasis is placed on severe disability and its consequences, independent living, job development and placement, technology, business and industry, and consumer issues and rights. Graduates of the program are employed in a wide range of public and private rehabilitation settings. Course and field work total a minimum of 45 credit hours if the student has a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation. The typical program for other students is 57 hours, up to a maximum of 60 hours.