Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences, M.A.

College of Behavioral and Community Sciences

Department: Child and Family Studies

 

 

The online Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences major is a self-supporting program.  A cost comparison of tuition and fees can be found here.   Please note: With the exception of the Department of Children and Family (DCF) waivers, all other waivers (including State of Florida and USF employee) are not accepted for Self-Funded/Self-Supporting or Market Rate Tuition program courses. More info.

 

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The Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences (RCDS) major trains counselors to work with persons with physical, mental, emotional, and chemical disabilities. Training emphasizes psychological, social, medical, and vocational aspects of disability, and the development and refinement of personal adjustment counseling skills. Graduates with this M.A. are prepared for careers as both rehabilitation counselors and professional disability specialists. 

Rehabilitation counseling is a counseling specialty focused primarily on disability advocacy and vocational rehabilitation counseling for individuals with physical, mental, and/or developmental disabilities. This program prepares professionals to work with the growing population of people with disabilities in the U.S. with an emphasis on contemporary, state of art research and assistive technology in disability science.

With the increasing demands for rehabilitation counselors, this curriculum allows easy access for prospective students who maybe working full-time, residing outside the Tampa Bay area, and/or having limited resources to attend a traditional educational program.
After completion of this program, students are eligible to become credentialed as Certified Rehabilitation Counselors.  With this national certification, students will be licensed and prepared to work for various agencies serving people with disabilities. In addition, students graduating with this degree can obtain leadership positions in human resources and other agencies advocating for disability rights and disability justices.