Rehabilitation and Human Services
Rehabilitation and Human Services is a degree designed to prepare students for
careers in which they will enhance the independence and integration of persons
with disabilities. . .
RHS professionals assist people experiencing disabilities related to physical, psychological, or environmental problems. The duties of the RHS professional vary greatly depending on their occupational specialty, which is determined by the setting in which they work and the population they serve (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009).
Students learn to work with individuals and families who are experiencing the effects of physical, developmental, learning, psychiatric, cognitive disabilities, and addiction. With the growing number of people with disabilities actively participating in community life, the demand for well-trained rehabilitation professionals is high. The RHS major and minor are intended to help supply workers for a well-documented personnel shortage while enhancing the quality of life of persons with disabilities.
What you can do with a degree in
Rehabilitation and Human Services. . .
Our graduates are currently working in a variety of human service contexts, including hospital-based rehabilitation such as within occupational or physical therapy units, private and public vocational rehabilitation agencies, community mental health centers, and chemical dependency programs. Program graduates also work in industry-based rehabilitation programs including disability management, case management/human resources, or employee assistance programs. Rehabilitation majors and minors also find careers in related settings including independent living programs; therapeutic recreation; criminal/ juvenile justice; social services and forensic rehabilitation; special education; college disability support programs; local, state and federal government agencies such as Veterans Affairs; psychiatric hospitals, and centers for communication disorders.
Related fields include medical rehabilitation, therapeutic recreation, prosthetics and orthotics, special education, college disability support programs, programs for persons with visual impairments, programs for persons with hearing impairments, physical therapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitation nursing, and communication disorders.
Our graduates are in very high demand due to the growing number people in our society who experience disability associated with medical or psychological disorders. The increasing economic toll associated with disability, coupled with state and federal legislative mandates regarding the civil and employment rights of individuals living with disability, have resulted in substantial and varied career opportunities for students with specialized training in disability and rehabilitation.
Program Options. . .
To prepare students for careers in rehabilitation & human services, concentrations are available in substance abuse counseling, gerontology, developmental disabilities, mental health, visual and hearing impairments, and prosthetics/orthotics. Graduates of the RHS addictions program are well positioned to obtain licensure in North Dakota and other states in substance abuse counseling. Students interested in specializing in alternative areas of disability and rehabilitation work closely with faculty advisors to develop a personalized plan of study that satisfies core program requirements and integrates their unique rehabilitation related educational and career goals.
Getting in. . .
Students are expected to work on their Essential Studies requirements during their first three semesters including introductory courses in psychology, sociology, English composition, English literature, political science, history, helping skills, and cultural diversity. A special application process is required for admission into the RHS program. Students may apply for the program at any time and are recognized as pre-RHS majors until the completion of 45 semester credits with an overall GPA of 2.50 or higher, of RHS 250, and of at least 40 hours of volunteer work or employment in a community rehabilitation agency. A written statement of interest in the field is also required. The application for admission and additional information is available at www.und.edu/dept/rhs.8
Information continued on opposite side. . .
Rehabilitation and Human Services continued. . .
It’s A Fact. . .
- Average class size for courses in the major is 15-20.
- There are two full-time faculty and five adjuncts for the program.
- The major was first offered at UND in 2001.
- UND Rehab Club is active on campus.
- People interested in rehabilitation & human services should have a strong desire to help others and should be able to instill hope and inspire respect, trust, and confidence. They should be able to work independently or as part of a team.
- The program is one of over 25 approved undergraduate rehabilitation programs recognized by the Council on Rehabilitation Education, an international accrediting body that includes programs from across the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Europe. (Accreditation of undergraduate rehabilitation programs is not currently available.)
- A 480-hour internship in a professional rehabilitation agency is required as part of the curriculum.
- A program fee of $225/semester supports technology, student programming, and continuous improvements in curriculum and facilities.
- Employment opportunities in rehabilitation & human services are projected to grow much faster than average for all occupations with the result that RHS graduates will have many career options open to them upon entering the job market.
- In 2007 nearly 15% of the entire US population (over 41 million people) reported living with one or more forms of disability. During the same time period only about 21% of working aged adults with a disability were employed full time/full year compared with nearly 57% of persons without a disability (Erickson & Lee, 2008).
- The potential for rapid advancement to administrative or managerial positions in rehabilitation & human service occupations for workers with an advanced bachelor’s degree is excellent.
- From 2002 to 2009, annual earnings of rehabilitation & human services professionals ranged from $22,380 to $70,000 (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009) and access to employer sponsored health care was excellent.
- Demand for rehabilitation & human services workers will expand with the growing elderly population. Additionally, more RHS workers will be needed to provide services to pregnant teenagers, people who are homeless, people with mental or developmental disabilities, and people with substance use related disorders. (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009).
- As social welfare policies shift focus from benefit-based programs to work-based initiatives, there will be more demand for people to provide vocational services such as job seeking and skills training, reasonable accommodation, and return to work. Students in the UND RHS program receive training in these key areas of rehabilitation.
It’s A Fact (continued). . .
• Both the frequency and economic toll of disability in society is increasing (U.S. Department of Labor, 2009). The
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that residential care establishments should face increased pressures to respond to the needs of individuals who have mental or developmental forms of disability. More community-based programs and supportive independent-living sites are expected to be established to house and assist individuals living with a disability. Such factors contribute to the growing occupational outlook for well trained rehabilitation & human services workers in today’s workforce.
- As people with substance use related disorders are increasingly being sent to treatment programs instead of prison, employment of rehabilitation & human services workers in substance abuse treatment programs is expected to grow
(U.S. Department of Labor).
Unique characteristics of UND’s Rehabili
tation and Human Services program. . .
To encourage undergraduate RHS majors to extend their studies to include a graduate degree, the Department of Counseling offers a Combined Program in Counseling with a Rehabilitation Emphasis. This program allows undergraduate RHS majors to begin taking graduate courses during their senior year and then complete their master’s degree in one additional year. These students must meet all of the admission requirements for the Counseling master’s program, they must have completed at least 95 credits with a minimum GPA of 3.0, and they must have been accepted by the Graduate School.
Students in the program receive advanced training in multiple aspects of disability. The program curriculum prepares students for careers in a variety of contexts. Graduates of the program have the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to facilitate delivery of effective rehabilitation services to individual with psychological and/or physical disabilities.
For more information. . .
Rehabilitation and Human Services University of North Dakota Gillette Hall Room 110, Stop 7116 Grand Forks, ND 58202-7116 (701)777-2346 FAX (701)777-3845 http://www.und.edu/dept/rhs/
davidperry@mail.und.edu
antony.white@und.edu
