Rehabilitation and Disability Studies

Degree: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with a major in Rehabilitation and Disability Studies

(120 credit hours) Requirements are subject to change.

The mission of the Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Department at Springfield College is to educate students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership and service to persons with chronic illnesses and disabilities. The faculty and staff of the program embrace the philosophy that every individual, regardless of disability status, has the right to live the most complete, independent, and productive life that they choose. The rehabilitation and disability studies major is designed to provide a broad orientation to the major concepts underlying the philosophy of rehabilitation. The student’s academic experience is supplemented by vital supervised field experience, concurrent with classroom study.

Students in the program prepare to enter a variety of professions at either the bachelor’s degree level or at the level requiring advanced graduate work. Career opportunities abound in private and public hospitals, schools, and agencies dedicated to the cause of assisting people with physical, psychological, or mental disabilities achieve their fullest physical, psychological, social, vocational, and economic potential according to their capabilities.

The rehabilitation and disability studies major has several points of entry. Students may be accepted into the program upon admission or transfer into it from another major. Incoming first-year students who are motivated and highly qualified may opt for the dual degree program, an accelerated five-year program which offers students a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation and disability studies and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and services. The dual degree student is thus well-prepared for leadership positions in the field of rehabilitation counseling. Transfer students who meet the academic and prerequisite requirements may also apply to the dual degree program. Some students discover later that they have an interest in pursuing an advanced degree in rehabilitation. Those students may apply in their junior year for the advanced senior program and, if accepted, begin their master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and services during their senior year.

For more information about this major, contact Dr. Robert L. Hewes, chairperson of the Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Department at (413) 748-3769 or the Admissions Office at (800) 343-1257.

Download a Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Program Checksheet

II. Major Requirements

A. Core Requirements

CMDS 101 - Introduction to Communication Disorders Credits: 3
RHDS 126 - Principles of Rehabilitation Credits: 3
RHDS 230 - Psychology of Disability and Illness Credits: 3
RHDS 260 - Human Disease and Chronic Illness Credits: 3
RHDS 320 - Concepts of Assessment and Intervention in Health Care Credits: 3
RHDS 384 - Practicum in Rehabilitation Services Credits: 3-6
RHDS 386 - Rehabilitation Internship Credits: 6-18
RHDS 402 - Implication of Disability for the Family Credits: 3
RHDS 430 - Children with Disabilities Credits: 3
RHDS 470 - Needs of the Aging Credits: 3
RHDS 482 - Senior Seminar Credits: 3

B. Concentration Requirements

In addition, students choose a 12 credit Rehabiliation and Disabilities Studies concentration or create their own focus through an Interdisciplinary concentration:

1. Addictions and Mental Health

RHDS 370 - Interviewing and Case Study Methods Credits: 3
RHDS 485 - Treatment Methods in Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Credits: 3
RHDS 487 - Substance Abuse and Family Treatment Credits: 3
RHDS 492 - Group Process in Rehabilitation Credits: 3

2. Children’s Development Services

RHDS 370 - Interviewing and Case Study Methods Credits: 3
RHDS 442 - Behavioral Techniques for the Developmentally Disabled Credits: 3
RHDS 464 - Autism and other Developmental Disabilities Credits: 3
RHDS 483 - Learning Disabilities Credits: 3

3. Interdisciplinary Studies

RHDS 370 - Interviewing and Case Study Methods Credits: 3
Select 3 additional RHDS courses for a total of 12 credits.
RHDS 4XX - Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Selective Credits: 3
RHDS 4XX - Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Selective Credits: 3
RHDS 4XX - Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Selective Credits: 3

4. Medical Rehabilitation

RHDS 370 - Interviewing and Case Study Methods Credits: 3
RHDS 469 - Behavioral Medicine Approaches to Chronic Disease and Disability Credits: 3
RHDS 475 - Integrated Medicine Credits: 3
RHDS 491 - Neurological Disabilities and Cognitive Rehabilitation Credits: 3

Programs Leading to Graduate Degrees

Dual Degree Pre-Professional Rehailitation Counseling and Services Program

The dual degree program offers students who are motivated and highly qualified the opportunity to enter an accelerated five-year program which offers students a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation and disability studies and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and services. Students may apply in their junior year for the dual degree pre-professional program. If accepted, they can begin their master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and services during their senior year. Eligibility requirements include the following:

Students must attain senior status with the completion of a minimum of 96 semester hours of acceptable undergraduate work with either a rehabilitation and disability studies major or minor or at least 12 s.h. of course work in the following areas: principles of rehabilitation, human disease, psychosocial aspects of disability, and interviewing and case study methods.
The total undergraduate cumulative grade point average and the cumulative grade point average in the major, based on a minimum of 96 semester hours of acceptable course work, should be 3.000 or better.
Students should demonstrate both personal and professional potential for future success and performance measured by factors such as scholarly work, personal and professional references, co-curricular and leadership activities, paid employment, volunteer work, and fieldwork experiences.

Qualified students then begin the graduate program in their fourth year, while also completing any undergraduate requirements. Graduate coursework and practicums continue through the summer, the fifth year, and the following summer. The program requires a minimum total of 48 semester hours of acceptable graduate credit. A minimum of 750 hours of graduate-level practicum and internship are required to be eligible for the National Certification Examination to become a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor.

Academic Catalog