Program Information

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.

Degree Information

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

(120 credit hours) Requirements are subject to change.

Contact Information

For more information about this major, contact Professor Deborah Cook, chairperson of the Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Department at (413) 748-3321 or the Admissions Office at (800) 343-1257.

Curricular Requirements

General Education Program (40 - 46 credits)

The General Education program at Springfield College is informed by its century-old Humanics tradition of educating the whole person in spirit, mind, and body, for leadership in service to humanity. These requirements have the goal of developing literate, thoughtful, socially responsible students, and instilling in them a spirit of inquiry into the nature of humankind and the universe. Towards those ends, the requirements emphasize and encourage: the acquisition of knowledge, understanding, and competency essential for the improvement of the human condition in a diverse society; a search for personal and spiritual values; and the development of an understanding and appreciation of physical well-being. 

For specific requirements, see the General Education Program (40 - 46 credits)  section.

II. Major Requirements

Electives (to complete a minimum of 120 credits)

Programs Leading to Graduate Degrees

Dual Degree Pre-Professional Rehabilitation 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.