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.

To view a major program sequence to assist with course planning, click here.

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 Dr. Allison Cumming-McCann, PhD | Professor and Department Chair the Counseling Department at (413) 748-3025 or the Admissions Office at (800) 343-1257.

Curricular Requirements

I. Core Curriculum (40 credits)

This Core Curriculum is faithful to the Springfield College mission and further strengthens the Humanics philosophy of educating students in spirit, mind, and body. It is a cornerstone of a Springfield College education. Regardless of one’s major, it provides a strong, developmental, and holistic foundation for leaders in service to humanity. Upon completion, all graduates will be prepared to learn, lead, and serve in diverse, multicultural, and global contexts as well as in any career path they may choose. They will have the knowledge, habits of the mind, skills, and abilities to face unexpected situations and challenges, the values and attitudes for self-motivation and a vision of service that stems from hope, optimism and making a difference, as well as the self-determination to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

View the Core Curriculum Requirements (40 credits)  section for a complete list of the domains and courses therein.

II. Major Requirements (39 credits)

• CMDS 101 - Introduction to Communication Disorders Credits: 3
• HSCI 260 - Human Disease and Chronic Illness Credits: 3
• HSCI 320 - Health Assessment Credits: 3
• HSCI 482 - Senior Capstone in Health Science Credits: 3
• RHDS 126 - Principles of Rehabilitation Credits: 3
• RHDS 230 - Psychology of Disability and Illness Credits: 3
• RHDS 370 - Interviewing and Case Study Methods Credits: 3
• RHDS 384 - Practicum in Rehabilitation Services Credits: 3-6

• (must be taken for a minimum of 3 credits to meet program requirements)

• RHDS 386 - Rehabilitation Internship Credits: 1-18

• (must be taken for a minimum of 6 credits to meet program requirements)

• 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

III. 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.