Prospective Students
Rehabilitation counselors and administrators provide rehabilitation services to Individuals from diverse backgrounds who have a variety of disabling conditions, including but not limited to cognitive disabilities, substance use disorders, visual or hearing impairments, psychiatric disabilities, and orthopedic disabilities. Rehabilitation professionals collaborate with their clients to enhance their autonomy, self-determination, and quality of life. They work with individuals in the context of their families and environments to effect positive change. In most cases, employment is an expected outcome. For some individuals, the goal is to maximize self-sufficiency and independence . SDSU's Rehabilitation Counseling Program addresses vocational, psychosocial, medical, and cultural aspects of disability. Students learn to propose, develop, package, and deliver rehabilitation services and programs, and to monitor, evaluate, and refine these programs.
Graduates of the RCP often serve as counselors and coordinators of rehabilitation programs, making services and benefits available to individuals with disabilities. Rehabilitation administrators may serve as program developers and entrepreneurs capable of identifying and responding to community needs. In these roles rehabilitation counselors and administrators serve as advocates for people with disabilities.
What kind of a job might I be able to do with an M.S. degree in rehabilitation counseling?
Upon graduation, a rehabilitation counselor is qualified to work in a wide variety of rehabilitation settings. A rehabilitation counselor can find employment within state vocational rehabilitation agencies nationwide, with federal vocational rehabilitation programs serving veterans with disabilities, in postsecondary educations programs that support students with disabilities, with state agencies serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and with community rehabilitation programs or other community-based agencies that provide rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. Some graduates work in specialized fields such as deafness, mental health, or alcohol and drug use disorders. Another market for rehabilitation counselors is private rehabilitation, providing rehabilitation services to injured workers. Some graduates develop their own career paths by securing grants or contracts that support services to individuals with disabilities. RCP graduates work as counselors and administrators in all of these settings.
San Diego: A Thriving Educational Center
San Diego with its warm, temperate climate, is the second largest city in California, and is a thriving cultural, scientific, and educational center. The area is home to five major universities, eight community colleges, many proprietary schools and numerous organizations with graduate assistantship, internship and job opportunities in the region.
Program offerings are described in the San Diego State University Graduate Bulletin. Sample course syllabi can be made available to prospective applicants upon request.