The Rehabilitation Counseling program provides students with the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and to become eligible to take the national Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) examination. The program welcomes employees of state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, non-traditional students, students with disabilities, and students who are traditionally underrepresented.

Rehabilitation counselors assist individuals with a disability to obtain competitive employment and/or achieve independent living goals. Rehabilitation counselors have a multifaceted role that includes vocational services, case management, job development, and placement counseling. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) is the accrediting body for graduate level counseling programs. MSRC program is accredited by CACREP under rehabilitation counseling specialty area.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program (MSRC) is to advance the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to work with persons who have physical, mental or emotional disabilities.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate the skills necessary to access, analyze, plan, and implement actions needed to facilitate employment and independent living services to people with disabilities.
• Demonstrate the ability to utilize appropriate job technology and accommodations for employees with disabilities.
• Demonstrate the ability to establish effective, person-centered counseling relationships with service team members and consumers with disabilities.
• Demonstrate ethical behaviors as required of professionals in the field of rehabilitation counseling.
• Facilitate interactions with consumers that exemplify multicultural knowledge, respect for diversity, and professionalism.

Application Deadlines

• Admission application deadline for fall (August) enrollment is April 15th.
• Admission application deadline for spring (January) enrollment is November 15th.
• Admission application deadline for summer (May) enrollment is April 1st.

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for acceptance into the Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling (MS) program, the applicant must have:

• A baccalaureate degree from an regionally accredited college or university
• A recent Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score
• A cumulative minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.7
• An in person interview with graduate faculty, faculty from the Rehabilitation Counseling program, and representatives of public, community, or private rehabilitation.
• First priority for admission will be given to applicants who currently work as rehabilitation counselors, work in the field of rehabilitative services, or plan to seek employment as rehabilitation counselors.

Transfer Credits

In accordance with the transfer policy of the Winston-Salem State University and the national accreditation standards for Master’s programs in Rehabilitation Counseling, applicants may be allowed to transfer up to twelve (12) credit hours from an accredited graduate school program.  Courses from undergraduate programs are not accepted for transfer into the MSRC program; therefore the program does not provide an equivalency provisions. 

Degree Requirements

A total of sixty (63) credit hours with seven hundred (700) clinical hours for practicum (100 clinical hours) and internship hours (600 clinical hours) are required for the MSRC program. The student must maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain in good standing, complete the Certified Rehabilitation Counseling Exam, and a research project or thesis to complete the degree.

Time Limits for Completion

The Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling curriculum may be completed in a minimum of two and half (2.5) to three (3) years of full-time study (at least 9-12 credit hours per semester) and one 10- week summer session (9 credit hours total).

Foundation Courses (30 credit hours)

Course Number	Course Title	Semester	Year
REH 5301	Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling	Fall	1
REH 5302	Theories and Techniques of Counseling	Spring	1
REH 5303	Group Counseling	Summer	1
REH 5304	Assessment in Professional and Rehabilitation Counseling	Spring	1
REH 5309	Ethics in Rehabilitation Counseling	Fall	1
REH 5318	Helping Relationships & Techniques in Counseling	Spring	1
REH 5325	Career Decision-Making in Rural Settings	Summer	1
REH 6304	Human Growth and Development	Spring	2
REH 6307	Psychosocial & Cultural Diversity Issues	Spring	2
REH 6330	Crisis Counseling	Summer	2

  

Breadth - Required for Degree (12 credits)

Course Number	Course Title	Semester	Year
REH 6306	Research & Program Evaluation Methods	Fall	2
REH 6310	Project/Rehabilitation Counseling	Fall/Spring	3/2
REH 6314	Family Collaboration/Intervention	Spring	2
REH 5320	Psychopathology and Treatment in Rehabilitation	Fall/Summer	2/2

Fieldwork (9 credits)

Course Number	Course Title	Semester	Year
REH 5308	Practicum	Fall/Spring	2/2
REH 6601	Internship	Fall/Spring	3/3

 

Areas of Concentration/Emphasis

MSRC program has five areas of emphasis: Clinical Mental Health, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Rehabilitation Counseling, Transition, and Vocational Evaluation. Each emphasis area requires 12 credits including an elective. Students can choose more of the one concentration/emphasis areas. If the student chooses both rehabilitation counseling and clinical mental health concentrations/emphasis areas, they must have complete two internships: REH 6601  Internship in Rehabilitation Counseling and REH 6335   Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling to graduate from CACREP approved rehabilitation counseling and clinical mental health programs. Both internship courses will require 600 clinical hours in that each concentration/emphasis area.

Clincial Mental Health (12 credits - 63 credits)

Rehabilitation Counseling (12 credits - 63 credits)

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (12 credits - 63 credits)

Vocational Evaluation (63 credits)

Transition (63 credits)

Course Number

Course Title

Semester/Year

Course Number

Course Title

Semester/Year

Course Number

Course Title

Semester/Year

Course Number

Course Title

Semester/Year

Course Number

Course Title

Semester/Year

REH 6328

Foundations of Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Fall/Year 1

REH 5304

Medical and Psychosocial Aspects

Fall/Year 1

REH 5314

Counseling for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Fall/

REH 6313

Advanced Vocational Evaluation

Summer/Year 2

REH 5313

Transition from School to Work

Fall

REH 6319

Psychopharmacology

Fall/Year 2

REH 6301

Vocational Placement

Fall/Year 2

REH 6316

Psychosocial Aspects of Deafness

Spring

REH 6313

Vocational Evaluation Transition

Spring

REH 6313

Vocational Evaluation Transition

Spring

REH 6320

Addiction Counseling

Summer/Year 1

REH 6302

Case Management

Summer/Year 1

REH 6315

Vocational Evaluation Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Spring

REH 6315

Vocational Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Spring

REH 6312

Job Placement in Transition

Spring

Elective

Elective

Elective

Elective

Elective

 

Professional Work Requirements

In addition to completing the coursework for obtaining an MSRC degree, students are also required to complete a one 100 clock-hour practicum and a 600 clock-hour internship in one of specialty areas in an approved internship site under university supervision. The internship can be completed in two semesters with 300 clinical hours per semester or one semester with 600 clinical hours.

Career Opportunities

Rehabilitation counselors work in diverse settings, such as state and federal departments of rehabilitation services, independent living centers, special education/transition programs, psychiatric rehabilitation programs, developmental disability programs, substance abuse programs, hospitals, disability management programs in business and industry, and other private and public agencies.