Rehabilitation Counseling Specialization

The Rehabilitation Counseling doctoral specialization at Utah State University offers students a unique combination of:

• extensive collaboration with faculty
• direct experience in research, teaching, counselor supervision, and grant writing
• focus on preparing outstanding rehabilitation counseling service providers

This specialization prepares graduates to be highly effective university faculty and agency administrators in rehabilitation counseling.  Graduates significantly improve the lives of persons with disabilities through research, teaching, and program administration.  

Opportunities

Doctoral students gain experience in teaching both traditional on-campus and technology mediated distance courses in conjunction with the Rehabilitation Counseling Master's Program, which is ranked among the top 15 in the nation.  The department's projects such as the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials provide outstanding opportunities for doctoral students to gain applied experience in conducting research.  Students are also encouraged to pursue their own research interests.

Courses and Requirements

Coursework

Core coursework that is common to all areas of disability disciplines.  This includes multidisciplinary courses that bring together diverse perspectives on disabilities and effective services as well as research methodology.  In addition, specialization courses provide deep coverage of current developments in rehabilitation counseling.

• Rehabilitation Counseling specialization coursework

Professional Products and Internships

A set of professional products and internships provide opportunities for mentored experience in critical professional skills.

• Research Internship
• Conference Presentation
• Review of Literature
• Publication
• College Teaching Internship
• Supervision Internship
• Grant Writing

Preliminary Exams

Preliminary exams are conducted after approximately one year of full time study (or the equivalent) and provide a focus for students to attain foundational skills in research design and critique, and disciplinary knowledge. This three part exams is completed across a three day period. Components of the exam are:

• Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis. Specific questions focus on key foundational knowledge of applied behavior analysis.
• Design of Research. The student outlines the design of a single-subject research project on a given topic relevant to special education.
• Critique of Research. The student critiques a manuscript reporting single-subject research within special education.

Dissertation

The dissertation is the capstone experience of the doctoral program. The student plans, carries out, analyzes, and interprets substantial original research that contributes to the advancement of their field of study.

Faculty

Primary Faculty

• Alan Lott, Ph.D.
• Julie F. Smart, Ph.D.
• Jared C. Schultz, Ph.D.

Support Faculty

• Judith M. Holt, Ph.D.
• Robert L. Morgan, Ph.D.
• Charles L. Salzberg, Ph.D.

 Contact Information

 For information on the Rehabilitation Counseling Specialization, please contact Dr. Jared Schultz.