Annual Report 2017-2018
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH
DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION AND DISABILITY STUDIES
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CLINICAL REHABILITATION COUNSELING: PROGRAM OUTCOMES
Accreditation Status of the Program
The Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling had a 48-hour program with specializations in Assistive Technology (AT) and Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment (VEWA) and a 60-hour with a specialization in Psychiatric Rehabilitation (PR). The program was fully accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) through 2018. On July 1, 2017 CORE has merged with the CACREP (Council on Counseling and Related Educational Programs). Currently, the Rehabilitation Counseling program at Southern University and A&M College is accredited by CACREP through October 2019. The program has implemented a 60-hour curriculum in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling in Fall, 2018 and seeking accreditation status from CACREP. The students who are participating in Rehabilitation Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program will be considered having graduated from a CACREP accredited program.
Programmatic Changes
In the response of the changing landscape of the field of rehabilitation and counseling profession, as well as the merger of CORE and CACREP, the Department of Rehabilitation and Disabilities Studies has made the decision to pursue accreditation of a 60-hour Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program that will serve the students in a more flexible way. The shift to Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling has come with programmatic changes:
- A shift from a minimum of a 48-hour to a 60-hour program.
- Existing courses were modified to meet 2016 CACREP Standards
- New courses were added to meet 2016 CACREP standards. (http://www.subr.edu/assets/subr/RehabandDisabilityStudies/CURRICULUM.pdf)
- Key Performance Indicators were added to ensure Student Learning Outcomes.
- Professional Disposition Measures were added to ensure that the graduates will follow the principles and standards of the rehabilitation counseling profession.
- Some students were already participating in a 60-hour program. Enrolled students were given the opportunity to graduate from either curriculum.
The above changes will allow the graduates to pursue national certification and state license.
Retention Rate
During 2017–2018, the department had 32 students enrolled. There were 4 males and 28 females, 23 Black and 9 White, 3 students with disability, and 23 on campus and 9 online. Among the 32 students: 21 full-time, 7 part-time, and 4 graduating. Three students dropped out from the program for the following reasons: low GPA, financial issues, and time conflict. Therefore, the retention rate for the 2017-2018 academic year was 91%.
Time Necessary to Complete the Program
The average time necessary to complete the Master’s Degree in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program is 2 years, 6 semesters including summers, if the students are enrolled as a full-time student (12 credit hours per semester). The part-times students will require longer than 2 years depending upon the number of credit hours enrolled per semester.
Estimated Cost
The tuition cost for the 2017-2018 academic year for a full-time graduate student (12 hours in fall, 12 hours in spring, and 9 hours in summer) was $13,645. The total number of credit hours for the M.S. degree in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling is 60 credit hours. Tuition may increase each year by varying amounts about 3-5%. It is expected for two years of graduate studies; the cost of tuition will be about $29,000. Whether a student enrolls for courses on a full-time or part-time basis will affect the total cost of the degree, as students who complete coursework over a longer period of time may be subject to a larger number of annual tuition increases. Students should plan for an increase in tuition each year and calculate the total cost based on their anticipated length of stay in the program. Besides the tuition fees, the student needs to estimate the cost of books, lodging, and other expenses.
Scholarships, Graduate Assistantships, and Financial Aids
The program has been successful in securing long term training grants from Rehabilitation Services Administration, U. S. Department of Education. The grant provides scholarship of $20,000 per year to qualified students which covers tuition and fees, Books, monthly stipend, and travel to conferences. The current grant cycle ends in 2019. Therefore, no new scholarships will be available to students enrolled for Fall, 2018 until new cycle of grants are announced, applied, and awarded.
A limited number of Graduate Assistantships are available on competitive basis from the Graduate School. For information, please visit:
In addition, the students are urged to visit the website of the Financial Aid Office at http://www.subr.edu/subhome/50 to apply for financial aid and contact Financial Aid Counselor for guidance in financial planning at 225-771-2790.
Employment Rate of Graduates
A total of 5 students graduated during the 2017-2018 academic year. Within 6 months of graduation, 4 of these graduates obtained employment. Employment rate was 80%.
Employment Settings where Graduates Work
The graduates work in a variety of settings, including Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies around the country, Community Based Rehabilitation Programs, nonprofit rehabilitation agencies, community-based mental health agencies, the Veterans Administration, and private for-profit rehabilitation organizations. More than 50% of the graduates are working for nonprofit/community-based rehabilitation programs.
Passing Rate for the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Examination
According to the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) outcome data, the passing rate on the certifying examination for students was 50% for 2017-2018.
Certification and Licensure
The M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling is fully accredited the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) through October 2019. Current students are able to graduate utilizing the current course of study (48 credit hours) or transition to the new program of study, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program (CRCP) of 60 credit hours. The department is seeking accreditation of Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling from CACREP. Prospective students wishing to learn more about accreditation or to verify the accreditation status of a program should visit CACREP website at www.cacrep.org.
Upon completion of 75% of the course work, the students are eligible to take national certification examination and earn the title of Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), which is the standard certification for rehabilitation counseling practice in the United States. More information can be obtained from the CRCC website at https://www.crccertification.com.
The graduates are also eligible to take the National Counseling Examination (NCE) through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) and to become a National Certified Counselor (NCC).
In Louisiana, the graduates are eligible to apply for Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor (LRC). For information, please visit https://counselor-licewnse.com/ become-a-rehabilitation-counselor/louisiana-rehabilitation-counselor/
In addition, the graduates are eligible to become Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). The regulations related to becoming LPC vary from state to state. Therefore, the graduates are encouraged to check the licensing law in the state in which they intend to reside following graduation. However, some states may have additional requirements. For example, if a state requires extra coursework, it is important for the student to identify this and discuss the matter with the faculty to determine if the needed coursework is offered at the university. To check on the requirements for a specific state, the graduates are urged to visit the American Counseling Association website: