UA News

The UA's rehabiliation counseling program, the only one of its kind in Arizona, has received a U.S. Department of Education grant to take on more doctoral students over the next five years.

Located at The University of Arizona, the only graduate-level rehabilitation counseling program in the state of Arizona, and one of fewer than three dozen in the United States, has just received a federal training grant to take on more doctoral students.

The U.S. Department of Education training grant totaling nearly $750,000 will allow the program to take on an additional six doctoral degree students over the next five years.

A nationwide need exists for graduate level-educated professionals who have trained in the area of rehabilitation counseling to work with individiuals with disabilities – and also doctoral-level educators to prepare them, said Amos Sales, the rehabilitation program director in the UA department of disability and psychoeducational studies.

"The largest growth of faculty in rehabilitation counseling occurred in the late 1970s, so we have a graying out of faculty with a lot of retirements," Sales said, noting that about 20 percent of rehabilitation faculty has left the profession within a period of five years.

Also, a recent provision in the Rehabilitation Act that counselors working for state-level vocational rehabilitation agencies have at least a master's degree is also driving the demand for programs like the one at the UA.

Sales also noted that projections indicate the 29 doctoral programs across the nation currently producing graduates who go on to become faculty members, which include the UA's program, will have to graduate 252 new doctoral students over the next five years.

His program typically enrolls 12 to 15 doctoral students each year with at least three graduating annually.

But, Sales added, estimates indicate that given the current configuration of programs, only about 182 doctoral degree earners will likely be produced.

But funding, like that from the U.S. Department of Education, should help in making up that difference, he said.

"That was the rationale and underlying reason for pursing the funding," Sales said.

With the new funding, the UA doctoral students will be able to forego tuition payments and also receive a $10,000 scholarship.

"This will enhance our recruitment abilities while also increasing our numbers," Sales said.

The program is currently recruiting students who will begin the program next year.

Students who have master's degrees in rehabilitation counseling and some work experience in the field as a practitioner or in providing services to individuals with disabilities are eligible to apply.

As part of the UA doctoral program, students must complete a two-semester residency requirement and fulfill at least 70 units on topics such as counseling, the cultural aspects of disability, rehabilitation psychology and research methods.

The program is structured so that doctoral students are assigned a faculty member based on interests.

The faculty member then works with the student to help them develop particular skills while also serving in a supervisory role, counseling and mentoring the student through their studies and practice.

"We have historically run into the issue of not having adequate amounts of resources to recruit students, especially students who are from out of the state," Sales said. "But the funding will help with that."