[Top] [Prev] [Next] [Bottom]
Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions
Main Office
Chilton Hall, 218
P.O. Box 13438
Denton, TX 76203-6438
(817) 565-2488
The School of Community Service has filed a reorganization plan with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to change the way academic units are named and organized within the school. This change has been made because of the growth of these academic programs and to make it easier for students to find these units in university publications. Proposed changes submitted are reflected in the School of Community Service section of this catalog.
Thomas L. Evenson, Chair
Graduate Faculty: Barton, Bodenhamer-Davis, Englander-Golden, Evenson, Irons, Richardson, Rollins, Williamson.
The Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions (DRSWA) was founded as the Center for Rehabilitation Studies in 1967 to provide professional degrees and continuing education training in vocational rehabilitation services. The Institute for Studies in Addictions (ISA) became a part of the department in 1992. The social work program joined the department in 1995. The mission of the department is to develop and disseminate innovative and interdisciplinary practices which enhance opportunities for all people to live and work in their communities. This mission is accomplished through three functional divisions of the center: the Academic and Research Division, the Continuing Education and Technical Assistance Division, and the Vocational Rehabilitation Laboratories.
DRSWA offers course work and degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Graduate students may earn the following degree:
Rehabilitation
Career Opportunities
National commitments to improve opportunities and services for people with disabilities have affected the rehabilitation and education professions. Trends toward deinstitutionalization, community inclusion and empowerment of people with mental, emotional and physical disabilities have led to a vast increase in the number of individuals requiring personal, social, vocational and recreational services within their local communities. Highly trained professionals are needed to provide services to these individuals in a wide variety of public and private settings.
One of the fastest-growing professional specialties serving people with disabilities is rehabilitation counseling. Individuals working in this profession are employed in such settings as state and private rehabilitation agencies, community rehabilitation programs, supervised employment programs, pre- and post-secondary schools, medical and psychiatric hospitals, correctional facilities, community job sites, alcohol and drug treatment centers, community mental health centers, governmental agencies, rehabilitation programs in business and industry, and independent practice.
Students completing a Master of Science degree with a major in rehabilitation services from UNT's Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions may select from a regional and national supply of job openings that currently far exceeds the number of qualified applicants.
Research
The Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions conducts applied research and program evaluation projects within the department's own vocational rehabilitation laboratories, as well as in rehabilitation field site locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and the surrounding five-state region. The department's current research programs focus on substance abuse prevention, poverty, welfare recipients, service delivery within the state vocational rehabilitation system, models of supported employment and community integration, neurotherapy and self-regulation methods for people with addictions and severe disabilities, and community rehabilitation programs. Research projects conducted by DRSWA contribute to the improvement of the department's client services, educational programs and the body of knowledge in the fields of vocational rehabilitation, social welfare policy and addictions.
DRSWA has administered and participated in numerous projects externally funded through such sources as the U.S. Department of Education, the Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Texas Rehabilitation Commission and the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the master's degree program with a major in rehabilitation services is contingent upon admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. Criteria for admission are detailed in the Admission section of this catalog and include a minimum combined score of 800 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applications to the graduate program in rehabilitation services are accepted twice a year. The deadline for submission of all application materials, including satisfactory GRE scores, is November 1 and April 1 respectively for spring and fall semesters.
All applications should include the following:
1. DRSWA graduate program application;
2. two letters of recommendation, one from a former instructor and the other from an employer;
3. evidence of a work history with the equivalent of one year of full-time employment; and
4. record of a personal interview with one of the designated DRSWA graduate program coordinators.
Complete applications are reviewed by the DRSWA graduate faculty, who make recommendations for acceptance of applicants to the program. Acceptance or rejection is determined by composite rather than a single criterion. Students are notified by letter of the faculty's recommendation on their application.
Degree Programs
The department offers graduate programs leading to the following degree:
Master of Science
The program requires a minimum of 48 semester hours of academic preparation. The degree includes a core curriculum of 27 hours, which is completed by all students and 21 hours of advanced course work in a selected area. Interested students may also complete a thesis or problem in lieu of thesis as part of their program of study.
Core Rehabilitation Curriculum, 27 hours
The core course work consists of basic preparatory studies in disability, educational and occupational information, counseling and case management, and the vocational rehabilitation process. The core curriculum consists of the following courses.
- · RHAB 5040, Rehabilitation Foundations, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5050, Rehabilitation Case Management and Reporting, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5230, Psychosocial Aspects of Rehabilitation, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5270, Rehabilitation Research and Proposal Writing, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5350, Medical and Psychiatric Aspects of Rehabilitation, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5400, Techniques in Rehabilitation Counseling and Adjustment Services, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5411, Introduction to Assessment and Vocational Evaluation, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5412, Occupational Information and Vocational Analysis, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5413, Job Placement Theories and Methods, 3 hours
The student who is lacking basic preparation in any of the above core knowledge and skill areas may be required to complete prerequisite course work or complete individual studies prior to entry into one of the advanced graduate courses.
Advanced Coursework, 21 hours
After completion of the core curriculum, students complete 21 semester credit hours selected from the following courses.
- · RHAB 5250, Topics in Rehabilitation, 1-3 hours
- · RHAB 5300, Rehabilitation Counseling Theories, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5410, Seminar in Techniques and Advanced Practices in Rehabilitation Counseling, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5420, Vocational Evaluation Systems, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5430, Use and Interpretation of Vocational Evaluation Data, 3 hours
- · EDSS 5730, Appraisal in Adolescent and Adult Counseling, 3 hours
- · EDSS 5740, Group Counseling Theories, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5811, Practicum in Vocational Evaluation, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5811, Practicum in Rehabilitation, 3 hours
- · RHAB 5811, Practicum in Addiction Studies, variable credit
- · RHAB 5812, Internship in Vocational Evaluation, 6 hours
- · RHAB 5812, Internship in Rehabilitation, 6 hours
- · RHAB 5812, Internship in Addiction Studies, variable credit
- · Elective, 3 hours.
Advanced Placement
Students with undergraduate course work in rehabilitation or students having extensive rehabilitation field experience may apply to take advanced placement examinations in any of the core curriculum courses except RHAB 5270.
Graduate Comprehensive Examination
All candidates for the master's degree must pass a final written comprehensive examination over their course of study. The examination covers the major and minor fields, if a minor is included in the student's degree plan, and the thesis, if a thesis is elected.
Degree Plan Preparation
By the end of their first semester, students accepted into the graduate program in rehabilitation services will select an academic adviser from among the DRSWA faculty. The academic adviser will assist the student in developing a formal degree plan by the end of the student's second semester in the program.
Minors
The rehabilitation services curriculum does not usually include a minor, but students may elect to include a minor of 6 to 9 hours. The inclusion of a minor may result in a degree plan that exceeds the 48 semester hour minimum.
Program Accreditation and Professional Certification/Licensing
The graduate curriculum in rehabilitation services is designed to satisfy the accreditation standards published by the Council on Rehabilitation Education Inc. (CORE). Although there is no current national accreditation process for graduate programs in vocational evaluation, the curriculum meets standards established by the Commission on Certification of Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Specialists (CCWAVES).
Students completing the concentration in vocational evaluation are eligible to take a national certification examination to qualify for the credential of Certified Vocational Evaluator.
Inclusion of two to three additional select courses in the degree plan in rehabilitation counseling may qualify an individual, following appropriate supervision experiences, to sit for the licensing examination for professional counselors administered by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors.
Financial Assistance
The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) of the U.S. Department of Education often provides financial support to graduate students in rehabilitation to increase the number of qualified professionals in various rehabilitation service occupations. DRSWA occasionally is able to provide RSA stipend assistance to qualified students to support their graduate studies in rehabilitation services. The availability of such federal stipend support varies from year to year. Inquiries should be made at the time of application to the rehabilitation graduate program.
Social Work
Main Office
Chilton Hall, 28
P.O. Box 13438
Denton, TX 76203-6438
(817) 565-2488
Celia Williamson, Program Director
Graduate Faculty: Barton, Davidson, Evenson, Pillai, Williamson.
A major in social work is not offered at the graduate level. Social work, however, may be taken as a minor for the master's degree and as supporting work for the doctorate.
Institute for Studies in Addiction
The Institute for Studies in Addiction is a research and training component within the Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions (DRSWA) that focuses on issues related to substance abuse and addictions. Objectives of the institute include research and program development that results in an increase in the knowledge and skills of professionals in fields requiring specific knowledge and human-service skills for work in prevention, intervention and treatment of substance abuse and addictions.
Through DRSWA, courses are offered to enable students to meet the academic requirements for Texas certification of alcoholism and drug counselors and for Texas licensure of chemical dependency counselors. People who work in the field of chemical dependency and other addictions represent a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. To meet the educational needs of professionals in this field, DRSWA faculty may work closely with faculty in related graduate programs at UNT, such as counselor education and sociology, for students seeking the Master of Science with a major in interdisciplinary studies (MSIS). Advising for MSIS and PhD students is done jointly between DRSWA and the degree-granting department. More information about the MSIS can be found in the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies section of this catalog.
[Top] [Prev] [Next] [Bottom]