Rehabilitation Services Education

(Undergraduate Degree Program)

Field Experience
One of the chief objectives of the program is to provide for practical application of the on-campus undergraduate training experience. Such a program brings together in a realistic setting the diverse kinds of client behavior-and problems-with which a rehabilitation specialist is concerned. It helps the student acquire proficiency and gain confidence in applying one’s theoretical knowledge and integrating one’s segmented skills -- all under the supervision of an experienced and qualified rehabilitation supervisor. It also helps the student evaluate and test philosophies and attitudes within the context in which they must ultimately be made effective, at the same time providing the student with a means of assessing one’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to undergraduate work and the anticipated area of employment.

The internship is designed to allow the student the opportunity to pull together all of the on-campus course work and observation experiences. The internship is the last requirement to complete the undergraduate program in rehabilitation services education; it is taken the last semester of the senior year. It is usually 15 weeks in length and the student usually receives nine hours of academic credit. Since a student may have considerable part-time work experience, the possibility of negotiating a contract for full-time employment at the beginning of the internship is permitted if this is desired by both the student and the agency/program.