Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences

The Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences (RCDS) major trains counselors to work with persons with physical, mental, emotional, and chemical disabilities. Training emphasizes psychological, social, medical, and vocational aspects of disability, and the development and refinement of personal adjustment counseling skills. Graduates with this M.A. are prepared for careers as both rehabilitation counselors and professional disability specialists. 

Rehabilitation counseling is a counseling specialty focused primarily on disability advocacy and vocational rehabilitation counseling for individuals with physical, mental, and/or developmental disabilities. This program prepares professionals to work with the growing population of people with disabilities in the U.S. with an emphasis on contemporary, state of art research and assistive technology in disability science.

With the increasing demands for rehabilitation counselors, this curriculum allows easy access for prospective students who maybe working full-time, residing outside the Tampa Bay area, and/or having limited resources to attend a traditional educational program.
After completion of this program, students are eligible to become credentialed as Certified Rehabilitation Counselors.  With this national certification, students will be licensed and prepared to work for various agencies serving people with disabilities. In addition, students graduating with this degree can obtain leadership positions in human resources and other agencies advocating for disability rights and disability justices. 

Admission Requirements

Each applicant to a graduate degree program at the University of South Florida is required to meet the following minimum requirements. Applicants should check with their program of interest to see if there are any additional application requirements (e.g. test scores, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose and resume).

• The equivalent bachelor’s and/or graduate degrees from a foreign institution. Bachelor’s degrees from institutions in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) are considered equivalent based on the Bologna Accord. For applicants with a 3-year bachelor’s degree with less than 120 hours, from non-Bologna Accord institutions, a transcript evaluation from a NACES member is required to confirm equivalency.

• Minimum grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in one of the following ways:
  • All completed undergraduate coursework
  • All completed graduate coursework

1. Submit Your Application

Complete the USF online application or the Common App application.

2. Pay Your Application Fee

Pay the nonrefundable, $30 application fee.

3. Submit Official Transcripts

Send original or certified copies of academic transcripts, mark sheets, grade reports, diplomas or certificates, national standardized examination results, or other academic course work to USF.

• Include a certified English translation for all documents not written in English. If you need assistance translating your documents into English, we recommend using the American Translators Association to find a certified translator.

• We can accept digital copies of these secondary and post-secondary school records emailed directly from an appropriate official at your school to [email protected]. Alternatively, mail your transcripts via post to:

University of South Florida
Office of Admissions
4202 E. Fowler Avenue, SVC 1036
Tampa, FL 33620
United States 

If you have completed all 4 years of high school in the U.S., you will need to submit your coursework and grades via the Student Self-Reported Academic Record (SSAR) website. If you have attended any overseas high school, you will need to submit your official transcripts.

4. Submit Official SAT or ACT Scores

If you are submitting ACT scores, you are required to submit scores for the Writing section, per Florida Board of Governors requirements. 

• SAT Code for USF: 5828
• ACT Code for USF: 0761