Distance Learning in Rehabilitation Counseling Virginia Commonwealth University
Now accepting applications
The Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is now accepting applications for our distance-learning degree programs. If you wish to apply for admission as a distance-learning student, please indicate "Distance Learning" as the area of specialization on your application for admission. The application form can be found through the following website:
http://www.sahp.vcu.edu/rehab/prospective/distancelearning.html
If you don't wish to enroll in a VCU degree program but just wish to take a course or two online, please contact rehabcnsling@vcu.edu for more information about how to apply for "special student" status. This option is available for working professionals seeking CEU credits.
Format of the program
The distance-learning program is a flexible program involving two in-person (skill development) courses, with the rest of the courses online. To accommodate students living at a distance from the university, both of the skills development courses are offered in an intensive one-week format on campus. All of the other courses are offered online in an asynchronous (any time) format. You can choose the best time and place to interact with your course materials, classmates, and instructors, to fit your own schedule.
Course materials are provided in formats accessible to students with disabilities. Most courses include audio/video materials to demonstrate essential concepts; many utilize tutorials to help students engage interactively with the content. All courses rely extensively on group discussion to deepen understanding and demonstrate application of important concepts, using online "threaded discussions" through the Blackboard course interface. Discussion groups are kept relatively small, to allow for in-depth interaction between group members and the section instructor.
Quality and experience
The Rehabilitation Counseling program at VCU is among the top 20 in the nation, according to U. S. News and World Report. Just as VCU started one of the very first Rehabilitation Counseling programs in the country (in 1955), we are innovators in developing online training. Our alumni already include more than 150 students who successfully completed the distance learning degree program. Our accrediting body (Council on Rehabilitation Education, CORE) separately evaluated our on-campus and distance-learning programs, and granted full accreditation for the maximum number of years, with no conditions. As part of that accreditation review process, CORE surveyed employers of alumni, asking their perceptions of how well graduates of the program were prepared in various areas relevant to Rehabilitation Counseling practice. In comparing outcomes for the on-campus and distance-learning programs, we were pleased to note that absolutely none of the employers identified any areas of deficiency for any of the graduates in either program. Graduates of VCU's Rehabilitation Counseling programs are very well prepared for professional Rehabilitation Counseling practice.
Flexibility
Students may enroll full-time or part-time in VCU's Rehabilitation Counseling programs. Distance learners seeking an accelerated master's degree program can complete the required coursework in three semesters, taking the fourth semester to complete their 600-hour internship. Students who need to balance schoolwork with other pressing responsibilities can enroll on a part-time basis. On-campus students are welcome to enroll in distance-learning courses as space permits, but if space becomes limited, registration priority in those courses will go to students formally enrolled in the distance-learning program.
Students who need an entire master's degree should apply for the 48-credit-hour M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling program. Students who already have another master's degree related to counseling but wish to take specific courses to qualify for certification or licensure may apply for the 15-credit-hour Advanced Certificate in Professional Counseling program. For example, a student needing to take specific rehabilitation-related courses to qualify for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor eligibility under "Category D" would likely enroll in the Advanced Certificate program.
"High tech and high touch"
VCU's distance-learning Rehabilitation Counseling program has been described (by a state vocational rehabilitation agency training director) as the "Cadillac" of distance-learning programs. Although we use advanced technologies to create course materials, we ensure that they are user-friendly, and we emphasize interaction (with fellow students and with instructors) as an important part of the learning process. Our hybrid model of combining online courses with two in-person intensive skill development courses ensures attention to the human side of counselor development.
For more information . . .
Further information about the VCU Department of Rehabilitation Counseling is available through http://www.rehab.vcu.edu