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Rehabilitation Professions

A program that prepares individuals to work with people who have learning disabilities, mental illness, and physical disabilities in a clinical, educational, or institutional setting. Includes instruction in abnormal psychology, assistive technology, case management, counseling techniques, cultural diversity, disability assessment and measurement, ethics, psychological and physiological aspects of disability, rehabilitation services, rehabilitation science, and vocational counseling.

Types of Degrees Rehabilitation Professions Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Rehabilitation Professions can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	170
Associate’s Degree	257
Bachelor’s Degree	3,385
Master’s Degree	8,879
Doctor’s Degree	16,912

What Rehabilitation Professions Majors Need to Know

Programs in Rehabilitation Professions build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Rehabilitation Professions graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Rehabilitation Professions emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Psychology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Rehabilitation Professions program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Rehabilitation Professions careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Rehabilitation Professions graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Rehabilitation Professions professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Musical instrument digital interface MIDI software	Music or sound editing software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Virtual instrument software	Music or sound editing software	—
Avid Technology Pro Tools	Music or sound editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Rehabilitation Professions graduates include:

• Therapist
• Kinesiotherapist
• Music Rehabilitation Therapist
• Activity Therapist
• Ecotherapist
• Industrial Therapist
• Exercise Scientist
• Community Music Therapist
• Music Therapist
• LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist)
• Certified Music Therapist
• Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
• Creative Music Therapist
• Home Care Music Therapist
• Public School System Music Therapist

What Can You Do With a Rehabilitation Professions Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Rehabilitation Professions commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Music Therapists	4.9%	$71,670	$59,577–$83,764
Therapists, All Other	-2.9%	$121,750	$95,414–$148,085
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022
Art Therapists	1.6%	$40,748	$32,327–$49,169
Physical Therapists	8.0%	$144,047	$124,136–$163,959
Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists	-1.5%	$124,839	$99,454–$150,225
Recreational Therapists	3.7%	$150,116	$116,374–$183,857
Occupational Therapists	-4.2%	$82,501	$69,012–$95,990
Exercise Physiologists	1.7%	$144,072	$118,869–$169,275
Nanosystems Engineers	-2.9%	$50,152	$39,203–$61,100
Wind Energy Engineers	12.7%	$98,460	$78,793–$118,128
Engineers, All Other	-4.3%	$136,628	$114,918–$158,337

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Rehabilitation Professions graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	38.3%
Bachelor’s degree	37.3%
Doctoral degree	9.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.8%
Post-doctoral training	5.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.9%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%
Some college courses	0.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Rehabilitation Professions?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 76.4% of Rehabilitation Professions degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	22,623	44358.8%
Men	6,980	13686.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Rehabilitation Professions graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	26	51.0%
Hispanic or Latino	10	19.6%
Black or African American	13	25.5%
Two or More Races	1	2.0%
International Students	1	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Rehabilitation Professions Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Rehabilitation Professions graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,332
4 years	$70,102
5 years	$75,167

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $75,167 — roughly 12% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Rehabilitation Professions Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Rehabilitation Professions. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	1
Bachelor’s	8	11
Master’s	36	34
Doctoral (Research)	6	10

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Rehabilitation Professions Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Rehabilitation Professions graduates earn a median of $70,102 four years after completion — roughly 84% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	18,055

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.