Department of Psychology, Counseling, and Behavioral Health

The Rehabilitation Counseling Program (RCP) will routinely provide information on its performance, including but not limited to such areas as student enrollments, graduates, accreditation status, and student achievements.

Accreditation Status

The RCP is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The mission of CACREP is to promote the professional competence of counseling and related practitioners through

• the development of preparation standards;
• the encouragement of excellence in program development; and
• the accreditation of professional preparation programs

The vision of CACREP is to provide leadership and to promote excellence in professional preparation through the accreditation of counseling and related educational programs. As an accrediting body, CACREP is committed to the development of standards and procedures that reflect the needs of a dynamic, diverse, and complex society. CACREP is dedicated to

1. encouraging and promoting the continuing development and improvement of preparation programs; and
2. preparing counseling and related professionals to provide services consistent with the ideal of optimal human development

CURRENT STATUS:  CACREP Accreditation through 2021
The RCP is currently preparing for the 2021 CACREP review for continued accreditation status.

Student Enrollment and Graduates

Enrollment

Degrees Awarded

Average Time to Complete the Rehabilitation Counseling Program

As indicated on Pages 29-30 in the 2017-2018 Coppin State University School of Graduate Studies Catalog:

Full-time/Part-time Status

Full-time graduate students pursue nine (9) credit hours of graduate course work during regular semesters. If a student desires to take more than nine (9) hours, he/she must obtain approval from the Dean of Graduate Studies. Part-time graduate students pursue three to eight (3-8) credit hours of graduate work during regular semesters.

Plan of Study and Advisement

A tentative Plan of Study should be developed in advance of or during the first semester of graduate study. The official Plan of Study must be presented to the Graduate Council with the application for Admission to Candidacy.

The tentative Plan of Study should be congruent with the academic and career goals of the student and determined in consultation with the advisor and Program Coordinator. It must include any courses that the student is required to complete as prerequisites to admission to that program of study, courses to strengthen research or communication skills, appropriate transfer credits, and all other requirements for the particular master's degree being pursued.

The official Plan of Study is the document used when students apply for Admission to Candidacy. It must include the following:

1. All information contained in the tentative Plan of Study.
2. All graduate courses taken by students (including transfer credits) with grades earned in each course.
3. A list of the courses the student plans to take to complete the program.
4. Any additional program requirements.

The plan is to be prepared by the student with the advisor or Program Coordinator’s assistance and submitted to the Dean who then presents the plan of study and the student's application for Admission to Candidacy to the Graduate Council for approval. Graduate Council meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month during the academic year.

All graduate students are responsible for meeting the degree requirements specified in this Catalog. Since clear charting of a degree program is important, all incoming graduate students must contact the Program Coordinator as soon as possible to be assigned an advisor who will assist them in developing a plan of study. This must be done prior to registration, if possible, or within the first six (6) weeks of the first semester of study.

Residency Requirement

1. All degree-seeking students must complete a minimum of twenty-one (21) credit hours on the Coppin State University Campus.
2. All master’s degree-seeking students must complete the degree program within five (5) years from the date of their first enrollment with degree status, unless this limitation is waived.
3. Doctoral students must complete the degree program within seven (7) years from the date of their first enrollment with degree status.
4. Regular full-time students must complete a minimum of nine (9) credit hours per semester.
5. No student can complete a degree program in less than one (1) year of full-time study.
    

Estimated Cost

Please refer to the link below for current tuition, fees, and course-related expenses.

Coppin State University Tuition and Fees

Available Scholarships

For information on financial assistance students are encouraged to contact the CSU Office of Financial Aid:

Monday-Thursday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Miles Connor Administration Bldg., first floor

Telephone: 410.951.3636
Fax: 410.951.2551

Program Outcomes

The Rehabilitation Counseling Program (RCP) at Coppin State University is a fully accredited program by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The internal evaluation takes place on a five-year cycle and completed its most recent evaluation in 2019.

The RCP offers the Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling and the Post-Masters in Professional Counselor Licensure. For students interested in applying to the RCP, the deadlines for submission of all credentials are May 15 for the fall semester, and October 15 for the spring semester. The program admits an average of 12 students in both the fall and spring semesters.

At this time the RCP has an enrollment of 64 students. The program has five full-time faculty and 7 very committed, dedicated, and credentialed part-time faculty who teach the courses within the CACREP accredited curriculum. The instructor to student ratio in the RCP is 1:12. For the Internship and Practicum courses the ratio is 1:6. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA each semester to remain in good academic status.

Graduates from the RCP for Spring 2019 – Fall 2020 was a total of 25 students and for Spring 2021 - Fall 2021 the RCP graduated 24 students. Over the past three years 48 students graduated from the program. Within the first six months of graduation 95% of the RCP graduates report successful employment. 100% of the students are from underrepresented groups including persons with disabilities.

95% of the RCP students continue with coursework to meet the requirements to take the Professional Counselor Licensure Exam. The RCP offers a Post-Masters in Professional Counselor Licensure Certificate Program, which is fully approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the University Systems of Maryland for those students seeking this professional status.

Employment Settings Where Graduates Work

The RCP has graduates who are employed with the Maryland State Division of Rehabilitation Services. Graduates and current students also report employment at the Vocational Rehabilitation Offices in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington D.C., private rehabilitation companies, Maryland Workers Compensation Commission, public sector, and the Veterans Administration. About 5% of our students relocate to other states.

Certified Rehabilitation Counselor

Students completing the Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling at CSU qualify to sit for the CRC exam. Students are required to complete a total of 100 practicum hours, and 600 internship hours as well as the required coursework of the curriculum.

For information on the CRC application requirements, refer to the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CCRC) website.

In July 2021, six (6) of our students sat for the CRC exam prior to graduation, three (3) of whom passed. This pass rate is greater than the “first time candidate” pass rate of 46% nationally during the July 2021 sitting, reflecting the strength of our program’s ability to adequately prepare students for the field.

Student Achievement: Passing Rates for the Comprehensive Exam

RCP students may elect to take a Comprehensive Examination or the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) exam. The comprehensive exam is offered twice a year and the current passing rate for RCP students is 95%.

Information on the Comprehensive Examination may be obtained on Pages 31-32 of the 2017-2018 of the CSU School of Graduate Studies Catalog.

Information on the CRC exam may be obtained from the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.

Internship & Clinical Requirements

The field work/internship component is an integral part of the program and is, therefore, mandatory for all students. The practicum component of the program is one (1) credit and consists of a minimum of 100 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in a rehabilitation agency/facility. The internship component consists of three (3) courses for a total of nine (9) credits. To earn three (3) credits in any of the three (3) internship courses, a minimum of two hundred (200) clock hours of supervised clinical experience in a rehabilitation agency/facility is required. Students must complete the practicum course and clock hours prior to completing internship course requirements. Students complete practicum and internship requirements at public vocational rehabilitation agencies, private rehabilitation companies, Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission, public sector, and the Veterans Administration among others.

Highlights and Updates

• The faculty members work to accomplish the program goals by providing a compendium of accredited courses, clinical site experiences, and distance learning arrangements that have proved to be efficacious in responding to current and anticipated personnel needs in the field of Rehabilitation Counseling.
• In all aspects of the RCP training program we seek to structure a balanced mix of theoretical and practitioner elements in the training curriculums.
• The CSU faculty members have developed a comprehensive state-of-the-art curriculum, clinical internships, and other field experiences. They also mentor each trainee in order to ensure that he or she is exposed to acceptable standards in terms of curricular and practitioner experiences.
• The RCP is supported through funds awarded from special State and government programs. The RCP plans to pursue funding as the opportunity becomes available.
• The RCP is designed in accordance with The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) requirements. The CSU program is fully accredited by CACREP.
• CSU's Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Counseling, which his accredited by CACREP, is designed to meet the following needs in the field of rehabilitation counseling:

1. Specialized professional personnel in vocational rehabilitation who are able to provide high quality services to clients with disabilities, especially those with the most significant conditions.
2. Developing rehabilitation counselors who are trained to address the multi-dimensional needs of clients from diverse backgrounds.
3. Addressing human resources needs for vocational rehabilitation personnel in private and public rehabilitation settings.
4. Providing increased professional development opportunities for human services personnel to upgrade their skills.
5. Preparing vocational rehabilitation counselors to work in diverse settings.

• Students enter the RCP and complete their program on schedule.
• RCP students are able to gain employment with the Maryland State Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS).
• RCP students become Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRC).
• The RCP has developed a structured internship and practicum with DORS.
• CSU has a fully-equipped Independent Living Laboratory that is utilized for practical training purposes for our RCP students.
• The RCP is a recipient of a State of Maryland Grant to provide services through an inclusive higher education program for students with developmental disabilities. It is a two-year program for students with Intellectual Disabilities. The Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP) at CSU provides integrated academic, career, and independent living instruction in preparation for gainful employment.
• The RCP has a cooperative agreement with Baltimore City Public Schools and hosts the Transitioning Students Program at CSU. RCP students receive internship and practicum experiences from this program by providing independent living skills training to the transitioning students. Services and workshops are provided in the Independent Living Lab at CSU.
• The RCP has been awarded Employment Network status with the Social Security Administration’s Ticket-to-Work Program. CSU is one of few universities in the U.S. with this status. Rehabilitation counseling services are provided to SSA beneficiaries and RCP students receive practicum and internship experiences from this program, which operates in the Independent Living Laboratory at CSU and provides practicum and internship experiences for our students.
• The RCP has been awarded a grant through the Baltimore City Department of Aging to provide employment/training opportunities to senior citizens looking to maintain and develop marketable skills. Although the ultimate goal is matching skills with employment needs at CSU, the program also supports independent living by applying practical skills for senior citizens to become active job seekers for suitable gainful employment. Additionally, the program benefits CSU by expanding and adding to the administrative structure at the university.
• The RCP has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with St. Peter's Adult Learning Center in Baltimore, MD to provide vocational, evaluation, and assessment services to their consumers. CSU’s RCP Internship & Practicum students receive practical training experiences from this collaboration.
• The RCP offers the Post-Masters in Professional Counselor Licensure for those students seeking this professional status.
• Due to the RCP’s growth, some of the courses have two or more sections to accommodate the increased enrollment.
• Graduate students have the opportunity to obtain additional training and skills in vocational assessment and evaluation through MOU with Pro Bono Counseling Services of Maryland, and a collaboration with CSU’s Athletic Department. Through these experiences students are able to obtain valuable internship experiences as well as receive clinical hours toward professional counselor licensure requirements.