Coordinating Board Approves New UTEP Bachelor’s Degree in Rehab Sciences
Last Updated on March 17, 2017 at 12:00 AM
Originally published March 17, 2017
By UC Staff
UTEP Communications
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved a new Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso.
UTEP is the only university in the region to offer this degree, which will prepare students in the College of Health Sciences for a career in the rehabilitation professions.
Thirty students are expected to enroll in the program in the fall 2017 semester.
The program consists of 120 semester credit hours. It will provide students with the course knowledge, attitudes, values and skills to prepare them to meet the challenges of graduate or professional education in four preparation tracks: physical therapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitation counseling and speech-language pathology.
“The newly approved undergraduate degree in rehabilitation sciences will provide students the foundational information in the rehabilitation sciences and the clinical research skills that are necessary to be competitive for acceptance into graduate programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy, rehabilitation counseling and communication sciences and disorders across the United States,” said Anthony P. Salvatore, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at UTEP.
Students who complete the program will meet the prerequisite coursework requirements to apply to graduate programs throughout the country, including the rehabilitation health sciences graduate programs at UTEP.
“One goal of this degree is to streamline the application process, keeping applicants from having to delay graduation or take additional courses after graduation to meet the prerequisite requirements of the different graduate programs at UTEP,” said Stephanie Capshaw, OTD, associate dean in the College of Health Sciences. “Additionally, graduates who complete the Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Sciences and choose to enter the workforce will encounter numerous and varied career opportunities.”
Employment opportunities for program graduates include support staff or medical and health services managers in medical settings, rehabilitation centers and skilled nursing facilities, and entry- and mid-level management positions in the healthcare industry.
For more information about the new degree, contact Anthony P. Salvatore at asalvatore@utep.edu or Stephanie Capshaw at scapshaw@utep.edu.
The new program brings the total number of bachelor’s degrees offered at UTEP to 73.