FARMINGTON, ME (February 24, 2020)—In response to Maine’s critical workforce need for fully-prepared professionals, the University of Maine at Farmington is proud to announce it has designed a totally online degree completion program to help adult learners attain a Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Services.
“In the almost 50 years that the Rehabilitation Services program has been offered at UMF, it has grown and adapted to meet students’ and employers’ needs,” said Gina Oswald, UMF assistant professor of Rehabilitation Services.
The program will be available fall 2020, pending approval by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), and can be completed in as short as two years.
UMF is the only public institution in New England that offers an undergraduate degree program in Rehabilitation Services, an applied human services degree aimed at helping people with disabilities or at-risk conditions live independently.
The program was specially created for those individuals who have already earned their general education credits or hold an Associate’s Degree and may have had to postpone their degree completion due to employment, military mobility, family obligations, disability, geographic constraints or other reasons.
“In the almost 50 years that the Rehabilitation Services program has been offered at UMF, it has grown and adapted to meet students’ and employers’ needs,” said Gina Oswald, UMF assistant professor of Rehabilitation Services. “This new online completion program continues in that direction as it recognizes the need to provide adult learners with the skills, knowledge and qualifications that are essential for today’s workplace without the constraints of time or geographic location.”
In addition, this program qualifies out-of-state students who are residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Canada, for aNew England Regional Student Programtuition discount of nearly $5,000 a year.
Throughout both Maine and New England there is a significant need for bachelor-level trained rehabilitation services professionals. According to the Maine Center for Workforce Research and Information’s 2016 Job Vacancy Survey, community and social services had a higher than average demand for new hires with an estimated 714 vacancies.
On a national level, demand for rehabilitation services professionals is expected to grow across the country with the increase in the elderly population and the needs of other groups such as veterans, people with disabilities and individuals with substance abuse disorders. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment of rehabilitation counselors is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2018 to 2028.
For more information, visit the UMF website at: https://www.umf.maine.edu/academics/programs/rehabilitation-services#degreecompletion
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
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Photo Caption: “In the almost 50 years that the Rehabilitation Services program has been offered at UMF, it has grown and adapted to meet students’ and employers’ needs,” said Gina Oswald, UMF assistant professor of Rehabilitation Services.
Photo Credit: UMF Image
April Mulherin
UMF Associate Director for Media Relations
office: 207-778-7081
cell: 207-491-0064
april.mulherin@maine.edu