Rehabilitation Professions

Types of Degrees Rehabilitation Professions Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many rehabilitation and therapeutic professions graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Doctor’s Degree	15,249
Master’s Degree	9,152
Graduate Certificate	373

What Rehabilitation Professions Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, rehabilitation majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Rehabilitation Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Skills for Rehabilitation Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to rehabilitation:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities for Rehabilitation Majors

Rehabilitation majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Rehabilitation Professions Major?

People with a rehabilitation degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art Therapists	6.8%	$47,860
Biochemical Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Exercise Physiologists	13.2%	$49,270
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Life Scientists	9.0%	$78,190
Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists	23.8%	$84,270
Music Therapists	6.8%	$47,860
Occupational Therapists	23.8%	$84,270
Orthotists and Prosthetists	21.8%	$69,120
Physical Therapists	28.0%	$87,930
Recreational Therapists	6.8%	$47,860
Rehabilitation Counselors	12.7%	$35,630
Therapists	19.9%	$50,980

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Professions?

Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #26 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2021, about 9,152 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. The major attracts more women than men. About 88% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of rehabilitation majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	581
Black or African American	582
Hispanic or Latino	831
White	6,108
International Students	192
Other Races/Ethnicities	858

Geographic Diversity

Rehabilitation appeals to people across the globe. About 2.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• India
• Canada
• Saudi Arabia
• China
• South Korea

How Much Do Rehabilitation Professions Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that rehabilitation and therapeutic professions students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $60,670 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $47,336 (25th percentile) and $65,792 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to rehabilitation.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $50,640 to $89,150 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to rehabilitation. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Rehabilitation Professions

Some degrees associated with rehabilitation may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for rehabilitation careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	3.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.3%
Some College Courses	1.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	36.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	7.7%
Master’s Degree	34.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.4%
Doctoral Degree	7.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.2%

Online Rehabilitation Professions Programs

In 2020-2021, 596 schools offered a rehabilitation program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	16	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	0
Associate’s Degree	58	3
Bachelor’s Degree	78	13
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	384	23
Post-Master’s	46	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	109	5
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	326	16
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	16	3

Is a Degree in Rehabilitation Professions Worth It?

The median salary for a rehabilitation grad is $73,860 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 85% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $679,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Rehabilitation Professions

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to rehabilitation.

Major	Number of Grads
Nursing	66,964
Medicine	28,629
Public Health	19,473
Health & Medical Administrative Services	17,335
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences	16,952
Mental & Social Health Services	16,815
Allied Health Professions	12,950
Communication Sciences	10,547
Dentistry	6,770
Bioethics/Medical Ethics	4,684
Chiropractic	2,658
Alternative Medicine & Systems	2,582
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services	2,481
Optometry	1,822
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences	1,762
Medical Illustration & Informatics	1,747
Health Sciences & Services	1,746
Other Health Professions	1,261
Health/Medical Prep Programs	1,122
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	954
Medical Science	909
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services	462
Dental Support Services	122
Alternative Medical Support Services	80
Movement & Mind-Body Therapies	55
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies	37
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services	11
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants	4
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Barbara E. Carver under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.