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Michelle Bulanda
Providing early intervention services for children with disabilities in collaboration with their families
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Rooshey Hasnain
Identifying ways to bridge the cross-cultural service and civil rights gap between U.S. disability service systems and hard-to-reach individuals with disabilities and their families
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Eric Swirsky
Tracing the evolution of health care information systems and the merging of their clinical and financial functions
BS in Rehabilitation Sciences
Build a foundation in human functioning
Rehabilitation sciences combines the study of science—biology, anatomy and physiology—with the behavioral sciences—psychology and human development—to discover how to deliver the best possible care.
UIC’s Bachelor of Science in rehabilitation sciences prepares you for advanced education in rehabilitation and a future career in healthcare. Because of our home in the College of Applied Health Sciences, our program is able to provide research and educational expertise through the AHS departments. The offerings and talent from our college’s programs blend to create a totally comprehensive rehabilitation undergraduate degree.
Our social science-focused interdisciplinary degree focuses on four core tenets:
- Consumer-directed services
- Person-centered care
- Access to health and social services
- Independent living
Some courses for this degree come from the college’s other programs, with an emphasis on disability and independent living. Liberal arts and sciences courses add to the degree in areas like psychology. Our program is designed to be flexible, allowing you to choose electives that suit your unique interests and career goals.
Your career
People with injuries and various medical conditions seek rehabilitation services every day to address physical, cognitive, social-emotional and vocational challenges. Rehabilitation professionals work with people of all ages in many different settings including hospitals, outpatient centers, agencies, homes and schools.
A BS in rehabilitation sciences positions you to take on roles in:
- Care coordination
- Medical and health services management in accountable care organizations (ACOs), rehabilitation centers and skilled nursing facilities
- Healthcare insurance management
Our program provides you with the courses and training you need to have a competitive application for professional and graduate rehabilitation-related programs such as:
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Public health
- Assistive technology engineering
- Medicine
- Law
- Healthcare administration
- Urban policy and planning
To best serve your career planning and professional development, you’ll develop an individualized portfolio of coursework, volunteer experiences and experiential learning during your time here. Additionally, the program staff will work closely with you and campus career services early on to identify exciting job opportunities.
Learn from the best
Understanding by doing
Rehabilitation science focuses on the unique needs of people with various medical conditions, injuries and disabilities. There’s no better way to learn about the complexity of rehabilitation than to get out and work with patients and clients in different settings. You’ll spend time out of a standard classroom, learning about collaboration and taking classes that offer field experiences.
All of our students participate in experiential learning. This gives you the opportunity to participate in internships, research and interprofessional experiences that will better prepare you for your career. We currently have students that are:
- Completing literature reviews on accessibility issues and universal design in post-secondary education with UIC’s College of Nursing
- Working along the continuum of care in a hospital Occupational Therapy Department, designing evidence based practice literature reviews
- Part of a study abroad in India investigating use of prosthetic foot devices
We're here for you
Still wondering what a BS in rehabilitation sciences can do for you? Contact us and get your questions answered.
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Michele Santana
Michele can answer any of your questions about the BS in rehabilitation sciences.
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Tia Barr
Tia can answer any of your questions about the BS in rehabilitation sciences.