RHS Interest Areas

Introduction to Interest Areas within the Rehabilitation and Human Services Major

The field of Rehabilitation and Human Services is very broad and tends to draw students and professionals with very diverse backgrounds and interests. For example, while some students may be most interested in working in a medical setting as an Occupational or Physical therapist, others may have an interest working with children in a school setting or with individuals with disabilities in the community. Yet, others may want to work in the prison system and focus more on corrections rehabilitation with those who are formerly incarcerated or currently involved in the criminal justice system. All of these options and more are all possibilities with the RHS major.

One of the advantages of the RHS major is the flexibility of course offerings and numbers of elective courses available (14-18 credits). This flexibility allows students who may not yet be certain about their area of focus to pursue a broad background in human services training with a diverse range of courses to select from across the university. It also allows students who started out in different majors the opportunity to bring the expertise they have begun to develop in their previous studies to the area of Rehabilitation and Human Services typically without having to add too many extra courses or extend their graduation deadlines. Many students also choose to combine their major in Rehabilitation and Human Services with minors in other disciplines (Human Development and Family Studies, Sociology, Spanish or other languages, Psychology, Special Education) to complement or support their interests in human services.

To support students who already have a targeted career goal such as School Counseling, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Counseling, Corrections Rehabilitation, Drug and Alcohol Treatment, or Community Mental Health, the program has developed some specific interest areas with suggested course options that would help students to develop a curriculum that would best prepare these students for their specific career goals. These tracks can also provide students with similar interests an opportunity to get to know each other and to network together as they progress through their curriculum together.

This website will help to inform you of several interest areas that are currently available and you can discuss these with your advisor and/or also work with your advisor to develop your own specific focus within the major. To get the most out of your education here at Penn State University it is important that you challenge yourself and select the area of focus that it most closely related with your interests and passion. If your interests change while you are in the program, you can always change interest areas or design your own course sequence within the elective options.

As you review the information available on this site, please keep in mind that the Rehabilitation and Human Services faculty are available to answer questions and to support you to reach your fullest potential. Please take a look at the current tracks that we offer as a starting point then schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to discuss further. If you are not yet an RHS major, you can schedule an appointment with the program advisors by calling 814-863-3482.

All RHS students take a core set of courses that provide the foundation for working in a variety of human service settings including: introduction to rehabilitation and human services, case management, client assessment, group work, counseling skills, community mental health, children and family interventions, medical aspects of disability and courses related to working with people from different cultural backgrounds. RHS students also develop core skills in writing, communication and critical thinking through the completion of a broad set of general education requirements and a writing intensive course. Below are current interest areas that students can pursue as well. Please click on the below options to review the recommended courses associated with each interest area.

Mental Health and Addictions
Corrections Rehabilitation
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Human Services in School Settings

In addition to the above-related interest areas, you can also design your personal course of study with the 14-18 elective credits offered in this major. Additionally, if you would like to transfer to our major, you will likely be able to apply many of the credits that you have already taken to our major as electives or to design your own emphasis within the major with the consultation of your academic advisor.