Best degree programs for Rehabilitation Counselors, ranked by enrollment
3 college programs and 104 schools train Rehabilitation Counselors. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $46,850 median wage, 94,740 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
3 college programs at 104 schools train rehabilitation counselors, graduating 2,010 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Rehabilitation Science. The job pays a median of $46,850 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About rehabilitation counselors
Counsel individuals to maximize the independence and employability of persons coping with personal, social, and vocational difficulties that result from birth defects, illness, disease, accidents, aging, or the stress of daily life. Coordinate activities for residents of care and treatment facilities. Assess client needs and design and implement rehabilitation programs that may include personal and vocational counseling, training, and job placement.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
3 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.2314 | 1,023 | 50.9% | 47 | $35,966 | $26,323 |
| 2 | CIP 51.2310 | 935 | 46.5% | 58 | $35,966 | $26,323 |
| 3 | CIP 51.2312 | 52 | 2.6% | 8 | $35,966 | $26,323 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What rehabilitation counselors earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $49,990 | 1,840 | 0.21× | 8 | 334 |
| Wisconsin | $46,530 | 2,390 | 1.34× | 7 | 232 |
| California | $44,480 | 13,690 | 1.23× | 9 | 199 |
| Pennsylvaniamoderate | $48,650 | 4,130 | 1.12× | 4 | 195 |
| Massachusetts | $47,320 | 5,760 | 2.60× | 7 | 108 |
| Ohiomoderate | $42,620 | 3,690 | 1.09× | 4 | 89 |
| Arkansasmoderate | $35,210 | 600 | 0.75× | 3 | 72 |
| North Carolinamoderate | $45,890 | 3,820 | 1.27× | 4 | 71 |
| Michiganmoderate | $44,580 | 3,340 | 1.24× | 4 | 51 |
| Floridalimited | $45,990 | 3,110 | 0.51× | 2 | 50 |
| Illinoismoderate | $49,350 | 4,140 | 1.11× | 3 | 50 |
| Alabamamoderate | $54,040 | 540 | 0.42× | 4 | 47 |
| Virginialimited | $47,530 | 2,890 | 1.16× | 1 | 45 |
| Tennesseelimited | $46,060 | 1,590 | 0.80× | 1 | 44 |
| Georgiamoderate | $55,000 | 740 | 0.25× | 4 | 42 |
| Kentuckylimited | $58,540 | 790 | 0.65× | 1 | 41 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $47,960 | 3,810 | 0.65× | 3 | 39 |
| Oklahomalimited | $38,260 | 1,570 | 1.51× | 1 | 38 |
| Louisianalimited | $47,990 | 280 | 0.24× | 2 | 37 |
| Utahlimited | $43,900 | 650 | 0.62× | 1 | 27 |
| Minnesotalimited | $48,010 | 3,020 | 1.68× | 2 | 24 |
| West Virginialimited | $48,050 | 470 | 1.10× | 2 | 18 |
| Oregonlimited | $54,970 | 1,630 | 1.36× | 1 | 16 |
| District of Columbialimited | $49,680 | — | — | 1 | 15 |
| North Dakotalimited | $63,050 | 210 | 0.82× | 2 | 13 |
| Missourilimited | $45,180 | 2,020 | 1.13× | 2 | 11 |
| New Mexicolimited | $48,240 | 210 | 0.39× | 2 | 11 |
| South Carolinalimited | $35,990 | 980 | 0.70× | 1 | 11 |
| Washingtonlimited | $58,050 | 5,440 | 2.51× | 1 | 10 |
| Mainelimited | $51,150 | 330 | 0.83× | 1 | 8 |
| Marylandlimited | $40,860 | 3,300 | 1.96× | 1 | 6 |
| Connecticutlimited | $56,340 | 2,410 | 2.33× | 1 | 5 |
| Iowalimited | $39,630 | 2,170 | 2.28× | 1 | 5 |
| Indianalimited | $44,390 | 2,030 | 1.04× | 1 | 5 |
| Arizonalimited | $48,330 | 1,750 | 0.89× | 1 | 4 |
| Kansasmoderate | $41,980 | 1,370 | 1.56× | 3 | 4 |
| Mississippilimited | $41,500 | 470 | 0.67× | 1 | 3 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $47,020 | 420 | 1.36× | 1 | 3 |
| Wyominglimited | $67,640 | 70 | 0.39× | 1 | 2 |
| Coloradolimited | $47,840 | 980 | 0.56× | 1 | 1 |
| Idaholimited | $54,550 | 820 | 1.57× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Prepare and maintain records and case files, including documentation, such as clients' personal and eligibility information, services provided, narratives of client contacts, or relevant correspondence.
- Confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programs and plans for accessing needed services can be developed.
- Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.
- Locate barriers to client employment, such as inaccessible work sites, inflexible schedules, or transportation problems, and work with clients to develop strategies for overcoming these barriers.
- Monitor and record clients' progress to ensure that goals and objectives are met.
- Participate in job development and placement programs, contacting prospective employers, placing clients in jobs, and evaluating the success of placements.
- Analyze information from interviews, educational and medical records, consultation with other professionals, and diagnostic evaluations to assess clients' abilities, needs, and eligibility for services.
- Collaborate with clients' families to implement rehabilitation plans, such as behavioral, residential, social, or employment goals.
Skills
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Monitoring3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Writing3.6
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Learning Strategies3.1
- Active Learning3.1
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.1
- Therapy and Counseling4.1
- Psychology4.0
- Education and Training3.9
- English Language3.9
- Administrative3.9
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Speech Clarity4.0
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Written Comprehension3.9
Core activities
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.5
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.5
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.4
- Documenting/Recording Information4.3
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.3
- Getting Information4.3
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Rehabilitation Counselor
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Rehabilitation Counselors3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.2310Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor
- 51.2312Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering
- 51.2314Rehabilitation Science
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Rehabilitation Counselor?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Rehabilitation Science, which awarded 1,023 degrees in 2024-25, 50.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Rehabilitation Counselor?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. Together they graduate about 2,010 people a year.
How much do rehabilitation counselors earn?+
The median is $46,850 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $35,060 at the 10th percentile to $77,170 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for rehabilitation counselors growing?+
BLS projects a +1.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 10,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
104 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do rehabilitation counselors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Job Coach, Employment Specialist, Rehabilitation Counselor, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 21-1015.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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