UMF to launch online degree in fast-growing field of rehabilitation services

Courtesy / University of Maine at Farmington The University of Maine at Farmington is launching an online degree program in rehabilitation services. Shown here are Brandon Merry, in the yellow shirt, a 2015 UMF graduate, working with students, from left, Petra Smat, Morgan Noonan, Emily Thompson, Kali Young and Sierra Huff. Merry is currently the senior program manager at Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation in Newry.

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By Renee Cordes

Responding to workforce needs in Maine and beyond, the University of Maine at Farmington on Monday announced plans to launch an online degree program in rehabilitation services.

The applied human services discipline focuses on helping individuals with disabilities or at-risk conditions live independently.

Aimed at adult learners returning to school to complete their degree, the two-year online bachelor's program is expected to start this fall pending approval by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

A spokesperson for the school told Mainebiz that 62 students are currently majoring or minoring in rehabilitation services at UMF, New England's only public institution that offers an undergraduate degree program in rehabilitation services.

The program was specially created for people who have already earned their general education credits or hold an associate’s degree, but may have postponed competing a bachelor's degree because of work, military service, family obligations 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 UMF's Gina Oswald, an assistant professor in rehabilitation services, in a statement.

“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, residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Canada can qualify for a a New England Regional Student Program tuition discount at UMF of nearly $5,000 a year, according to the school.

Oswald added that she expects an additional 10 new students a year through the new online program, with about 40 at any one time once the program is in full swing.

Nationwide, demand for rehabilitation services professionals is expected to grow amid an aging population along with an increase in the number of veterans, people with disabilities and individuals with substance abuse disorders, according to UMF.

It also points to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report that employment of rehabilitation counselors is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2018 to 2028.

More information about UMF's rehabilitation services degree program is available online.