Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling (M.S.) - Online

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) requires that programs make certain information publicly available each year. This report was generated using data and information from Fall 2025, Spring 2026, and Summer 2026. MSCR = Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; NR = Not Reported; N/A = Not Applicable. Program completion rate is computed based on the retention of students during the specified academic year: (Current students + Graduates) / Total Students. Employment rate indicates the proportion of students who reported securing employment within six months of graduation. Credentialing exam pass rate indicates the proportion of graduates who took and passed a counseling licensure or certification exam during the preceding academic year. 

Past Year Student Data

• Currently enrolled in MSCR: 78
• Graduates in 2025-2026: 12
• Program Completion/Retention Rate: 100%
• Employment Rate: In Progress (6-month post-graduation data collection)
• Credentialing Exam Pass Rate: 100% 

Sources of Data

• Admissions, enrollment, and graduation data from the 2025-2026 academic year.
• Student performance on final internship ratings from instructors and site supervisors.
• Professional Disposition Evaluations (PDEs) that are implemented annually, as well as within clinical courses.
• Systematic follow-up surveys of graduates regarding employment.

Program Objectives & Major Program Activities 

The program faculty engaged in several relevant activities during the 2025-2026 academic year. The following are highlights of faculty engagement and accomplishments: 

• The MSCR program maintained a full faculty roster for a second academic year, with no new hires needed. 
• The MSCR faculty continue to engage in quality scholarship to increase research and enhance TTUHSC's visibility and reputation. 
  • The MSCR faculty delivered over 40 scholarly presentations through local, regional, state, and national platforms; collaborated on over 10 publications; and received a $500,000 interprofessional grant. 
  • The MSCR faculty are participating in various research projects across the School of Health Professions, TTUHSC, and external university collaborations. 
• 100% of students who reported taking the CRC credentialing exam passed on their first attempt. 

Based on the outcomes of the 2025-2026 academic year, the program has the following planned improvements: 

• The goal of the MSCR program is to continue making programmatic improvements to enhance students’ experience. This will be achieved by improving communication with school and university administration and offices through regular meetings; developing stronger career development programs and opportunities for students; increasing the rigor of the application process; and increasing the frequency of departmental meetings to address student or program concerns more efficiently. New this coming year will include the reestablishment of an advisory council to ensure alignment with 2024 CACREP standards, review program data, and contribute to strategic program planning.
• The MSCR program continues its collaborative efforts with the Office of Interprofessional Education by serving on IPE event-planning committees to ensure programming is relevant to MSCR students. Further, MSCR students are encouraged by the program faculty to serve as facilitators for IPE events, allowing them to gain relevant interprofessional, group facilitation, and leadership experience.
• The MSCR program continues its collaboration with the Office of Global Health by encouraging students to participate in international service trips to gain hands-on, multicultural, and interdisciplinary experiences. Two students participated in these trips during the previous academic year, and the MSCR faculty will continue to discuss these opportunities with students in the coming year through regular advising meetings.
• The MSCR program continues its state-wide connection with the Texas Society for Advancement of Health Professions (TSAHP). Over the past couple of years, two MSCR students were selected for the Graduate Student Leadership Program, a yearlong leadership initiative that supports new health professions students. The MSCR program has both faculty and students attend the annual TSAHP conference, building connections with allied health professionals across the state. 

MSCR Program Evaluation Findings

Student Learning Outcome #1

Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling: Students will integrate the history and philosophy, professional ethics, and scope of practice of clinical rehabilitation counseling into their own practice. 

1. Measure: Professional Disposition Evaluation. In the MSCR program, a PDE is used annually by instructors teaching clinical courses (Group Counseling, Micro Counseling, Practicum, and Internship) and in semesterly full-time faculty meetings to evaluate students' progress across multiple categories related to their development as professional and ethical clinical rehabilitation counselors. 
   1. Achievement Target: Scoring a 3 indicates that the student is developing toward competency and is meeting the expectations of a clinical rehabilitation counseling student, but may still need improvement. It is expected that 90% of students will receive a score of 3 or higher in the categories of Professional Ethics (Key Performance Indicator) and Engagement in Learning on the PDE prior to graduating from the program.
   2. Findings: 100% of students received a score of 3 or higher in the categories of Professional Ethics and Engagement in Learning. 
2. Measure: Comprehensive Exam. In the MSCR program, students are required to take a Comprehensive Exam in the latter part of the program. The Comprehensive Exam consists of questions that mimic the National Counselor Exam (NCE) and the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Exam. These exams measure candidates' academic knowledge and readiness to perform in the field of rehabilitation counseling. 
   1. Achievement Target: Target expectations are based on national averages of first-time pass rates from each examining body (e.g., 65% for the CRC exam, 83% for the NCE exam). It is expected that at least 65% of students will pass the comprehensive exam (Key Performance Indicator) on their first attempt.
   2. Findings: All but one student passed the comprehensive exam during the 2025-2026 school year on the first attempt. This translates to a 95.238% first time pass rate, exceeding the national average. 

Student Learning Outcome #2

Cultural Humility: Students will provide and identify clinical rehabilitation counseling services that reflect an understanding of psychosocial influences; cultural beliefs and values; and sexual orientation, gender, and diversity differences across the lifespan that may affect the clinical rehabilitation process, employment opportunities, and independent living for persons with disabilities. 

1. Measure: Professional Disposition Evaluation. In the MSCR program, a PDE is used annually by instructors teaching clinical courses (e.g., Group Counseling, Micro Counseling, Practicum, and Internship) and in semesterly full-time faculty meetings to evaluate students’ progress across multiple categories related to their development as professional and ethical clinical rehabilitation counselors. 
   1. Achievement Target: Scoring a 3 indicates that the student is developing toward competency and is meeting the expectations of a clinical rehabilitation counseling student. It is expected that 90% of students will receive a score of 3 or higher in the Multicultural Competence (Key Performance Indicator) and Personal Insight categories on the PDE prior to graduating from the program. 
   2. Findings: 100% of students received a score of 3 or higher in the categories of Multicultural Competence and Personal Insight. 
2. Measure: Comprehensive Exam. In the MSCR program, students are required to take a Comprehensive Exam in the latter part of the program. The Comprehensive Exam consists of questions that mimic the National Counselor Exam (NCE) and the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Exam. These exams measure candidates' academic knowledge and readiness to perform in the field of rehabilitation counseling. 
   1. Achievement Target: Target expectations are based on national averages of first-time pass rates from each examining body (e.g., 65% for the CRC exam, 83% for the NCE exam). It is expected that at least 65% of students will pass the comprehensive exam (Key Performance Indicator) on their first attempt.
   2. Findings: All but one student passed the comprehensive exam during the 2025-2026 school year on the first attempt. This translates to a 95.238% first time pass rate, exceeding the national average. 
3. Measure: Clinical Site Supervisor Evaluation. In the MSCR program, students are required to participate in Practicum and Internship, during which they are placed at community agencies in the field. Site supervisors are required per accreditation to complete an evaluation of the student placed at their site. The Helping Skills section includes the student's application of knowledge, skills, and techniques with clients from diverse cultures, beliefs, religions, sexual orientations, and genders, as well as the student’s sensitivity to these identity differences. 
   1. Achievement Target: Target expectations are based on student evaluations from clinical supervisors (Key Performance Indicator). 75% of students will achieve a mean score of 3 or higher out of 5 in the Helping Skills area. 
   2. Findings: 92.593% of students received a mean score of at least 3 out of 5 in the area of Helping Skills during the 2025-2026 academic year. 

Student Learning Outcome #3

Career and Transferable Skills: Students will assist and educate employers, people with disabilities, families, and other rehabilitation professionals in identifying, modifying, or eliminating architectural, procedural, and/or attitudinal barriers to obtain and maintain successful employment and independent living. 

1. Measure: Clinical Site Supervisor Evaluation. In the MSCR program, students are required to participate in Practicum and Internship, during which they are placed at community agencies in the field. Site supervisors are required per accreditation to complete an evaluation of the student placed at their site. The Skill Demonstration section includes the student's application of counseling skills in individual client counseling sessions, group counseling sessions, family counseling, and case management.
   1. Achievement Target: Target expectations are based on student evaluations from clinical supervisors (Key Performance Indicator). 75% of students will receive a mean score of 3 out of 5 in the Skill Demonstration area. 
   2. Findings: 99.074% of students received a mean score of at least 3 out of 5 in the area of Skill Demonstration during the 2025-2026 academic year. 
2. Measure: Comprehensive Exam. In the MSCR program, students are required to take a Comprehensive Exam in the latter part of the program. The Comprehensive Exam consists of questions that mimic the National Counselor Exam (NCE) and the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Exam. These exams measure candidates' academic knowledge and readiness to perform in the field of rehabilitation counseling. 
   1. Achievement Target: Target expectations are based on national averages of first-time pass rates from each examining body (e.g., 65% for the CRC exam, 83% for the NCE exam). It is expected that at least 65% of students will pass the comprehensive exam (Key Performance Indicator) on their first attempt. 
   2. Findings: All but one student passed the comprehensive exam during the 2025-2026 school year on the first attempt. This translates to a 95.238% first time pass rate, exceeding the national average. 

Summary

Overall, the MSCR program was successful during the 2025-2026 academic cycle, exceeding all achievement targets. The MSCR program continued to align with the University's mission of transforming healthcare through innovation and collaboration. First, we continued our enhanced telehealth training for students, maintaining our partnership with our training vendor to offer specialized telehealth counseling training. Now, all MSCR graduates are eligible to receive the Board Certified-Telemental Health Provider (BC-THM) Credential through the National Board of Certified Counselors. This training was implemented in the Spring of 2021 for students and in the Fall of 2025 for faculty. Secondly, the MSCR program was also granted approval through the NBCC for eligible students to submit applications for early National Counselor Certification (NCC). The NCC is a voluntary credential that identifies to members of the public and prospective employers that counselors have met national certification standards based on research conducted in the field. In the 2025-2026 academic year, 30 students participated in the early NCC application process. 

The mission of the Masters of Science Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling (MSCR) program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center forwards the mission of the University by providing a practitioner training program focused on the unique needs of diverse communities, especially in rural settings. We are committed to preparing entry-level clinical rehabilitation counselors to work competently and ethically through the mastery of evidence-based practices. Our focus centers on empowering people with disabilities to make informed choices, build viable careers, and live more independently within the community.

The goal of the program is to prepare students with the counseling and rehabilitation knowledge and skills to assist people with a wide range of physical and psychiatric disabilities, chronic conditions or diseases, and social disabilities in achieving their education and career goals.

The objectives of our program are linked to our mission statement. They are to provide:

• Educational experiences that facilitate the development of knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to practice as qualified clinical rehabilitation counselors with a diverse population in a wide variety of contexts.
• Learning opportunities to support the ability to implement culturally responsive and ethically sound clinical rehabilitation counseling practices throughout their careers, and to advocate for individuals with disabilities and the profession.
• Clinical training experiences focused on translating acquired knowledge, attitudes and skills to evidence-based practice in a wide range of real-world environments.

As with many health care professions, clinical rehabilitation counselors work with clients in a variety of settings, including schools and universities, state workforce systems, veteran’s services, advocacy and non-profit agencies, employee assistance programs, private forensic practice, community rehabilitation centers, and hospital settings.

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, increases in an aging population and continuing demands by impacted groups such as veterans and the disabled, translate into strong demand for the services provided by clinical rehabilitation counselors.
• The BLS projects a 13% job growth in the field through 2026, faster than average for all occupations.
• According to the BLS, most employers require a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling.
   

Job Outlook

The American Counseling Association (ACA) recently conducted a comprehensive survey looking at counselor compensation and benefits across the profession. Survey results indicated that Clinical Rehabilitation Counselors were named the highest paid specialty in the counseling profession and additionally earned better overall benefits.

According to the ACA study, Clinical Rehabilitation Counselors:

• are the most highly paid counseling specialty on average
• earn more than Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Mental Health Counselors, or Community Counselors on average
• receive better overall benefits - employee retirement plan, medical coverage, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability - than other professional counselors
  are the most highly paid counseling specialty on average

Program Director: Sarah M. Roundtree, PhD, CRC