Rehab director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a rehab director. Rehab directors usually study physical therapy, occupational therapy, or nursing. 40% of rehab directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,664 real rehab director resumes to see exactly what rehab director education sections show.

The most common colleges for rehab directors are the Keiser University and the Keiser University.

There are also many online rehab director courses to help get the education required to be a rehab director.

What education do you need to become a rehab director?

What degree do you need to be a rehab director?

The most common degree for rehab directors is bachelor's degree, with 40% of rehab directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 33% and associate degree degree at 20%.

Bachelor's, 40%

Associate, 33%

Master's, 20%

Doctorate, 5%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a rehab director?

You should major in physical therapy to become a rehab director. 31% of rehab directors major in physical therapy. Other common majors for a rehab director include occupational therapy and nursing.

Physical Therapy, 31%

Occupational Therapy, 27%

Nursing, 5%

Business, 5%

Other Majors, 32%

Most common colleges for rehab directors

Rehab directors often get their degrees at Keiser University, University of Florida, and University of Indianapolis. Here are the most common colleges for rehab directors in the US based on their resumes.

Rehab director common college	Percentages
Keiser University	7.89%
University of Florida	6.58%
University of Indianapolis	6.58%
Loma Linda University	5.92%
University of Phoenix	5.92%

Show more common rehab director colleges

Best majors for rehab directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Physical Therapy	31.1%
2	Occupational Therapy	27.1%
3	Nursing	5.3%
4	Business	5.0%
5	Communication Disorders Sciences	4.9%

Show more common rehab director majors

Best colleges for rehab directors

The best colleges for rehab directors are Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A rehab director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for rehab directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become rehab directors.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,700

Enrollment

29,722

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

20 best online courses for rehab directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for rehab directors

The most affordable schools for rehab directors are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for rehab directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for rehab directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

8. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for rehab directors

The hardest universities for rehab directors to get into are Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for rehab directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for rehab directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for rehab directors

The easiest schools for rehab directors to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a rehab director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for rehab directors.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

9. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

10. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

Average rehab director salary by education level

According to our data, rehab directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $114,863 annually. Rehab directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $98,972.

Rehab director education level	Rehab director salary
Master's Degree	$98,972
Bachelor's Degree	$88,192
Doctorate Degree	$114,863
Some College/ Associate Degree	$80,379

Rehab director education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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