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Rehabilitation psychologist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a rehabilitation psychologist. Rehabilitation psychologists usually study clinical psychology, psychology, or counseling psychology. 52% of rehabilitation psychologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 31 real rehabilitation psychologist resumes to see exactly what rehabilitation psychologist education sections show.
The most common colleges for rehabilitation psychologists are the Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University.
There are also many online rehabilitation psychologist courses to help get the education required to be a rehabilitation psychologist.
What education do you need to become a rehabilitation psychologist?
What degree do you need to be a rehabilitation psychologist?
- Bachelor's, 52%
- Doctorate, 24%
- Master's, 20%
- Diploma, 4%
What should I major in to become a rehabilitation psychologist?
- Clinical Psychology, 31%
- Psychology, 31%
- Nursing, 7%
- Other Majors, 21%
Most common colleges for rehabilitation psychologists
| Rehabilitation psychologist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Eastern Michigan University | 12.50% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 12.50% |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | 4.17% |
| Boston College | 4.17% |
| Ohio State University | 4.17% |
Best majors for rehabilitation psychologists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clinical Psychology | 31.0% |
| 2 | Psychology | 31.0% |
| 3 | Counseling Psychology | 10.3% |
| 4 | Nursing | 6.9% |
| 5 | Law | 3.4% |
Best colleges for rehabilitation psychologists
The best colleges for rehabilitation psychologists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A rehabilitation psychologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for rehabilitation psychologists. 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 rehabilitation psychologists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
20 best online courses for rehabilitation psychologists
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This course is designed with a singular goal: to improve the care you provide to your patients with substance use disorders. By delving into a model case performed by actors, seven Yale instructors from various fields provide techniques to screen your patients for substance use disorder risk, diagnose patients to gauge the severity of their use, directly manage treatment plans, refer out to treatment services, and navigate the various conditions that may limit your patient’s access to treatment...
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5. Cannabis, Mental Health, and Brain Disorders
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This Cannabis, Chronic Pain, and Related Disorders course is designed to have you think critically about the health effects of cannabis (i.e., marijuana) in the context of chronic pain, opioid use disorder, obesity, sleep dysfunction and cancer. We'll learn about the epidemiology and etiology of these conditions, the harms/benefits of current treatments, and learn how to evaluate the literature on cannabis for these conditions. We will discuss special considerations for using cannabis for these...
10. Introduction to Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders
Otorhinolaryngology is a surgical subspecialty that specializes in management and treatment of conditions relating to the head and neck. Developed at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and led by top-ranked otorhinolaryngology faculty and experts, this specialization on ear, nose and throat disorders focuses on the basics of the anatomy and pathophysiology of these regions.\n\nThis specialization starts with an outline of what patients and professionals need to know about voice disorders...
11. Personality Disorders: Master the Psychology of All 10 Types
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12. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders ACCREDITE
ACCREDITED CERTIFIED course on CBT, Therapy and Counselling for Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder, work home...
13. Psychological First Aid
Learn to provide psychological first aid to people in an emergency by employing the RAPID model: Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition. Utilizing the RAPID model (Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition), this specialized course provides perspectives on injuries and trauma that are beyond those physical in nature. The RAPID model is readily applicable to public health settings, the workplace, the...
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16. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): The Complete Course
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18. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff
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20. Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation
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Top 10 most affordable universities for rehabilitation psychologists
The most affordable schools for rehabilitation psychologists are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for rehabilitation psychologists 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 rehabilitation psychologists.
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 - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for rehabilitation psychologists
The hardest universities for rehabilitation psychologists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for rehabilitation psychologists 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 rehabilitation psychologists 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for rehabilitation psychologists
The easiest schools for rehabilitation psychologists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a rehabilitation psychologist 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 rehabilitation psychologists.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
7. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
10. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
Average rehabilitation psychologist salary by education level
| Rehabilitation psychologist education level | Rehabilitation psychologist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $71,555 |
| Doctorate Degree | $88,978 |
Rehabilitation psychologist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025