Main navigation
- Programs
- Subjects
- Universities
- Destinations
- Advice
This RHS program equips students for beginner roles across diverse human service environments, especially those assisting individuals with physical, emotional, or mental challenges. Alumni find work in rehabilitation hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, senior care facilities, community mental health initiatives, programs for those with developmental disabilities, correctional systems, and educational institutions. Growing prospects exist in private insurance programs covering workplace injuries and corporate employee assistance initiatives. Strategic selection of electives and internships enables specialization. Supervised by human service professionals, these immersive practical experiences often lead to job opportunities as they occur in the final year. Internship eligibility requires completion of all other coursework. Volunteering with disabled populations is highly recommended. Students should consider declaring a relevant minor in consultation with their advisor. The program also lays groundwork for advanced studies in rehabilitation counseling, school counseling, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and social work.
The majority of Penn State’s applications come from traditional, first-year students. The following types of students are considered first-year applicants (or freshman applicants, as some refer to them): Current high school student in his or her senior year; Student who has earned a high school diploma or a GED and has no post-secondary coursework; Student who has attempted 17 or fewer credits (semester hours) of college coursework at a regionally accredited college/university before attending Penn State; Current high school student who may have enrolled in another institution(s) before graduating from high school (dual enrollment); Student who may have attended Penn State on a nondegree basis.
English Language Proficiency
The following are ways in which you can satisfy the language proficiency requirement: TOEFL: A minimum TOEFL score of 80 on the Internet-based TOEFL or 550 on the old paper exam and a minimum of 20 in each section of the new paper exam (code #2660); IELTS: A minimum IELTS score of 6.5 on the academic test.