Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering

Types of Degrees Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many assistive/augmentative technology and rehabilitation engineering graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	98
Graduate Certificate	51
Basic Certificate	5
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to assistive/augmentative technology and rehabilitation engineering were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering Majors

When studying assistive/augmentative technology and rehabilitation engineering, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering Majors

As a assistive/augmentative technology and rehabilitation engineering major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with assistive/augmentative technology and rehabilitation engineering:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Biochemical Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Medical Appliance Technicians	13.3%	$39,190
Orthotists and Prosthetists	21.8%	$69,120
Rehabilitation Counselors	12.7%	$35,630

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering

Some degrees associated with assistive/augmentative technology and rehabilitation engineering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to assistive/augmentative technology and rehabilitation engineering have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	9.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	3.3%
Some College Courses	2.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	7.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	32.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	11.5%
Master’s Degree	25.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.8%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.6%
Doctoral Degree	4.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.3%

Online Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	4	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	2	2
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to assistive/augmentative technology and rehabilitation engineering.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Therapy/Therapist	13,762
Occupational Therapy	10,262
Rehabilitation Science	1,239
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling	947
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy	822
Music Therapy	710
Art Therapy	698
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	670
Orthotist/Prosthetist	325
Animal-Assisted Therapy	109
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	106
Play Therapy	52
Dance Therapy	35
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General	33
Horticulture Therapy	8
Drama Therapy	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Barbara E. Carver under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.