Master of Science in Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology

This two-year, 11-course, 33-unit program will provide you with cutting-edge preparation for building a career that will enhance the quality of life for individuals who use assistive technology devices.

Why Should You Consider a Graduate Degree in Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology (ATR)?

Locally, regionally, nationally and globally, special-needs populations are increasing not only in number but also in the complexity of their needs. As a result, the demand for master’s-level trained practitioners in assistive and recuperative technologies and services has never been greater.

In California alone, the providers that serve children and adults who have physical and developmental needs have seen their clientele double in the past 20 years. In addition, greater numbers of the elderly require increasing amounts of care. On a national level, the U.S. Department of Labor predicts long-term growth in the healthcare and social assistance professions, the related scientific and technical service professions, and in the health education and health services industries, including the areas of assistive/adaptive technologies.

CSUN’s Innovative Approach to Meeting the Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology Need

Assistive and rehabilitative technology is an emerging discipline focused on improving the functional capabilities of those who utilize assistive technology devices. Engineering experts create the devices that enable these individuals to function not only in healthcare settings but also in educational and corporate environments where their participation is critical to fulfilling the ultimate goal of making accessibility universal.

What has been lacking – until now – is a program that enables students 
who are focused on the engineering, design and manufacture of assistive technology devices to study and collaborate with students whose focus is 
on assistive technology assessment, advocacy and counseling, i.e., the “human services” side of the equation. The master’s degree in Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology at CSUN does just that!

Stand out in your field with this innovative, interdisciplinary graduate degree.

Choose This Program Because...

• CSUN’s Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology master’s program is linked to the CSUN master’s program in Assistive Technology and Human Services. Because these new programs were conceived and developed simultaneously to work synergistically, you – as a student in the Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology program – will benefit from an exceptional opportunity to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the needs of end-users as well as the wide variety of environments in which assistive technology devices must function. As a graduate, you will enjoy significant professional competitive advantages that stem from being better prepared to not only create appropriate and effective products but also interact with those who assess and counsel clients and make assistive technology recommendations and decisions.
• This program will prepare you to apply your assistive technology acumen to a variety of environments. Because the program employs a multidisciplinary approach to assistive technology product design and development – including exposure to assistive technology assessment, advocacy and counseling – it also multiplies the career options open to you.
• This program is tailored for busy midcareer professionals like yourself. Designed for working adults, the Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology program can be completed in two years by attending class meetings one evening per week plus the occasional Saturday. Individual courses vary in length from eight to 16 weeks.
• The program is taught in the “cohort format” – a delivery format that typically leads to on-time and successful program completion. In CSUN’s cohort-format programs, all participants enter at the same time and proceed through the course of study as a group. Advantages of this format:
  
  
  • Each course builds on those that precede.
  • All courses are scheduled from the outset, allowing participants to plan ahead and manage their work and family responsibilities more easily.
  • The group-learning process facilitates the development of powerful support networks among faculty and fellow students who come to know one another well. As for program completion, nearly 75 percent of students in CSUN cohort programs, offered through The Tseng College, graduate successfully and on time. This graduation rate is well above the national average.


• Also contributing to your success will be the exceptionally high level of student support services for which The Tseng College is internationally recognized. Examples:
  
  
  • Each program has a designated contact person who answers your questions and solves any problems that may arise.
  • The Tseng College employs its own financial aid counselor, who specializes in helping students obtain financial aid.
  • The Tseng College provides an easy application process, handles registration for each cohort as a group, and facilitates your access to your academic and financial records.
  • As a CSUN student, you will enjoy access to the full range of university resources, including the research capabilities of the Oviatt Library.
  • This program is taught by a blend of distinguished faculty from CSUN’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Health and Human Development, and accomplished assistive technology industry professionals. (See pages 5–7 for faculty biographies.)
  • The M.S. in Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology program is 
recognized as a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) program by the Council of Graduate Schools.
  • CSUN is widely recognized for its expertise and resources in disabilities services (including physical and exercise therapy), deafness education, communication disorders, biotechnology engineering and design, computer science and psychology. These resources provide the framework for the Master of Science in Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology – the only program of its kind that is linked with an assistive technology degree program that focuses on the human services aspects of the field. Please visit contact Jennifer Kalfsbeek, Ph.D., at jennifer.kalfsbeek@csun.edu or (818) 677-5943 for information.