Program Overview

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Disability Studies (Graduate Certificate)

The graduate certificate program in disability studies focuses on the creation of new knowledge and consequent practical implications in the area of disability. Courses are coordinated into an individualized systematic plan of study that trains students to conduct disability research.

Program Description

Students examine disability from diverse perspectives, including disability law and justice, cultural politics of disability, and family perspectives, and through the use of various research methods in disability studies. The program emphasizes examining and creating new theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches at different levels of analysis while analyzing topics of crucial importance locally and globally.

At a Glance

• College/school: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Location: Tempe
• STEM-OPT extension eligible: No

Degree Requirements

15 credit hours

• Required Core (3 credit hours): JUS 530 Social Policy, Critical Advocacy and Disability (3) or JUS 565 Critical and Comparative Issues in Disability (3)
• Electives (12 credit hours): Students should see the academic unit for the preapproved list of elective coursework. Other coursework may be used with approval of the academic unit.

Admission Requirements

• General university admission requirements: All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
• Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in social sciences, education, social work, law, health care and health care policy, or any related field from a regionally accredited institution.
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
• Required documents:
  • Graduate admission application and application fee
  • Official transcripts
  • Proof of English proficiency

Tuition Information

When it comes to paying for higher education, everyone’s situation is different. Students can learn about ASU tuition and financial aid options to find out which will work best for them.

Application Deadlines

• Fall: Rolling
• Spring: Rolling

Program Learning Outcomes

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program’s learning outcomes include the following:

• Critically examine and apply appropriate methodological approaches to the study of disability culture locally and globally.
• Explain key theoretical perspectives contributing to the development of disability studies.

Career Opportunities

A disability studies certificate can benefit individuals working within a variety of fields such as health care, human services, education, rehabilitation sciences, and social work. Additionally, individuals with a disability certificate can work within a number of diverse settings, including:

• Advocacy associations
• Community and family support agencies
• Foster care agencies
• Gerontology institutes
• Hospitals
• Jails and prisons
• Nonprofit agencies
• Pre-K--12 schools
• Research centers and institutes
• State and local disabilities agencies

Research Areas

• Advocacy, Culture, Interdisciplinary, Intersectionality, Justice, biopolitics, embodied experience, lived experience

Program Benefits

You can become a knowledgeable, flexible professional, change agent, researcher, educator, and advocate by critically addressing disability studies from diverse intersectional perspectives, quality of life, and justice issues, field-based applications, and research experiences.