Disability Management (MA Program)
Henry Harder, Associate Professor, and Program Chair
Kenneth Prkachin, Professor (Psychology)
Cindy Hardy, Associate Professor (Psychology)
Shannon Wagner, Associate Professor
Josée Lavoie, Assistant Professor
Barbara Low, Adjunct Professor
Arlene Ward, Adjunct Professor
Website: http://www.unbc.ca/disabilitymanagement
The program provides graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary
to assist labour, management, insurance providers, employers, and
employees with the development of successful work-entry or return-to-work strategies for persons with disabilities.
The program is attractive to students interested in integrating the
fields of economics, community health, social work, psychology,
education, and business. The combination of course work, research, and
the practical application of knowledge gives students a well-rounded,
applied education in the field of Disability Management.
The program is also available at the Prince George campus, either full-time or part-time, or on a part-time basis via distance delivery on
the World Wide Web. Please see the information below and our website www.unbc.ca/disabilitymanagement for additional details.
Admission
Application deadlines are found in this calendar under "Semester Dates" or online at: www.unbc.ca/calendar/graduate, also under "Semester Dates." The Disability Management MA Program accepts students for the September Semester.
For additional information about graduate admissions or to download
application materials, go to the Graduate Programs website at www.unbc.ca/graduateprograms.
In addition to the admission
application requirements outlined in Section 1.0 of the Graduate Calendar, applicants are required to undergo
a criminal records search, and provide evidence of this prior to their
admission being considered.
Delivery Modes
There are two modes of delivery for the Disability Management (MA) Program, face to face and distance. Both have a thesis option or a comprehensive examination option. Each option is described separately below; courses for each delivery mode follow the description.
The Thesis Option consists of
four components:
|
Core courses in Disability Management | 12 credits | | Research methods courses | 6 credits | | Electives | 9 credits | | Thesis | 9 credits | | Total | 36 credits |
All students in the Thesis Option are required to write a letter outlining their practical experience. If their experience is considered insufficient by the program they will be required to do a practicum in addition to all requirements listed above. In addition, all students in the Thesis Option are required to travel to the Prince George campus to fulfill some of their thesis requirements.
Comprehensive Examination Option:
The Comprehensive Examination Option consists of five components:
| Core courses in Disability Management | 12 credits | | Research methods courses | 6 credits | | Electives | 9 credits | Practicum or Major Paper
| 6 credits | Comprehensive Exam
| 3 credits | | Total | 36 credits |
Students in the comprehensive examination option will be required to do a practicum unless they have significant experience in the field already. In that case they will write a letter outlining their experience and request that they are allowed to prepare a Major Paper in place of a Practicum.
Requirements
Face-to-Face Mode
The Face-to-Face Mode is available to those students who take the program full or part-time. The courses for the Face-to-Face Mode are listed below:
Core Courses
|
|
|
Professional Ethics in Health Care Management | | DISM 710-3 | | Foundations in Disability Management | | DISM 711-3 | | Disability Management: Legislation, Policy & Procedures | | DISM 712-3 | | Disability Management Interventions |
Other courses may be substituted or added with the approval of the student's Supervisory Committee.
Research Courses
Additional two courses from the following:
Other courses may be substituted or added with the approval of the student's Supervisory Committee.
Elective Courses
Candidates must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours from the following list. Not more than six credit hours can be from any one area other than Disability Management.
Other courses may be substituted or added with the approval of the student's Supervisory Committee.
Practicum (or Major Paper) and Comprehensive Examination, or Thesis
Distance Mode
The Distance Mode is available to those students who take the
program part-time. Students completing the Distance Mode have a restricted set of electives courses. Courses for the Distance Mode are listed below.
Core Courses
|
|
|
Professional Ethics in Health Care Management | |
|
|
Foundations in Disability Management | |
|
|
Disability Management: Legislation, Policy & Procedures | DISM 712-3
| | Disability Management Interventions
|
Other courses may be substituted or added with the approval of the student's Supervisory Committee.
Research Courses
| HHSC 603-3 |
| Community Research Methods
| |
|
| Health Program Development and Evaluation
|
Other courses may be substituted or added with the approval of the student's Supervisory Committee.
Elective Courses
Candidates must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours from the following list. Not more than six credit hours can be from any one area other than Disability Management.
| DISM 720-3 | | Special Topics
| | DISM 798-(3-6) | | Directed Studies
| |
|
|
Social and Health Policy and Administration | |
|
|
Health Psychology | |
|
|
Community Work/Politics of Change |
Other courses may be substituted or added with the approval of the student's Supervisory Committee.
Practicum (or Major Paper) and Comprehensive Examination, or Thesis
|
| | Disability Management Major Paper
| | DISM 795-6 | | Disability Management Practicum | | DISM 796-3 |
| Disability Management Comprehensive Examination | DISM 799-9
|
| Disability Management Thesis |
Practicum
Students are involved in field-based learning activities for the
purpose of pursuing and developing research/policy
/administration/practice skills within a related employment area. The
practicum component stresses independent learning, and permits students
to test or develop theory in the context of fieldwork. The form of
field practice components varies widely in accordance with the learning
needs of the students. The practicum leads to a written report that
reflects students' critical analyses of their practice settings.
The report further demonstrates a deepening of professional competence,
analytical skills, and professional judgement, and represents a
contribution to the knowledge and skill base of the profession. The
duration of this component is equivalent to three months full-time employment.
Major Paper
The Major Paper (MP) option is for those students who have written a letter outlining their experience in the disability management field and obtained permission allowing them to prepare a Major Paper in place of a Practicum (6 credits). It is the aim of the MP to acquaint students with the practice of scholarship. Such acquaintance will normally entail a critical treatment of relevant academic literature using theoretical or philosophical methods. If the student wishes to pursue empirical research, either quantitative or qualitative, the thesis option must be selected.
Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination option of study requires the successful completion of a comprehensive examination that evaluates a candidate's knowledge of theory, research and practices in his/her field of study.
Thesis
An oral
examination is required as per University regulations. All students taking the thesis option will be required to be in Prince George for the oral examination.
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