Meet Your Major

As a rehabilitation sciences major, you will study human function, disability and rehabilitation, with an eye toward promoting health and well-being.

Featuring a flexible curriculum that combines foundational science and behavioral science with interdisciplinary electives, this program allows you to personalize your academic path.

Girl working on arm model.


What You’ll Learn 

In the rehabilitation sciences program, you will:

  • Analyze and understand human movement from a variety of scientific perspectives, enabling you to draw conclusions about different patterns in normal and abnormal populations.
  • Learn and apply best practices to measure human movement.
  • Use critical-thinking and communication skills to evaluate scientific information and solutions to movement problems.
  • Choose your own specialty area, like biomechanics, so you can address real-world challenges with targeted solutions.

Hands-on Learning

In this program, you can extend your classroom learning out into the field through faculty-directed advanced research projects, access to state-of-the-art technology like our BodPod and 3-D Gait Analysis, and internships at top institutions like Northeast Rehabilitation Network, Abilities Rehab, Bay State Physical Therapy, Corso Physical Therapy and Lawrence Pain Management and Physical Therapy. Have a special focus in mind? Put it into practice through corporate partnership opportunities at New Balance Corp. or by teaching kids about health and fitness with Active Science, Merrimack’s interactive app.

Career Options

With your rehabilitation sciences degree, you’ll have a strong foundation in the health and behavioral sciences as well as real-world experience in the specialty of your choosing. Ready to dive into your professional career? You’ll be prepared for positions in athletic training or medical-fitness product design, or for clinical research in areas like orthopedics, gait analysis and sports performance. Interested in advanced study? Your degree will help you satisfy prerequisites for graduate programs that can lead to careers in fields like physical and occupational therapy; orthotics and prosthetics; athletic training; and speech and language pathology.

What You’ll Take

Rehabilitation sciences students must complete four years of study with a minimum 126 school credits and 92 major credits. To graduate with a degree in health science and remain in good academic standing within the department, you must maintain a GPA of at least 2.5.

See the online course catalog for more information.