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Updated: February 14, 2021

The University of Pittsburgh’s new Master of Rehabilitation Technology (MRT) program is now available online in a hybrid format* and is currently accepting students for its fall 2021 cohort. The program is offered through the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology (RST), one of the first in the world to focus on how rehabilitation technology can support the goals of individuals with disabilities.

The MRT program can be completed in as little as 12 months (3 terms) and trains students to become certified Assistive Technology Professionals (ATP). This certification demonstrates competence in analyzing the needs of consumers with disabilities, assisting in the selection of appropriate assistive technologies to meet customer needs, and providing training in the use of selected devices. The program was designed to help fill the approximately 300 job vacancies for ATPs in the U.S., and thousands worldwide. Pitt’s MRT program is the only graduate degree program in the nation to receive approval from CoA-RATE.

“We are thrilled to launch this online program, a refined version of our successful 2-year master’s program that we have offered for over 20 years,” says Dr. Jonathan Pearlman, associate professor and chair, RST Department. “This new program focuses on rapidly building capacity of trained AT service providers, researchers and designers.” 

Requiring only 35 credits of study and a 240-hour clinical practicum, students who earn an MRT will train with some of the nation’s leading faculty and alumni whose research and advocacy are improving independence for people with disabilities everywhere.

*This program requires travel to Pittsburgh for an in-person weekend lab once per term.