top of page

A Review of Assistive Technology Academic Programs within Higher Education in the United States

By Sam Shepherd



Abstract


There are many ways to become an assistive technology specialist or have a career in other positions where assistive technology knowledge is important, yet there is a lack of assistive technology programs offered to students in university curriculums. This research paper reviews assistive technology programs offered at universities in the United States and categorizes the findings by type of degree (certificate, masters, other), class type (on campus or online). In continuation, this research further evaluates certificate programs by categorizing them by undergraduate or graduate and credit hours required to complete each program. There are noticeable commonalities as well as unique traits that stood out. The results show that most of the assistive technology programs offered at universities are graduate certificate programs. The discussion of this research continues the argument of there needing to be more assistive technology programs included in universities to increase assistive technology knowledge for future professionals as well as the feasibility of universities to establish such programs to offer their students. 




Introduction

Assistive technology is an essential part of many individual’s lives, and is defined as any item, device or software that helps someone gain or maintain functional capabilities. (AT Act of 1988). Assistive technology specialists and professionals serve an important role in helping people meet their assistive technology needs, including assessment, finding the right devices or software, providing trials and training, reevaluations, and more. The way to becoming an assistive technology specialist include obtaining a bachelor's degree in the following fields: education, special education, rehabilitation science, speech-language pathology, or occupational therapy. (Tseng College). While the paths may vary in route to becoming an assistive technology specialist or professional, this research paper serves as a review of current assistive technology specific programs offered at universities. 


Methods

The method for finding the assistive technology programs was straightforward; to use the “University Programs” page on RESNA’s website to compile the list of programs. RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) is the organization responsible for certifications such as Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) and education regarding assistive technology. (RESNA). I also looked at the “Assistive Technology Programs” page on Standford’s website that included a directory of assistive technology that mostly mirrored RESNA’s list, but had a few extra programs included. Last, there were some additional programs found in the midst of searching for details from the programs included in the lists: this will be considered in the Discussion. To mention, both RESNA and Stanford’s lists also included rehabilitation engineering programs, but this paper will only focus on assistive technology programs. Once the list was compiled, I looked into each program’s website to find the following information: type of degree (certificate, masters, other), credit hours, class type (online, in person, hybrid), and the amount of programs per university. 


Results

It is first important to note that there were multiple assistive technology programs listed on RESNA and Stanford’s pages that are no longer offered. Based on the research, there were 25 assistive technology related programs (certificate, masters, elective track, etc) offered at 18 universities; 12 universities offering just one program and 6 offering multiple programs. The mean per university is 1.38 with the most being 3 at California State University-Northridge. Of the total programs, the following are categorized in Figure 1 by type of degree. 

  


Figure 1

University 

Certificate (n=25)

Masters (n=25)

Other (n=25)

Bowling Green State University 

1

1 (emphasis) 


California State University-Dominiquez Hills

1



California State University-Northridge

1

2


Northern Arizona University

1



Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals 



1 (elective track in PhD)

Southern Connecticut State University 

2



University of Buffalo

1



Ohio State University 

2



University of Colorado Denver

1



University of Illinois Chicago

1



University of Kentucky 


1 (concentration)  


University of New Hampshire

1



University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

1

1


George Mason 

1


1 (undergraduate minor)

Tufts University 

1



Casper Community College

1



New Jersey City University

1



North Carolina Central University

1



Total

18

5

2



From here, it’s important to further research the certificate programs, since they make up 72% of all of the programs and can also be the easiest to access. Out of the 18 certificate programs, 11 are offered online and 7 are offered in person. The mean credit hours is 12.39 with the low of 9 (Tufts University) and the high of 18 (North Carolina Central University). To note, the certificate program at the California State University-Northridge had their hours detailed as “100 total hours” for the 10 modules required, so I converted that into 10 credit hours to include in calculating the mean. (x). The mean without doing so would’ve been 12.529 credit hours. The mode was 12 credit hours with 7 programs setting the commonality. Further, 15 of the certificate programs are graduate programs, 1 is undergraduate, and 2 programs (California State University-Northridge and Casper College) didn’t clearly state whether their certificate programs are undergraduate or graduate. In further detail, Ohio State University offered both an undergraduate and graduate certificate. Overall, Ohio State University and George Mason University are the only two Universities in this research to offer assistive technology programs for undergraduates, with George Mason’s offering an undergraduate minor.  


Discussion

A limitation of this study is that there could be more programs that haven't been reported to RESNA that I also didn't find. To note: Stanford’s website also advised viewers to report new programs to RESNA. If they aren’t already, RESNA should develop a way of systematically reviewing their list of programs and by finding methods of gathering 100% of them. Beyond the purpose of this study, it should be of value to potential students in assistive technology programs to easily find every option suitable for them, especially from an online class setting. 

Continuing, the mean (12.39) and mode (12) of certificate program credit hours may both be obvious, but this research can potentially help universities who are looking to develop their own certificate programs have a standard to reference. Another observation of this research is that there is one program titled “Assistive Technology for Individuals with Visual Impairment Certificate” at North Carolina Central University that is a far more specific program when in comparison to the others. As mentioned before, this program also has the most credit hours (18). This concept of specific and more extended assistive technology certifications could emerge at universities with the resources and personnel to do so. 

Moving forward, it’s interesting to consider that there are 18 universities that house their state’s Assistive Technology Act program, yet only 4 of these universities (Ohio State University, University of Colorado Denver, Northern Arizona University, and University of New Hampshire) offer academic certificates or degrees for assistive technology. (ACL). This isn’t to state that the other 14 AT Act Programs at universities don’t engage in any educational opportunities within the university; they simply don't have a formalized assistive technology curriculum offered for their respective university students.  

What would be the necessary steps for more universities to offer assistive technology certificate or degree programs? For one, assistive technology should be incorporated into more special education programs, as Bowling Green State University and University of Kentucky each offer as an emphasis/concentration for their masters programs. As the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires every student to be considered for assistive technology and to be provided with the technologies and related services when a need is identified (IDEA), every special education teacher should have more assistive technology education to best serve their student (Alsolami). Discussing broadly, every education student should be offered classes about assistive technology from their universities, as many of their future students will participate in general education classes with the use of assistive technology under the least restrictive environment (LRE) of IDEA. To note, there may be singular assistive technology courses that are at universities not offering full programs, or additional programs that aren’t reported to RESNA.

WIth the growing need of assistive technology and field experts, it should be important for universities that have the personnel and resources to strongly consider making an assistive technology program to offer their students. However, many universities across the country are facing budgetary constraints (University of Oregon), making it hard for many to maintain their current programs, let alone add a program. I still believe that there is an opportunity for many universities to add an assistive technology program, most easily being an online certificate program. Offering a program of 3-5 courses while having the necessary amount of qualified faculty could be feasible for some institutions to implement. To add, hiring adjunct faculty could be one method for schools looking to implement assistive technology curriculum. In addition, universities with a strong online learning system and presence could also implement certification programs, fostering a more accessible way of education in the field where accessibility matters most. 


Conclusion

Overall, there are many pathways that one may take in becoming an assistive technology specialist or professional. More universities offering assistive technology programs will help everyone looking to enter the field that supports individuals with disabilities, whether it be an assistive technology specialist, special and general education teachers, and other occupations not covered in this research paper. While the research in this paper is rather preliminary, it can serve as a tool for those looking to learn more about the assistive technology field in general as well as raise awareness on the lack of specific assistive technology programs across the country, having only 25 programs found in this research. In total, assistive technology curriculums should be a more sought after program for universities to look into implementing, which can start as a certificate program and/or emphasis/concentration, and can expand upon increased enrollment and interest. 




References


Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 1988, Pub. L. No. 100-407, 102 Stat. 1044 (1988).


“Assistive Technology Programs (Graduate and Undergraduate).” Assistive Technology Programs, web.stanford.edu/group/resna/RE&T-PSG/schools.htm. Accessed 11 June 2025. 


“Assistive Technology Specialist Career Path.” Assistive Technology Specialist Career Path | Tseng College (CSUN), California State University-Northridge, tsengcollege.csun.edu/blog/assistive-technology-specialist-career-path#:~:text=A%20bachelor’s%20degree%20is%20typically,with%20an%20emphasis%20on%20technology. Accessed 11 June 2025. 



United States, Congress, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) . 



University of Oregon. (2025, August 26). Challenges in higher education. StrengtheningUO. Retrieved from https://strengtheninguo.uoregon.edu/challenges-in-higher-ed 


Alsolami, A. S. (2022). Teachers of special education and assistive technology: Teachers’ perceptions of knowledge, competencies and professional development. SAGE Open, 12(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221079900. 

 
 
Donate
bottom of page