Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Disability Studies

Disability studies looks at disability as a social, cultural and political question, not only as a medical one. The field rests on a distinction that Hofstra University puts plainly: an impairment is an anomaly in the form or function of a person's body, while disability is the set of social and cultural responses to it, from attitudes to architecture and legislation. Medicine and rehabilitation deal with impairment; society as a whole has to deal with disability. The World Health Organization uses a similar idea when it describes disability as the result of the interaction between health conditions and environmental and personal factors. It estimates that 1.3 billion people, 16% of the world's population, experience significant disability (fact sheet of March 2023).

Students read history, law, sociology, literature and ethics side by side. Typical topics are the models of disability (religious, charity, medical, social, cultural), the history of the disability rights movement, anti-discrimination law, inclusive education, and the way disability is shown in literature, film and the media. Many programmes add supervised practice in community services.

Qualifications and levels

Disability studies is taught at several levels, and the name of the qualification varies by country.

  • Minors and single courses. In the United States the subject is often a minor taken next to another major. The Disability Studies minor at Hofstra University, started in 2003, consists of 18 semester hours: 6 hours of core courses and 12 hours of electives.
  • Bachelor's degrees. Liverpool Hope University teaches Special Educational Needs as a three-year BA, available as a combined honours degree or as the single honours course Special Educational Needs & Disability Studies. The University of Calgary awards a Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation (BCR), in which students learn to design, deliver and evaluate community-based support services, partly through supervised field education.
  • Master's degrees. The Disability Studies MA at Liverpool Hope University has 180 UK credits and takes 12 months full time or 27 months part time. It has four taught modules of 30 credits and a dissertation of 60 credits. Entry requires at least a second-class honours degree in a relevant discipline or an equivalent qualification, and IELTS 6.5 for students whose first language is not English.
  • Spain. The Universidad de Salamanca teaches the Máster Universitario en Investigación en Discapacidad, an official research master's degree of 60 ECTS credits. It lasts one academic year, is taught on campus in Spanish and admits 25 new students. It has run since the 2011-12 academic year and renewed its accreditation in 2017 and 2021. The university's Instituto Universitario de Integración en la Comunidad (INICO) also lists a Máster de Formación Permanente en Integración de Personas con Discapacidad; students should ask the institute what recognition that qualification has.

Related degrees, such as rehabilitation counselling, special education, social work and occupational therapy, lead to regulated or licensed professions in many countries. A disability studies degree does not replace them.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 19 active schools for disability studies. Ten are in the United States, four in the United Kingdom and two in Canada; Spain, Australia and Russia have one each. Most programmes are therefore taught in English. Examples from the directory are Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, the University of Calgary in Canada, Liverpool Hope University in England and the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain, where teaching is in Spanish.

When comparing programmes, check three things: whether the course is a full degree, a minor or a module inside another degree; whether it includes a placement; and whether its focus is cultural and theoretical, as at Liverpool Hope, or applied to services and policy, as at Calgary.

Careers

Graduates work in disability organisations, inclusive education, community services, public policy and research. Hofstra University states that most students who take its minor are preparing for careers in medicine, rehabilitation, audiology and education, and that the subject is also useful for law, journalism and politics. The University of Calgary names career development, ageing, brain injury, physical disability, inclusive education and research as areas of work for its graduates, and notes that the degree can lead on to graduate or professional study.

Some jobs need a further qualification. In the United States, rehabilitation counsellors typically need a master's degree in rehabilitation counselling or a related field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It projects employment in that occupation to grow 2 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,200 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

Is disability studies the same as special education or rehabilitation?

No. Special education and rehabilitation train professionals to work with individuals. Disability studies examines how societies define and respond to disability, although some degrees combine the two.

Can I study disability studies as a full degree?

Yes, but it depends on the country. In the United States it is often a minor of about 18 semester hours, while universities in the United Kingdom, Canada and Spain offer full bachelor's or master's degrees in the field.

How long does a master's degree in disability studies take?

Usually one year full time. The MA at Liverpool Hope University takes 12 months, and the official master's degree at the Universidad de Salamanca has 60 ECTS credits in one academic year.

Do I need a background in health or social care?

Not necessarily. Programmes take students from the humanities and social sciences as well; Liverpool Hope University asks for a degree in a relevant discipline, so check the entry requirements of each school.