Postsecondary Access and Training in Human Services (PATHS)

The PATHS Certificate Program leads to a successful career as a Direct Support Professional General (DSP-G), a Direct Support Para-Paraprofessional (DSP-P) or a Child Care Professional (CCP). This three-semester certificate program (includes a 4-week summer program prior to the fall), offered at the Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University, prepares graduates for careers supporting people with disabilities and older adults to live in their communities, as well as teachers and children. A Direct Support Professional General may be employed by a private agency for people with developmental disabilities or older adults, a home health agency, the family of the individual receiving services, or directly by an individual with a disability or older adult. Students working toward a certificate as DSP-P support teachers and students in the classroom and may become employed by school districts or other educational facilities.  Students working toward obtaining a certificate as a CCP learn to support children ages 0-5 in a childcare setting.  

The program begins with a 4-week summer Bridge to Career program that serves as a “college boot camp”. Students learn how to navigate independently within the Texas A & M campus and community, acquire basic students skills, self-advocacy skills, self-determination skills, and learn about supports available to them. The following semester of classroom coursework provides students with the required skills to gain successful employment as well as enrichment courses to further enhance the quality and depth of the training. During the second semester, students are placed in an onsite practicum position based on their chosen career path. The PATHS Certificate offers opportunities for graduates to be employed immediately as a Direct Support Professionals (DSP-G, DSP-P, or CCP) by providers of community services.