Originally, CDER was created with funding from a grant by the U. S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration as part of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD). The goal was to support personnel working as rehabilitation counselors in state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies who did not have the appropriate education and training. When that funding ended, the need for access to this degree continued, and CDER is now a self-support program for students outside of the San Diego catchment area to earn the 60-unit MS degree via distance education that is administered 100% online. The program admits one cohort at a time who complete the three-year program by taking two or three courses each semester all year round for three years. Using the same admission and retention criteria, curriculum requirements, student learning outcomes, and graduation requirements as the on-campus program, CDER students are located throughout the United States, including American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.