The Occupational Therapy Doctoral degree program requires a minimum of 101 credits for degree completion.
The curriculum is reviewed regularly and subject to modification, in both content and credit as deemed necessary, to maintain a high-quality educational experience and to keep current with best practices in the profession.
First Year | ||
---|---|---|
Fall Semester | Credits | |
OTD 501 | Occupational Therapy Theory | 3 |
OTD 502L | OT Service Learning | 1 |
OTD 503 | OT Practice Framework & Professional Reasoning | 2 |
OTD 512 | Applied Neuroscience in OT Practice | 4 |
OTD 512L | Applied Neuroscience in OT Practice Lab | 1 |
OTD 513 | Clinical Anatomy & Kinesiology | 4 |
OTD 513L | Clinical Anatomy & Kinesiology Lab | 2 |
Credits | 17 | |
Spring Semester | ||
OTD 515 | Research Methods and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
OTD 520 | Occupational Therapy Mental Health and Psychosocial Practice I | 2 |
OTD 520L | Occupational Therapy Mental Health and Psychosocial Practice I Lab | 2 |
OTD 522 | Occupational Therapy for Children and Youth I | 6 |
OTD 522L | Occupational Therapy for Children and Youth I Lab | 2 |
OTD 522F | Occupational Therapy for Children and Youth I Fieldwork | 1 |
Credits | 16 | |
Summer Semester | ||
OTD 524 | Occupational Therapy for Adults and Older Adults I | 4 |
OTD 524L | Occupational Therapy for Adults and Older Adults I Lab | 2 |
OTD 524F | Occupational Therapy for Adults and Older Adults I Fieldwork | 1 |
OTD 528L | Biomechanical Interventions Lab | 1 |
OTD 530 | Administration and Management of Systems | 3 |
OTD 531 | Leadership and Change | 2 |
OTD 762 | Health Policy, Law & Advocacy | 2 |
Credits | 15 | |
Second Year | ||
Fall Semester | ||
OTD 521 | OT Mental Health and Psychosocial Practice II | 2 |
OTD 521L | OT Mental Health and Psychosocial Practice II Lab | 2 |
OTD 521F | OT Mental Health and Psychosocial Practice II Fieldwork | 1 |
OTD 523 | Occupational Therapy for Children and Youth II | 5 |
OTD 523L | OT for Children and Youth II Lab | 1 |
OTD 523F | OT for Children and Youth II Fieldwork | 1 |
OTD 751 | Capstone Seminar I - Exploration | 2 |
OTD 760 | Principles of Teaching & Learning | 2 |
Credits | 16 | |
Spring Semester | ||
OTD 525 | OT for Adults and Older Adults II | 4 |
OTD 525L | OT for Adults and Older Adults II Lab | 2 |
OTD 525F | OT for Adults and Older Adults II Fieldwork | 1 |
OTD 526 | Technology in OT Practice | 1 |
OTD 526L | Technology in OT Practice Lab | 1 |
OTD 527 | Work and Ergonomics | 2 |
OTD 752 | Knowledge Translation and Synthesis | 3 |
OTD 753 | Capstone Seminar II - Planning | 1 |
OTD 764 | Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship | 2 |
Credits | 17 | |
Summer Semester | ||
OTD 580 | Fieldwork Level IIA | 5 |
Credits | 5 | |
Third Year | ||
Fall Semester | ||
OTD 581 | Fieldwork Level IIB | 5 |
Credits | 5 | |
J-term | ||
OTD 582 | Professional Development | 2 |
OTD 754 | Capstone Seminar III - Preparation | 2 |
Credits | 4 | |
Spring Semester | ||
OTD 790 | Doctoral Project Seminar | 1 |
OTD 791 | Doctoral Experience | 5 |
Credits | 6 | |
Total Credits | 101 |
Doctoral Year 3 - J-term: OTD 582 and OTD 754 are courses that run in a 7-week format from early January to mid-February; dates will vary each year.
Doctoral Year 3 - Spring: OTD 790 and OTD 791 are experiential components that run in a 14-week format from mid-February to end of May; dates will vary each year.
Fieldwork Expectations
All students are responsible for transportation to all fieldwork experiences. All students are required to maintain viable health insurance, CPR certification and current immunization records according to their fieldwork placement requirements. A fieldwork site may have additional requirements as part of its affiliation agreement such as background checks and site-specific mandatory in-services. Failure to comply with fieldwork requirements may negatively impact a student's ability to participate in fieldwork. The department also requires current membership in the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Capstone Expectations
All students are required to complete a capstone experience (OTD 791) and a capstone project (OTD 790) in the final semester. All fieldwork and didactic requirements must be satisfactorily fulfilled prior to matriculating into OTD 790 and OTD 791.
- CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE: The capstone experience is a mentored process by an individual with demonstrated expertise in the student's area of interest. The capstone experience may occur in a traditional clinical site or non-traditional/non-clinical site that is appropriate for the implementation of the capstone project and the integration of learning. Students are responsible for transportation to all capstone experiences. All students are required to maintain viable health insurance, CPR certification and current immunization records according to their capstone placements. A capstone site may have additional requirements as part of its affiliation agreement or memorandum of understanding such as background checks and site-specific mandatory in-services. Failure to comply with capstone experiential requirements may negatively impact a student's ability to participate in capstone.
- CAPSTONE PROJECT: The doctoral capstone project is an opportunity for students to demonstrate in-depth knowledge in occupational therapy and the attainment of all program learning outcomes. The project concludes in the production of a scholarly manuscript and oral presentation to the occupational therapy practice community.
Progression, Retention and Graduation Requirements
All policies and procedures regarding progression, retention and graduation are found in the E-OTD Student Handbook. These policies and procedures are routinely reviewed with the students at the beginning of each semester and/or during advising.
Grade and Course Sequence Requirements
The program uses a tiered approach to curricular progression. In order for students to progress within the program, students must:
- Earn a GPA of 3.00 in each semester
- Earn a minimum grade of C+ in all OT lecture courses
- Earn minimum grade of B in all OT lab courses
- Earn a minimum grade of B+ in all OT Level I Fieldwork experiences
- Earn a "Pass" in OT Level II Fieldwork experiences and Doctoral Capstone Experience
Failure to meet the aforementioned requirements will result in a referral to the Academic Progression and Retention Committee (APRC). The outcome of such referral may be: program probation with course remediation; program probation with a course repeat (and repay); or program dismissal.
All courses must be taken sequentially as indicated in the program of study. Students may request in writing to the department chairperson (or designee) any deviations from the course sequence, waivers from occupational therapy courses, and/or transfer credits from other occupational therapy programs. All requests must be approved by the APRC and the department chairperson.
Fieldwork Requirements
- Students must complete all the required didactic coursework and be in good academic standing prior to starting Level II fieldwork (OTD 580 and OTD 581).
- Students must complete a minimum of 24 weeks full time Level II fieldwork.
- All Level II fieldwork experiences must be completed within 12 months following completion of the didactic portion of the program.
Capstone Requirements
- Students must complete all didactic coursework and Level II fieldwork and be in good academic standing prior to starting the Doctoral Capstone Experience (OTD 791) and Project (OTD 790).
- The Doctoral Capstone Experience and Project must be completed within 12 months following the successful passing of the comprehensive exam.
Successful completion of all didactic, fieldwork and capstone requirements is necessary for graduation with the degree of Doctor of Occupational Therapy.