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Accreditation

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). ACOTE is located at 7501 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. . ACOTE's telephone number (301) 652-2682. The ACTOE website can be found at: . Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination for the Occupational Therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. [Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.]

Curriculum Design

The process of learning is conceptualized in the curriculum as a sequential and developmental progression where learning occurs through a spiraling curriculum of knowledge construction and reconstruction. This involves learning about human occupation and development across the lifespan within the contexts following a developmental curriculum. Students learn foundational concepts and continue to build upon this knowledge to develop more advanced and complex skills.

Threads in Curriculum

1. Foundational Knowledge
2. Practice Skills
3. Research
4. OT Evaluation Across the Lifespan
5. OT Intervention Across the Lifespan
6. Professional Skills

Levels of the Curriculum

1. Entrance with undergraduate knowledge and life experiences
2. Understanding the foundational knowledge of occupational therapy
3. Competency in clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, research and interprofessional practice
4. Advanced problem-solving skills
5. Integration of knowledge and entry-level application to practice
6. Application of knowledge and skills to provide client-centered, occupation-based, culturally relevant occupational therapy services.

ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ Occupational Therapy Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ's Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program will possess expected professional behaviors of an entry-level occupational therapist as demonstrated by the following learning outcomes (numbers in parentheses refer to threads listed above)

• Demonstration of professional skills based on an understanding of the profession's ethics, practice framework, safety regulation, and standards of practice. (1,6)
• Effective articulation and utilization of occupation with individuals across the lifespan. (2, 3, 4, 5)
• Understanding of Occupational Therapy's history, philosophy, theoretical base, models of practice and frames of reference. (1)
• The ability to evaluate a client's occupationally relevant strengths and needs in occupations, performance skills, performance patterns, contexts, activity demands, and client factors to achieve health, well-being, and participation in life through engagement in occupations. (4)
• The ability to provide occupationally-based, evidence-based, and client-centered intervention. (2, 3, 5)
• Utilization of clinical reasoning that demonstrates problem solving, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, integration of knowledge, evidence-based practice, self-initiative and independent thought. (3, 4, 5)
• Understanding of the changing health care environment with a commitment to lifelong learning that will allow the provision of therapeutic and humanistic care to promote health and well-being as evidenced in the ability to organize and manage OT services. (3, 6)
• Utilization of effective verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
• Utilization of appropriate professional and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain effective relationships with clients, caregivers and colleagues. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
• Utilization of knowledge pertaining to cultural, political, and economic differences when working as a member of an interprofessional team, in the role of supervisor, and in the client-therapist relationship. (6)
• Demonstration of entry-level research and presentation skills. (3)
• Competent use of technology for gathering and processing information. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
• Success in achieving personal satisfaction as an employed entry-level occupational therapist. (6)
• Satisfaction with educational experience gained at ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ. (6)
  
  

MSOT Curriculum - 80 Credits  

To remain in the program, students are expected to complete every course and maintain a GPA of 3.2 or above. If a student's cumulative GPA falls below a 3.2, the student will be notified of academic probationary status. The student will be granted no more than one probationary semester throughout the graduate program. Any student earning a D+ or below in a class will be required to repeat the class or will be dismissed from the program (GPA and potential to raise GPA in probationary semester will dictate this). Repeating a class will alter the sequence of the duration of the program. Depending on the timeline necessary for completing probationary requirements, graduation may be delayed. There may be the instance when a student cannot mathematically improve their GPA to 3.2 in one semester (i.e. probationary semester is during fieldwork level II semester when 3 credit FW experience occurs and GPA is too low to recover). In this instance, the student will be dismissed from the program. Also, a grade below a B- for three courses will warrant a dismissal from the program. Successful completion of all fieldwork experiences is a requirement for graduation. If a student fails 2 FW II experiences, they will be dismissed from the program.

MSOT Program Fieldwork

The American Occupational Therapy Association's document entitled The Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapist governs the length and type of clinical training required of students to receive the appropriate amount and type of clinical experiences needed to meet these Standards. These clinical training experiences may also be referred to as clinical affiliations and fieldwork and will occur in varied locations where occupational therapy services are provided or in community settings where an occupational therapy role is not yet established. In some cases, students will have the opportunity to learn in role-emerging practice areas to help identify where occupational therapists can improve health and well-being of a wider-range of people. The two different types of mandated fieldwork integrated into your academic experience at ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ are level I and level II fieldwork. During level I fieldwork, students observe and may participate in the delivery of the occupational therapy services. Level II fieldwork begins after completion of the academic portion of the MSOT program. In the level II fieldwork, students gradually assume responsibility for client services at their fieldwork site under the supervision or support of a licensed practitioner.

At ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ, level I fieldwork occurs in conjunction with specified courses and begins in the second semester of study. Level I fieldwork involves weekly experiences at a fieldwork site that relates to the course of study emphasized each semester. As an example, when studying occupational therapy as applied to children, students will go once a week to various locations where occupational therapy is provided to children or is being developed for children. In this manner, level I fieldwork provides students with the opportunity to correlate academic learning with practice-based experience.

At ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ, level II fieldwork occurs after successful completion of all required academic coursework. Each student will be assigned two different level II fieldwork experiences. The length of each level II fieldwork affiliation is typically 12 weeks of full-time clinical experience. Participation in level II fieldwork is contingent upon several factors including, but not limited to, student preparation, clinical site availability and suitability for clinical skill development. The general intent of level II fieldwork is to provide the broadest exposure to the field of occupational therapy with experiences across the lifespan and in a variety of settings or treatment models. Participation in level II fieldwork is designed to include experience in a traditional medical setting and a community-based setting where psychosocial, developmental, and physical disability evaluation and intervention occur. In addition, to the mandated level I and II fieldwork experiences, the ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ MSOT program provides additional clinical experiences and community-based student learning experiences throughout the academic program. Given usual circumstances, failure to complete all Level II Fieldwork requirements with 24 months of completing academic coursework will result in dismissal from the program, except in circumstances including military deployment or other circumstances that are permitted by the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs.

Admissions Criteria

Application Deadline

Fall 2025: Verified in OTCAS by November 20, 2024

Each application will be reviewed once verified in OTCAS and admission decisions will occur on a rolling basis.
 
Prerequisite Requirements:

• Completion of a baccalaureate degree
• Cumulative 3.2 GPA or higher
• Completion of prerequisite coursework with a grade "B-" or better

Application Process

You must submit an application through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application System (OTCAS) Your OTCAS application must be verified by or prior to November 20th.

I.  

Your application to OTCAS must include:

• Official Transcripts from all schools attended (including ÒùÐÔÊÓƵ)
• Three letters of recommendation required: One must be from a professor with whom you have taken a course, and the other two must be professional/academic references (no personal references accepted).
• Essay, resume, and any other additional information
• Documentation of 40 hours on the  (uploaded in the Documents section of CAS) 
• For more details about this process, visit the .

Frequently Asked Questions