Master of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy

Program Requirements

The revised program for the cohort starting in 2020 begins in the summer term and requires the completion of 30 credits (6 credits in Professional Foundations; 8 credits in Assessment/Analysis; 16 credits in Intervention). A Comprehensive Examination is required at the end of the spring term and prior to graduation.

Curriculum and Course Descriptions

Plan of Study:

The revised program for the cohort starting in 2020 requires the completion of 30 credits (6 credits in Professional Foundations; 8 credits in Assessment/Analysis; 16 credits in Intervention). 

The following is a typical plan of study for students enrolled in the Master of Science (MS) Program in Occupational Therapy (OT). 

Fall Term - 15 Credits 

• OT 2202 - Therapeutic Approaches 1  
• OT 2203 - Clinical Seminar 1  
• OT 2207 - Principles of Assessment  
• OT 2208 - Critical Appraisal of Evidence  
• OT 2221 - Developmental Theory and Practice  OR OT 2222 Productive Aging Theory and Practice  
• OT 2224 - Management of Occupational Therapy Practice  
• OT 2232 - Advanced Theory and Practice / MS  
• OT 2241 - Clinical Preceptorship 1  OR HRS 2594 - Research Preceptorship  
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Spring Term - 15 Credits 

• OT 2209 - Clinical Seminar 2  
• OT 2210 - Psychosocial/Cognitive Theory and Practice  
• OT 2213 - Occupational Therapy and the Health System  
• OT 2214 - Therapeutic Approaches 2  
• OT 2233 - Implementing Evidence: Clinical Practice Guidelines  
• OT 2240 - Special Topics in Occupational Therapy  OR OT 2205 - Neurobehavioral Science  
• OT 2242 - Clinical Preceptorship 2  OR HRS 2594 - Research Preceptorship  

Comprehensive Examination:

Each student must successfully complete a Comprehensive Examination. This examination is used to determine mastery of the core content in the curriculum. 

Preceptorship

The MS in OT program offers clinical or research preceptorships. Students select one clinical or research preceptorships based on their professional goals and interests. Preceptorships provide advanced experiential learning in an area of clinical or research occupational therapy practice for the purpose of advancing skills and knowledge in that practice area. For internationally educated occupational therapists a clinical preceptorship can also be customized for the purpose of developing familiarity with the U.S. health care system.  Similarly, a research preceptorship can be tailored to provide exposure to a specific area of occupational therapy research.

MS students have taken advantage of preceptorships to gain advanced skills (e.g., burns rehabilitation, pediatric occupational therapy research), participate in program development activities (e.g., designing an energy conservation and work simplification program for individuals with chronic respiratory diseases), develop teaching modules for entry-level program courses (e.g., assistive technology, neuroscience and neurorehabilitation), develop familiarity with health and disability policy, and design and implement scholarly projects.

For all preceptorship experiences, in addition to the site mentor, students are assigned a faculty mentor who guides them through the preceptorship. The student and faculty mentor meet prior to the start of the preceptorship to discuss goals for the preceptorship, a plan of action for achieving the goals, and the evaluation process. The student and faculty mentor meet throughout the preceptorship to discuss the student’s progress. Students find the preceptorships to be rewarding experiences that advance their clinical or research skills and career development .