Doctor of Clinical Science (CScD) in Occupational Therapy

Program Requirements

The Doctor of Clinical Science (CScD) program in Occupational Therapy is offered 100% online on a part-time basis and requires completion of 72 credits. Students with an entry-level master’s degree in occupational therapy or a baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy and an advanced level master’s degree in occupational therapy or another field may be eligible to transfer up to 30 credits from their master’s degree, leaving a remaining 42 credits. With a transfer of 30 credits, students will be able to complete the program in as little as 7 terms or 28 months.

This program also offers an Advanced Practice Certificate in Implementation of Evidence in Clinical Practice , which is earned upon completion of the CScD in Occupational Therapy degree or can be earned on a standalone basis.

Contact Information

Department of Occupational Therapy
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Pittsburgh
Bridgeside Point 1, 100 Technology Drive, Suite 350
Pittsburgh, PA 15219 
412-383-6620
otpitt@shrs.pitt.edu 

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements and Application Process 

Pitt SHRS is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic environment to create a more equitable health care system by welcoming applicants of all abilities/disabilities, religions, marital statuses, familial statuses, sexes, ages, sexual orientations, veteran statuses, national origins, all ethnic and racial backgrounds, genetic information, and gender identities and expressions. 

• Applicants who received their occupational therapy training within the United States must have an entry-level master’s degree in occupational therapy (e.g., MOT) from an Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)-accredited program, or a baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy from an ACOTE-accredited program and a master’s degree in occupational therapy or another field of study.  

• Applicants who received their occupational therapy training outside of the United States must have an entry-level master’s degree in occupational therapy or a baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy from an ACOTE-accredited program and a master’s degree in occupational therapy or another field of study  from a World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT)-approved program and meet all necessary requirements for admission to the University of Pittsburgh.  

• U.S. applicants are required to have initial NBCOT certification (or eligibility). International applicants must provide equivalent certification documentation from country of residence.  

• Interview*  

• Qualified applicants will be invited to a virtual interview with the CScD in Occupational Therapy program director.   

• Verification of English Language Proficiency. Verification is required unless the following apply:  

• the applicant is a citizen of a country whose official language is English  

• the applicant has completed a degree program at a regionally accredited institution in the U.S., or   

• the applicant is not a citizen of a country whose official language is English but has completed a degree program at an institution outside of the U.S. where the language of instruction is English and where the official national language of the country in which the institution is located is English.  

 Please note that the GRE is not required for admission to the program. 

Occupational Therapists with Baccalaureate Degrees 

Occupational therapists with a baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy, and no additional graduate degrees, should apply to the Master of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy program.  

Occupational Therapists with Master’s Degrees 

Occupational therapists with 1) an entry-level master’s degree in occupational therapy, or 2) a baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy and an advanced master’s degree in occupational therapy (or another field) may be able to transfer up to 30 credits from their master’s degree, providing that these credits meet requirements in the CScD in Occupational Therapy curriculum. 

Application Information 

All Applicants 

To apply to the online CScD in Occupational Therapy program, you must complete and submit the following: 

• Complete the GradCAS application.

• $50 application fee (U.S.) 

• ​Two (2) Professional Letters of Recommendation: Letters of recommendation should attest to your professional abilities and conduct, collegiality, oral and written communication skills and leadership.* 

• ​Essay* 

• ​​Evidence of graduate-level writing skills in an essay that outlines: 

• why you are interested in pursuing the Doctor of Clinical Science in Occupational Therapy degree or Certificate in Implementation, 

• why you are interested in advancing your education through the University of Pittsburgh, 

• what makes you a good fit for an advanced training education program that is delivered online 

• How your identity, background, or experiences to date have contributed to your motivation and preparation for this program and will impact your progress in it, and  

• the future professional goals that you hope to achieve as a result of this advanced training 

• Resume: A professional resume indicating knowledge of rehabilitation through previous paid work experiences, internships or field experiences, or volunteer work experiences. 

• Upload unofficial transcripts from all U.S. institutions attended in the Academic History section of CAS.  

• Upload a course-by-course evaluation with GPA conversion for all higher institutions you have attended outside the U.S. in the Academic History section of CAS. The evaluation may be from World Education Services (WES), Inc. or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. 

• All admitted students will be required to provide official transcripts and, if applicable, credential evaluations to the SHRS Admissions Office prior to enrolling in classes. 

• If applicable, self-report unofficial English Language Proficiency (TOEFL or IELTS) test scores tin the Academic History section of CAS (for Duolingo, upload an unofficial score report under Documents in Program Materials) and request official test scores be sent to the University of Pittsburgh. Minimum scores accepted and instructions for sending official test scores follow:  

• Duolingo English Test: 130. Scores should be made available electronically to “University of Pittsburgh - School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences”  

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 7.0. Scores should be made available electronically to “University of Pittsburgh Health and Rehabilitation Sciences”  

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 100. Scores should be submitted electronically through ETS to institution code “2927”.  

*Note: the personal essay, professional letters of recommendation and virtual interview are NOT required for Advanced Practice Certificate ONLY applicants. 

Application Deadlines 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for students intending to start the program in August of the same calendar year or January of the following calendar year. 

For More Information 

Contact the Department of Occupational Therapy at OTpitt@shrs.pitt.edu. 

Curriculum and Course Descriptions

The program requires the completion of 72 credits (up to 30 credits may be transferred from a master’s degree, potentially leaving a remaining 42 credits in the CScD in Occupational Therapy program). Each student will be paired with a faculty mentor who will oversee the development, implementation and grading of Preliminary and Comprehensive Examinations necessary to complete the program. Required courses are held in the fall, spring and summer terms.

Preliminary Examination

The preliminary examination is a requirement for doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh and is intended to assess the breadth of the student’s knowledge of the discipline, the student’s achievement following the first year of graduate study, and the potential to apply knowledge appropriately. In the CScD in Occupational Therapy program, the preliminary examination is a writing assignment in response to a writing prompt created by a preliminary examination committee composed of occupational therapy graduate faculty. Questions may address assessment concepts, intervention/education concepts, and/or implementation of evidence. The preliminary examination is typically administered following the student’s first year of study and is graded by the preliminary examination committee. Students must successfully pass the preliminary examination at least six months before they graduate.

Capstone Doctoral Committee 

Each student will be supervised by a doctoral committee that will be formed before or at the successful completion of the preliminary examination. The doctoral committee will be comprised of two to three members with the chair of this committee being the student’s faculty mentor and at least one of the other members being faculty appointed in the Department of Occupational Therapy. Additional members will be determined collaboratively by the student and mentor and can include external stakeholders. This committee will oversee the development, implementation and grading of the capstone project.

Comprehensive Examination

The capstone project serves as the basis of the comprehensive examination and will be developed and implemented in collaboration with the doctoral committee. The comprehensive examination includes a written paper and a presentation of the capstone project, both of which are graded by the student’s doctoral committee. Students must successfully pass both the written and oral components of the comprehensive examination to complete the CScD in Occupational Therapy program. Students must be registered for at least one course credit during the semester in which they will graduate from the CScD in Occupational Therapy program.

Plan of Study

CScD in Occupational Therapy Degree Courses

All students will take the following courses: 

• OT 3000 - ADVANCED ASSESSMENT
• OT 3010 - EVIDENCE INTERPRETATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION *
• OT 3020 - FOUNDATIONS IN IMPLEMENTATION *
• OT 3030 - THE BUSINESS OF IMPLEMENTATION *
• OT 3040 - ADVOCACY FOR IMPLEMENTATION *
• OT 3100 - EVIDENCE ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS
• OT 3200 - EVIDENCE-BASED PROTOCOLS AND PRACTICE GUIDELINES
• OT 3300 - CONCEPTUALIZING AND ASSESSING QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
• OT 3400 - THEORIES OF CHANGE
• OT 3500 - IMPLEMENTATION EVIDENCE

•  

  Following completion of the 34 credits of online courses, CScD in Occupational Therapy students will culminate their matriculation through the program with an eight-credit capstone project. With the support of a faculty mentor, students will individually design and complete a capstone project that demonstrates their advanced knowledge for implementing evidence into practice.

   

• OT 3600 - CAPSTONE PHASE 1
• OT 3700 - CAPSTONE PHASE 2

•  

  *Required courses for the Advanced Practice Certificate in Implementation of Evidence in Clinical Practice .

Academic Standards

In addition to following University-wide academic rules and regulations as detailed in the General Academic Regulations section of this Catalog, the CScD in Occupational Therapy program is regulated by the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Academic Standards, as well as the policies and procedures in the SHRS Graduate Student Handbook and the CScD in Occupational Therapy Student Manual.