Master of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy

Program Requirements

The program begins in the Summer term (May) each year and requires the completion of 33 credits (9 credits in Professional Foundations; 12 credits in Assessment/Analysis; 12 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 program requires the completion of 33 credits (9 credits in Professional Foundations; 12 credits in Assessment/Analysis; 12 credits in Intervention). 

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

Summer Term - 9 Credits

• OT 2200 - Foundations of Occupation  
• OT 2202 - Therapeutic Approaches 1  
• OT 2218 - Biomechanical Theory & Practice  
• OT 2203 - Clinical Seminar 1  
• OT 2241 - Clinical Preceptorship 1

Fall Term - 12 Credits

• OT 2221 - Developmental Theory and Practice  OR OT 2222 Productive Aging Theory and Practice  
• OT 2207 - Principles of Assessment  
• OT 2224 - Management of Occupational Therapy Practice  
• OT 2208 - Critical Appraisal of Evidence  
• OT 2209 - Clinical Seminar 2  
• OT 2242 - Clinical Preceptorship 2

Spring Term - 12 Credits

• OT 2210 - Psychosocial/Cognitive Theory and Practice  
• OT 2213 - Occupational Therapy and the Health System  
• OT 2240 - Special Topics in Occupational Therapy
• OT 2214 - Therapeutic Approaches 2  
• OT 2216 - Clinical Seminar 3  
• OT 2243 - Clinical Preceptorship 3

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

Preceptorships provide advanced experiential learning in an area of 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.

MS students have taken advantage of preceptorships to gain advanced skills (e.g., burns rehabilitation), 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 a rewarding experience that advances their clinical skills and career development.