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The Master of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy program begins in the fall term (August) each year. The MS program is 30 credits and requires the completion of 12 core credits of advanced evidence-based rehabilitation coursework and a comprehensive examination. The Comprehensive Examination is required at the end of the last term and prior to graduation.

The MS in Occupational Therapy program offers students the opportunity to personalize their plan of study to meet their professional goals, whether they are related to clinical practice or research. The clinical plan is 2 semesters and includes clinical preceptorships which provide structured exposure to the U.S. health care system. The research plan is 2 semesters and provides you exposure to OT research. The research with scholarly project plan is 3 semesters, which provides an opportunity to complete a scholarly project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The scholarly project plan of study provides you the opportunity to create a writing sample for future PhD applications.

Comprehensive Examination

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

View Program Catalog and Course Descriptions

Plan of Study: Clinical (30 credits / 2 terms)

Term 1 - Fall Term - 15 Credits
OT 2207 - PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT
OT 2221 - DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY AND PRACTICE OR 
OT 2222 - PRODUCTIVE AGING THEORY AND PRACTICE
OT 2224 - MANAGEMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE
OT 2241 - CLINICAL PRECEPTORSHIP 1
OT 3206 - ADVANCED THEORY AND PRACTICE
OT 3010 - EVIDENCE INTERPRETATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Term 2 - Spring Term - 15 Credits
OT 2210 - PSYCHOSOCIAL/COGNITIVE THEORY AND PRACTICE
OT 2213 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND THE HEALTH SYSTEM
OT 2242 - CLINICAL PRECEPTORSHIP 2
OT 2248 - PROFESSIONAL REASONING IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
OT 2249 - SPECIAL TOPICS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: CLINICAL
OT 3200 - EVIDENCE-BASED PROTOCOLS AND PRACTICE GUIDELINES

Plan of Study: Research (30 credits / 2 terms)

Term 1 - Fall Term - 15 Credits
HRS 2927 - STATISTICAL METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCE RESEARCH 1
OT 3010 - EVIDENCE INTERPRETATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION
OT 3206 - ADVANCED THEORY AND PRACTICE
OT 2221 - DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY AND PRACTICE OR
OT 2222 - PRODUCTIVE AGING THEORY AND PRACTICE
OT 2246 - RESEARCH PRECEPTORSHIP 1
OT 2245 - SPECIAL TOPICS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: RESEARCH

Term 2 - Spring Term - 15 Credits
OT 2210 - PSYCHOSOCIAL/COGNITIVE THEORY AND PRACTICE
OT 2213 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND THE HEALTH SYSTEM
OT 2247 - RESEARCH PRECEPTORSHIP 2
OT 3100 - EVIDENCE ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS
OT 3200 - EVIDENCE-BASED PROTOCOLS AND PRACTICE GUIDELINES

Plan of Study: Research with Scholarly Project (ARCO) - (30 credits / 3 terms)

Term 1 - Fall Term - 12 Credits
HRS 2927 - STATISTICAL METHODS FOR HEALTH SCIENCE RESEARCH 1
OT 2221 - DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY AND PRACTICE OR 
OT 2222 - PRODUCTIVE AGING THEORY AND PRACTICE OR
OT 3206 - ADVANCED THEORY AND PRACTICE
OT 2245 - SPECIAL TOPICS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: RESEARCH
OT 2246 - RESEARCH PRECEPTORSHIP 1
OT 3010 - EVIDENCE INTERPRETATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Term 2 - Spring Term - 15 credits
OT 2210 - PSYCHOSOCIAL/COGNITIVE THEORY AND PRACTICE
OT 2213 - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND THE HEALTH SYSTEM
OT 2251 - SCHOLARLY PROJECT
OT 3100 - EVIDENCE ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS
OT 3200 - EVIDENCE-BASED PROTOCOLS AND PRACTICE GUIDELINES

Term 3 - Summer Term - 3 Credits
OT 2251 - SCHOLARLY PROJECT

Preceptorship

The MS in Occupational Therapy program offers clinical and research preceptorships.

Clinical preceptorship provides a structured exposure to the U.S. health care system. Students are exposed to occupational therapy practice in various health care settings (e.g., acute and inpatient rehabilitation   hospitals, outpatient clinics) under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist.

Research preceptorships provide exposure to clinical research in the field of occupational therapy. Students are exposed to occupational therapy research in a variety of areas (e.g., pediatrics, neurology, geriatrics, health systems).

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.

Academic Standards

In addition to following University-wide academic rules and regulations as detailed in the General Academic Regulations section of this Catalog, the MS 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 MS in Occupational Therapy Student Manual.

View Program Catalog and Course Descriptions

MS in OT Manual 2023-24