Your academic journey will encompass hands-on working experiences that will lead you to a successful career as an occupational therapist.
As a Doctor of Occupational Therapy student, your curriculum will include nine academic semesters. The academic coursework and fieldwork are integrated into a curriculum that is organized around the five curriculum themes depicted in our curriculum graphic.
Here's what you’ll study
The curriculum is based on a contemporary, subject-centered design (Hopper et al., 2014) with the concepts of occupation and participation to improve health and wellbeing as the curricular core. Five curricular threads constitute major areas of emphasis which support the curricular core. We believe aligning our entire curriculum with this curricular core is essential to our students acquiring a deep understanding of occupational therapy’s distinct value and to the development of their clinical reasoning and professional identity (AOTA, 2015; Hooper et al., 2014).
Coursework
The coursework laid out in the occupational therapy doctorate curriculum builds on prerequisite coursework and provides a foundation and guide for fieldwork experiences.
Year 1 (summer) | 8 credits
This is an introductory course in human gross anatomy designed to introduce the principal concepts, basic structure, and function of the human body. Students will have the opportunity to learn, through dissection and demonstration of human cadaveric specimens, clinical and functional correlates of human anatomy.
This course will examine the use of occupation as a therapeutic tool through the study of occupation, occupational science, activity analysis, and therapeutic use of self.
Year 1 (fall) | 15 credits
This course introduces essential skills required of occupational therapists in contemporary clinical practice. Students will learn and apply a variety of skills including selection and use of medical equipment, transfers, positioning, common precautions, monitoring of vital signs, chart reading, and activity analysis.
This course lecture with lab course introduces the principles and concepts of professional communication and group process in occupational therapy practice.
Conceptualization and synthesis of existing models, frames of reference, paradigms, and theories for occupational therapy practice are examined and applied.
Supervised clinical experiences designed to strengthen the ties between didactic courses and preparation for Level II fieldwork experiences.
This lecture with lab course involves the study and integration of principles of human movement including biomechanical principles and analysis, joint structure and function, muscle physiology, and musculoskeletal function for occupational performance.
An introduction to the skills of integrating best available research, clinical knowledge, and patient values in clinical decision making is presented. Emphasis is placed on locating, selecting, and critically appraising clinical research to assess its usefulness in guiding clinical decision making in occupational therapy practice.
Year 1 (spring) | 17 credits
This lecture and laboratory course focuses on the rehabilitation of persons who have deficits in occupational performance due to injuries, illnesses, or other causes, using the occupational therapy process to facilitate return to participation in daily living.
This is the first of two seminars focused on clinical decision making. Students are presented with a series of case-based clinical problems coordinated with prior and concurrent coursework. Uses a modified problem-based learning format with emphasis on evidence-based and occupation-focused assessment, treatment planning, and evaluation.
This lecture with lab course explores measurement issues in clinical practice. The course will focus on providing students with practical skills that will allow them to locate, select, evaluate, and administer assessment and screening instruments.
This lecture with laboratory course prepares students to be competent consumers of research and to design and implement a scholarly project.
Supervised clinical experiences designed to strengthen the ties between didactic courses and preparation for Level II fieldwork experiences.
This lecture with lab course explores the development and occupational engagement of infants, children, and adolescents while considering the delivery of occupational therapy services to address disruptions in occupational performance, activity engagement, and social participation.
Year 2 (summer) | 6 credits
This course focuses on the role of occupation in the promotion of health and the prevention of disease and disability. Models of health promotion, wellness, and chronic care management are explored and applied.
This is the first course in the doctoral capstone experience and project course series. This course focuses on the development phase of the capstone. Students explore ideas, develop their initial doctoral capstone proposals, and begin the process of site selection.
In this course, students will explore the method and practice of teaching and develop skills in creating instructional plans for adult learners in academic and clinical practice settings.
Year 2 (fall) | 12 credits
This lecture and laboratory course introduces the concepts of positioning, environmental adaptations, computer uses and technologies, assistive devices, and adaptive equipment. Low technology will be a focus; some expansion to high technology will also be discussed.
Students will develop a proposal for new or expanded community-based occupational therapy services including needs assessment, literature review, mock funding request, and program evaluation and presentation.
An inter-professional course in which students acquire a foundational understanding of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, as well as clinical features of the human nervous system and neurologic disorders.
In this course, the concepts of trauma-sensitive, trauma-informed, and trauma-specific practice will be explored. Students will understand what constitutes individual, community, and historical trauma and integrate knowledge about trauma and resilience into trauma-informed practice in a variety of practice settings.
Year 2 (spring) | 16 credits
This lecture with lab course will emphasize an occupation-centered approach to support mental health across practice settings for individuals, groups, and populations. Students will receive the basic tools to recognize and assess client and contextual factors related to mental health and treatment planning.
This course covers disruption of occupational performance caused by age-related decline or diseases, and the application of the occupational therapy process to promote productive aging. Lectures and lab components address theories, assessments, and treatments to maximize health and quality of life for older adults through facilitation of participation in everyday living.
The second of two seminars focused on clinical decision making. Students are presented with a series of cased based clinical problems coordinated with prior and concurrent coursework. Uses a modified problem-based learning format with emphasis on evidence-based and occupation-focused assessment, treatment planning, and evaluation. Clinical complexity is emphasized in this seminar.
This lecture and laboratory course provides a supervised learning experience in the fabrication of orthoses and application of physical agent modalities as a preparatory method to optimize occupation and facilitate participation.
In this course, students will explore the basics of team-based care including the integral role of OT. Students will understand team-based care including inter-professional patient visits, goal setting, treatment plans, and discharge planning. Inter-professional learning experiences are embedded within the course.
This is the second course in the doctoral capstone experience and project course series. This course focuses on the planning phase of the capstone. Students finalize their capstone sites, complete a needs assessment, and begin to develop a doctoral capstone proposal.
Year 3 (summer) | 6 credits
On-site, supervised, in-depth fieldwork experiences emphasizing delivery of occupational therapy services to establish entry-level competency skills.
Year 3 (fall) | 17 credits
This is the third course in the doctoral capstone experience and project course series. This course focuses on the final planning phase of the capstone prior to the start of the experience. Students finalize their doctoral capstone individualized project goals and objectives and project evaluation plan.
On-site, supervised, in-depth fieldwork experiences emphasizing delivery of occupational therapy services to establish entry-level competency skills.
This course examines issues related to ethics, advocacy, leadership, and management in a variety of practice settings and professional roles. Students will explore opportunities for leadership development in their professional lives.
Students will choose two elective courses to take.
Year 3 (spring) | 9 credits
In this course, the student finalizes and disseminates a capstone project that demonstrates synthesis of advanced knowledge in a designated practice area. Students will also disseminate a culminating scholarly project and showcase professional artifacts as evidence of their leadership development.
This student-directed, 14-week experiential course allows the doctoral student to gain advanced skills through a concentrated experience in an area of interest relevant to occupational therapy practice, education, or research. Under the mentorship of an external site mentor and faculty mentor, students will implement and evaluate an individualized capstone project.