Occupational Therapy

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The entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program, offered through the School of Health Sciences within the College of Health and Human Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) in Occupational Therapy

Admission

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program accepts students to begin the course sequence each fall semester. Applicants admitted to the program will be granted admittance into SIUC as a graduate student. The minimum admission guidelines for the clinical Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Degree program mirror those of the Graduate School at SIUC, with additional guidelines set specific to the OTD program, provided below: 

  • Applicants will possess a minimum of a baccalaureate degree, in any major, from a regionally accredited college or university
  • Possess a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Submit, along with their application, official transcripts for all attended institutions
  • Provide three satisfactory professional recommendation letters from:
    • A supervisor of employment, volunteer service or observation experience
    • A professor or teacher, a healthcare provider, or an academic advisor
    • A person of your choosing who can address your potential for academic success in graduate school
  • Completion and submission of an application for enrollment into the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program
    • Demonstration of college level writing abilities (written essay) as prompted within the personal statement portion of the application
    • Professional resume included within the application
    • Submit documentation of a minimum of 15 hours of observation of occupational therapy practice
  • GRE scores are not required to apply.
  • Complete prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better, prior to the start of the program, to include:
    • General course in social/behavioral science. Example: General Psychology, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology, or Social Psychology
    • Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology
    • Human Growth and Development. Example: Developmental Psychology, Child Development, Adolescent Development, Adult Development, Aging or Lifespan Development
    • Anatomy - If a two-part series, both courses must be completed to fulfill the Anatomy requirement
    • Physiology 200 Level or above
    • Social Science or Business Statistics
  • Prerequisite course grades lower than the minimum criteria will be considered; however, priority will be given to applications that meet minimum criteria.
  • If your native language is not English, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score requirements will follow the requirements set forth by the SIUC Graduate School.

Enrollment in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program is limited and based on a competitive process. Applicants will be evaluated on the overall submitted application package and rank order of applications that meet minimum criteria for admission.

Degree Requirements

The 3-year, full-time program requires a total of 103 credit hours to complete. Courses are presented in a hybrid format, of online and on-campus lecture, and laboratory courses, in conjunction with assigned, off-site 12-week full-time (40 hours per week) supervised clinical fieldwork placements, taking place in summer year one, and spring year two of the program; followed by a 14-week off-site (40 hours per week) doctoral capstone experience and culminating project in spring, year three of the curriculum. (Students may be required to purchase and develop an account within a clinical management system for clinical placement). Successful completion of all coursework with a grade of B or better, and minimum GPA of 3.0, is required for degree completion.

Doctoral Capstone Program Committee

Each OTD student must secure at least two mentors, including a faculty mentor from within the OTD program and one mentor from the student’s doctoral capstone site. These two mentors will provide the main guidance to the student in completing their capstone experience and project. In some cases, if a third mentor is needed to provide content expertise, their inclusion must be approved at the discretion of the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator (DCC). At the time of the student’s final capstone defense, the program will form a doctoral capstone defense committee approved initially by the DCC with final approval from the Graduate School Dean. The defense committee will consist of at least five members from the OTD program and the College of Health and Human Sciences. All members will be full-time faculty within the University. The student’s faculty mentor will sit on the committee and count as one member. A primary task of the defense committee is to examine the quality and depth of the student’s capstone work, including the written paper, presentation, defense, and the acquired knowledge within student’s specific capstone area of interest.

Advancement to Candidacy

The OTD program follows a cohort model in which all students follow the same sequence of courses. Students who successfully pass all the prerequisite courses for the Doctoral Capstone Experience demonstrate the competencies required by accreditation standards and fieldwork. These students automatically meet the residency requirement set by the Graduate School and will advance into doctoral candidacy and the capstone experience in the Spring of Year 3 to complete their capstone project. Once the project is finished, at the end of the spring semester in Year 3, the student will proceed to the capstone final defense. If a student fails the Doctoral Capstone Project final defense, the concurrent course (Doctoral Capstone Experience) will also be failed. The student will be required to retake both the Doctoral Capstone Experience and the Doctoral Capstone Project, and their project must be revised and completed at a different, yet comparable, capstone site.

Capstone Project

The Capstone Project is the culminating project conducted during the capstone experience, under the direction and supervision of the student’s capstone mentors. The capstone project must demonstrate scholarly rigor at the doctoral level. Students select a topic area and project approach for completing the capstone requirement, conforming to accreditation standards. Students will need to submit a final written paper to the Graduate School and meet the deadlines set by the Graduate School. Students will also need to complete a public scholarly presentation at an event held by the OTD program or jointly held by the School of Health Sciences

Accreditation

The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Fall Year 1 (A)

  • OTD 500: Foundations of Occupational Therapy
  • OTD 501: Analyzing Occupation
  • OTD 502: Art and Science of Teaching and Learning
  • OTD 503: Introduction to Research and Scholarly Practice
  • OTD 504: Health of Communities and Populations I
  • OTD 505: Applied Neuroscience for the Occupational Therapist I

Fall Year 1 (B)

  • OTD 506: Human Movement and Occupational Performance
  • OTD 507: Applied Neuroscience for the Occupational Therapist II
  • OTD 508: Quantitative Research

Spring Year 1 (A)

  • OTD 510: Exploring Theories and Practice Evidence I - Adult and Older Adults
  • OTD 511: Evaluation and Intervention Planning I – Adult and Older Adults
  • OTD 513: Fieldwork Seminar IA – Adult and Older Adults

Spring Year 1 (B)

  • OTD 512: Intervention, Discharge Planning and Outcomes I - Adult and Older Adults
  • OTD 514: Qualitative Research
  • OTD 515: Health of Communities and Populations II   
  • OTD 516: Leadership and Management of Delivery Systems
  • OTD 517: Advocating for the Occupational Therapy Profession

Summer Year 1

  • OTD 520: Fieldwork Seminar Level IIA-Adults and Older Adults (May-August)
  • OTD 521: Research Proposal Development I

Fall Year 2 (A)

  • OTD 530: Exploring Theories and Evidence II-Children and Youth
  • OTD 531: Evaluation and Intervention Planning II - Children and Youth  
  • OTD 532: Intervention, Discharge Planning and Outcomes II - Children and Youth   
  • OTD 533: Fieldwork Seminar IB – Children and Youth  

Fall Year 2 (B)

  • OTD 534: Exploring Theories and Practice Evidence III – Mental Health and Community Practice
  • OTD 535: Evaluation and Intervention Planning III - Mental Health and Community Practice
  • OTD 536: Intervention, Discharge Planning and Outcomes III – Mental Health and Community Practice
  • OTD 537: Fieldwork Seminar IC - Mental Health and Community Practice

Spring Year 2

  • OTD 540: Fieldwork Seminar Level IIB – 12 weeks
  • OTD 541: Research Proposal Development  II
  • OTD 542: Doctoral Capstone Experience Planning I

Summer Year 2

  • OTD 550: Implementing Research
  • OTD 551: Doctoral Capstone Experience Planning II

Fall Year 3

  • OTD 560: Advanced Scholarly Writing, Evidence Appraisal, and Research
  • OTD 561: Applied Research Seminar
  • OTD 562: Doctoral Capstone Experience and Project Development
  • OTD 563: Doctoral Capstone Experience and Project Defense

Spring Year 3

  • OTD 570: Doctoral Capstone Experience
  • OTD 571: Doctoral Capstone Project
  • OTD 572: Program Synthesis