Oct 13, 2024  
2023-2024 Springfield College Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Springfield College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Occupational Therapy, M.S.


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Program Description


The Master of Occupational Therapy Program (MOT) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The program prepares students for practice as entry level generalist practitioners, as required by ACOTE, prepared to practice in any of the non-specialized areas of practice. The program is committed to training future practitioners who have the technical and soft skills necessary for providing skilled and client centered evaluation and intervention in an ethical and evidence-based manner following the tenets of professional practice. The program also emphasizes professional behavior, a commitment to community service, leadership, interprofessional practice, and the importance of lifelong learning.

The MOT program is a 3 plus 2.5 program. Students who enter at the undergraduate level transition after their junior year at the UG level. Their senior year is also their first year of the professional program.  At the beginning of the first professional year, the Health Science/OT (HSOT) students are joined by the entry level master’s degree (ELM) students to create one cohort. Coursework includes professional practice issues, community based and service-learning experiences, evidence-based practice, management and ethical issues, anatomy and physiology concepts, neuroscience, and evaluation, intervention, treatment planning, and discharge planning for people across the lifespan and in a variety of settings. This professional coursework in the graduate program provide students with the entry level skills for practice through the framework of the Humanics philosophy, which is consistent with the basic tenets of occupational therapy.

At the end of the master’s program, students complete two twelve-week clinical fieldwork affiliations in sites with which the program has established relationships and whose educational program philosophy is consistent with departmental philosophy and curriculum design. After completing both clinical affiliations and returning to campus for a post fieldwork seminar experience, students are eligible to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam, which, together with graduation from an accredited program, is necessary for licensure in every state.

Program Highlights


Degree: Master of Science

Required Credits: 85

School: School of Health Sciences

Department: Occupational Therapy

Modality: On-Ground

Locations: Main Campus (Springfield)

Additional Information: https://springfield.edu/programs/graduate/occupational-therapy-masters-degree

Program Standards


Students in the OT program are expected to earn grades of B or better, or grades of P for P/F courses, in all required coursework and must maintain a minimum semester and cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Any student who meets all of these standards is considered to be in good academic standing.

OT Program Dismissal: 

1. Achives a grade of C or below in any course 

2. Achieves a grade of F in P/F course

3. Achieves a semester and/or cumulative GPA of <3.0

4. Earns greater than 9 credits of coursework wth grades of B-/C+

OT Probation/Dismissal Standards and Procedures:

Any student placed on probation must meet all of the requirements of their outlined remediation plan within the following semester in order to remain in the program
Any student who has been dismissed from the program based on the standards outlined above may petition the OTRC for consideration to return to the program. The petition must include a remediation plan developed in conjunction with their advisor using the forms and procedures outlined in the current OT Student Handbook.

I. Degree Requirements (85 credits)


Both Master’s Entry Level students as well those from the Springfield College Health Science/Pre-Occupational Therapy program must meet this complete list of degree requirements to obtain the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree; however, the graduate record/transcript of student entering from the Health Science/Pre-Occupational Therapy program will only reflect 56 credits because these students begin enrolling in their M.S. coursework in their 4th year of undergraduate study at Springfield College where the following 500-level coursework (29 credits) is applied to their undergraduate record/transcript: OCTH 501, OCTH 503, OCTH 505, OCTH 506, OCTH 510, OCTH 511, OCTH 512, OCTH 514, OCTH 515, OCTH 520, OCTH 560, OCTH 561, OCTH 570, and OCTH 584.

II. Additional Fieldwork Options for Students


  • Credits: 1-6
  • May be elected by students at any time during program, subject to approval of Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and to site availability.

  • Credits: 3
  • Typically elected by students in their third winter, subject to approval by Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and to site availability.

    * These dates depend upon the availability and preferences of clinical sites and clinical site supervisors.

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