Program Description

The Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program (OTD) has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). The OTD is offered in addition to the current Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) degree, allowing students a choice in their degree options. The OTD 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. In addition, students will engage in mentored research activities and a student-driven doctoral capstone project and experience in their area of interest. 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.  

Students can enter either at the undergraduate level or with a completed baccalaureate degree. Students who enter at the undergraduate level transition after their junior year to the professional phase of the program, with their senior year being their first professional year.  At the beginning of the first professional year, the Health Science/OT (HSOT) students are joined by the entry level master’s and doctoral degree (ELM and ELD) students to create a cohort. Students on the MSOT track can also elect to transition to the doctoral track at the end of the first professional year as long as they meet entry level requirements. Doctoral track students take some courses with the master’s students and some are doctoral only courses. 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 provides 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. 

During their second year in the professional program, doctoral students complete their first of 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. Students will also begin development of their Capstone Experience and Project in collaboration with the Capstone Coordinator and Faculty Mentor. Students will complete their second clinical fieldwork affiliation in the third year of the program, followed by further development and implementation of the Capstone Experience and Project. After completing the 100 credit program, 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.

I. Degree Requirements (100 credits)

Both Doctoral 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 Doctor of Occupationap Therapy degree; however, the graduate record/transcript of student entering from the Health Science/Pre-Occupational Therapy program will only reflect 81 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 (19 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, and OCTH 520.

• OCTH 501 - Occupational Therapy Fundamentals Credits: 3
• OCTH 503 - Professional Seminar I Credits: 1
• OCTH 505 - Group Process Credits: 1
• OCTH 506 - Group Process Lab Credits: 1
• OCTH 510 - Functional Human Anatomy Credits: 3
• OCTH 511 - Functional Human Anatomy Lab Credits: 1
• OCTH 512 - Neuroscience and Occupation Credits: 3
• OCTH 514 - Neuroscience and Occupation Lab Credits: 0
• OCTH 515 - Functional Movement in Occupations Credits: 2
• OCTH 520 - Development, Occupation and Performance in Infancy and Childhood Credits: 4
• OCTH 560 - Evidence Based Practice I Credits: 3
• OCTH 561 - Evidence Based Practice in Occupational Therapy II Credits: 3
• OCTH 570 - Social Policy and Social Justice in Healthcare Credits: 2
• OCTH 584 - Clinical Education I and Professional Seminar II Credits: 2
• OCTH 621 - Application of Theory and Evidence in Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practice Credits: 3
• OCTH 625 - Performance, Dysfunction, and OT Adaptation in Adolescents Credits: 3
• OCTH 631 - Occupation, Dysfunction, and Adaptation in Adults I Credits: 3
• OCTH 632 - Occupation, Dysfunction, and Adaptation in Adults II Credits: 3
• OCTH 633 - Occupation, Dysfunction, and Adaptation in Adults III Credits: 3
• OCTH 634 - Occupation, Dysfunction, and Adaptation in Adults IV Credits: 4
• OCTH 635 - Development, Dysfunction and Occupational Therapy Adaptation in Older Adults Credits: 3
• OCTH 637 - Occupation, Dysfunction and Adaptation in Adults V Credits: 3
• OCTH 650 - US and Global Healthcare Systems: Occupational Therapy’s Role Credits: 3
• OCTH 651 - OT Management, Leadership, and Advocacy Credits: 3
• OCTH 683 - Professional Seminar III Credits: 1
• OCTH 684 - Clinical Education II Credits: 9
• OCTH 685 - Clinical Education III Credits: 9
• OCTH 687 - Professional Seminar IV Credits: 1
• OCTH 720 - OT in Community Practice: Capstone Experience and Project Development I Credits: 2
• OCTH 721 - Capstone Experience and Project Development II Credits: 5
• OCTH 722 - Capstone Experience and Project Development III Credits: 1
• OCTH 784 - Doctoral Capstone Experience Credits: 10
• OCTH 785 - Capstone Project Credits: 2