Masters of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is a vibrant, growing profession that makes it possible for people to live independently and enjoy life activities. Using a holistic approach, occupational therapists address the physical, cognitive, psychosocial and contextual issues that allow the individual to perform tasks essential to productive living. As an occupational therapist, you can look forward to a dynamic career working in a variety of health care and community settings with people of all ages.
When you receive your Master of Occupational Therapy degree, you will be ready to assist individuals in identifying goals and performing the activities needed to function in their home, school, community or work environments. By restoring, reinforcing or enhancing the ability to perform daily activities, you will help people adapt to limitations or reshape their lives to become more productive and meaningful.
Real-Life Experience
Throughout the academic program, you will gain the knowledge, skills and clinical reasoning strategies needed for entry-level practice as an occupational therapist. Additionally, you will learn to achieve and maintain an acceptable level of professional behavior integral to clinical practice.
The occupational therapy curriculum provides a strong base of liberal arts and sciences with an emphasis on the physical and social sciences. Through the combination of general education, liberal arts, and professional education, you'll become a practitioner who is culturally sensitive and well-rounded in your knowledge and interests. During the first two academic years you will enroll in some foundational occupational therapy courses while you focus on general education classes. Your third, fourth and fifth years of the Program are composed primarily of occupational therapy coursework, including fieldwork experiences in a variety of health care and community settings. Fieldwork placements are offered as two 12-week placements and may be assigned anywhere in the United States. International fieldwork placements may be possible provided the site and country meet the guidelines of the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Professional Accreditation
The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P. 0. Box 31220 Bethesda, MD 20824 (telephone number: (301) 652-AOTA). Graduation from an ACOTE accredited program is required to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Having been charged with or convicted of a felony; having any professional license, registration or certificate revoked, suspended or subject to probationary conditions; or being found to have committed negligence, malpractice, recklessness or willful or intentional misconduct may result in the graduate being barred from sitting for the certification examination. The graduate will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (0 TR) after successful completion of the exam. The total number of graduates who passed the certification exam in 2006-2008 was 59 out of 67 first time new graduates, which is an 88% pass rate. During that time the program had 67 graduates. Most states require licensure to practice. However, attainment of state licenses is usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.
Health and Other Special Requirements
The following requirements must be met prior to participating in required Level I and Level II fieldwork:
- Annual physical exam
- Immunization
- Measles/Rubeola, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) and Polio
- Varicella or documentation of a positive Varicella titer
- Tetanus, Diphtheria and Acellular Pertussis vaccination within two years of fieldwork
- Hepatitis B Vaccine Series or Declination (Students may not be able to go to certain fieldwork sites if they do not receive the vaccine)
- Flu Vaccine (recommended)
- Annual 2-Step PPD Tuberculin Test
- Current adult, child and infant CPR certification
- Current First Aid certification
- Proof of health insurance
- Urine drug screen
- Criminal record background check
- Malpractice insurance
- Signed release of information forms to allow criminal record background check, urine drug screen, health and other pertinent data to be provided to the Clinical Education Program and to facilities where the student completes fieldwork experiences
Progression in the Occupational Therapy Program
To remain in good standing in the program, students must achieve a minimum 2.7 GPA as an undergraduate and a 3.0 as a graduate student each semester. When a student fails to maintain the required cumulative GPA, the student will be placed on Occupational Therapy program academic probation for the following semester. At the end of one semester on probation, if the student achieves a semester and cumulative GPA of 2.7 as an undergraduate or 3.0 as a graduate student, the probation will be removed. If the cumulative GPA of less than the minimum requirement at that point, the student will be dismissed from the Occupational Therapy program.
Grade "C" or Better
Students must earn no less than a C (C- is not acceptable) in all required courses. Students earning below a C in any required course will not be allowed to progress to subsequent coursework until the course is retaken when it is next offered, and passed with a grade C or better. Courses may be repeated only once.
Professional Behavior
Students must achieve and maintain a satisfactory level of professional behavior each semester in the areas of time management, organization, engagement in academic and fieldwork experiences, self-directed learning, reasoning/problem solving, written communication, initiative, observation skills, participation in the education process, verbal communication/interpersonal skills, professional boundaries and use of professional terminology. Failing to achieve expected levels of professional behavior will delay scheduling of fieldwork experiences and may result in the student being placed on probation or being terminated from the program.
Full-Time Status
Students must maintain full-time enrollment status (12 credit hours minimum) in courses taken for letter grades (not pass/fail).
Additional Requirements
Students are also expected to:
- Comply with University Academic Integrity Policy and Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics
- Successfully complete all general education requirements by the Spring semester of the third year in the Occupational Therapy program
- Pass background checks and urine drug screen. Failure to pass either of these screenings may result in dismissal from the Occupational Therapy Program
- Successfully complete all required courses prior to enrollment in Level II fieldwork
- Successfully complete all Level II fieldwork prior to enrollment in courses for the final summer session
- Complete all academic and fieldwork requirements within five calendar years after beginning the second year of the Occupational Therapy program
Fees for the Occupational Therapy Program
Students also can expect to pay additional expenses associated with the experiential portion of the program such as professional attire for fieldwork, lab fees for selected courses, fieldwork-required insurance coverage, health tests, CPR and first aid certification, immunizations, background checks, drug screens and living and transportation expenses during fieldwork. Other expenses include AOTA membership and textbooks that tend to be expensive but are used across the program and as professional references once in the field.
Occupational therapists often work in institutional settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers and school systems as members of interdisciplinary teams. While many occupational therapists continue to work in these settings, occupational therapists are also working with community businesses and agencies to bring occupational therapy services to a variety of places where people live, play and work. These locations include community-based health care systems (home care), corporate environments, physicians' offices, correctional institutions, hospice programs, specialized day care and day treatment programs, residences for persons with developmental or mental health disabilities and retirement communities.
The outlook for occupational therapy is bright. Specialty areas are becoming increasingly more important in meeting the needs of our diverse and aging society. New specialties include training workers to use proper ergonomics on the job, helping people with low vision to develop strategies to allow them to live independently, making communities, buildings and homes more accessible to those with physical limitations, and promoting healthy lifestyles.
Case-by-case consideration for applicants who do not meet the admission criteria is possible but may require the submission of additional materials. To be considered eligible for admission to the Master of Occupational Therapy program, applicants must meet the following minimum criteria:
- GPA of at least 3.0
- ACT composite score of at least 21 or SAT-I combined score of 990*
*Scores are not required if the applicant has completed more than 30 college credits
Application Process
To apply for admission to the Master of Occupational Therapy program, applicants must submit the following:
- An application for admission to Maryville University and a $25.00 non-refundable application fee
- Official transcripts from high schools and colleges or universities previously attended
- ACT or SAT scores (unless more than 30 college credits have been completed)
- A resume that includes a list of references with contact information
Students who meet the minimum academic requirements are reviewed by the Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee and are invited to campus for a personal interview. Personal interviews are scheduled on the first Saturday of December each year for those qualified applicants who have submitted all required materials by November. The Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee will continue to review files and interview applicants beyond the December interview date if space is available.
While on campus for the interviews, applicants are asked to complete a brief essay. The essay is considered in the admission process as well as for placement in composition courses.
The faculty strongly recommends that applicants observe occupational therapy practice to increase understanding of the profession prior to submitting an application, however, this is not a requirement for consideration.
For more information regarding admissions requirements to the Occupational Therapy program,
Maryville University of Saint Louis is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 N. LaSalle St., Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602-2504. You can contact them by calling 800.621.7440.
School of Health Professionals
American Occupational Therapy Association
4720 Montgomery Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814-3425
301.652 2682
