
D'Youville Ranks as Top Private University in the Region
For the second consecutive year, D'Youville is ranked as the top private university in Western New York in recognition of its academic excel...
Read moreBecome an occupational therapist in as few as 5 years with our combined bachelor's and master's program in occupational therapy.
As an occupational therapist you'll help individuals regain and build skills that are important for their health, well-being, safety and daily living.
Occupational therapists are in demand in nearly every healthcare setting and are poised to take on an even larger role as our population ages and the number of individuals with disabilities or limited function who require therapy services increases.
Upon graduation from our ACOTE-accredited BS+MS program, you'll be prepared to take the National Certification Examination for Occupational Therapists.
If you're interested in a career that is both fulfilling and has opportunities for growth, becoming an occupational therapist might be exactly what you've been looking for.
When you apply for admission at D’Youville, we’ll automatically consider you for our merit scholarships. Undergraduate scholarships can cover as much as 50% of your tuition, and there is no need to fill out a separate application!
Transfer students can qualify for scholarships, as well. And unlike other schools, maintaining your scholarship is easier at D'Youville because we use a realistic 2.00 GPA requirement to determine your eligibility for merit-based scholarships each year.
Find more information and additional scholarships on our scholarships page.
Find detailed course information for the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Human Occupation and Occupational Therapy Combined program, tools to plan your education, and complete academic policies and procedures in the D'Youville academic catalog.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Total OT Course Requirements (OT Required Courses + OT Research Courses) | 73-74 | |
Total Requirements in Other Academic Areas | 75-78 | |
Total Overall Required Credits | 148-152 |
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
OT-101 | OT Process & Theoretical Foundations I | 2 |
OT-106 | Occupational Development I | 4 |
OT-109 | Medical & Social Conditions I | 2 |
OT-210 | Medical & Social Conditions II | 2 |
OT-212 | Occupational Development II | 4 |
OT-214 | Interpersonal Skills | 2 |
OT-215 | OT Delivery Systems | 2 |
OT-217 | Group Process | 2 |
OT-313 | Psychosocial Level I Fieldwork | 1 |
OT-319 | Functional Anatomy | 5 |
OT-320 | Neuroscience for Rehabilitation | 5 |
OT-321 | Fieldwork Seminar I | 0 |
OT-323 | Child & Adolescent Level I Fieldwork | 1 |
OT-330 | Adult & Geriatric Level I Fieldwork | 1 |
OT-425 | OT Process & Theoretical Foundations II | 2 |
OT-427 | OT Methods of Evaluation & Documentation I | 2 |
OT-429 | Child & Adolescent Intervention | 4 |
OT-432 | Fieldwork Seminar II | 0 |
OT-433 | OT Methods of Evaluation & Documentation II | 2 |
OT-434 | Adult & Geriatric Intervention | 4 |
OT-635 | OT Process & Theoretical Foundation III | 2 |
OT-640 | OT Clinical Fieldwork I | 4 |
OT-641 | OT Clinical Fieldwork II | 4 |
OT-644 | Management of OT Services I | 1 |
OT-645 | Management of OT Services II | 2 |
OT-689 | Professional Issues | 2 |
OT-690 | Community Practice | 2-3 |
Total Credits for OT Courses | 64-65 |
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
OT-524 | Research Project I | 3 |
OT-602 | Research Methods in Occupational Therapy | 3 |
OT-693 | Research Project II | 3 |
Total Credits for Research Core | 9 | |
Total OT Course Requirements | 73-74 |
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
PSY-101 | General Psychology | 3 |
BIO-107 | Human Anatomy & Physiology I | 3 |
BIO-107L | Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory | 1 |
BIO-108 | Human Anatomy & Physiology II | 3 |
BIO-108L | Human Anatomy & Physiology II Lab | 1 |
MAT-123 | Introduction to Applied Statistics | 4 |
PSY-206 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
SOC-101 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
or SOC-201 | Social Problems | |
Minor | Four - five Electives determined by host department | 12-15 |
Liberal Arts and Science Electives | 42 | |
Total Required Credits in Other Academic Areas | 75-78 |
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
OT-446 | Topics in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation | 1 |
OT-605 | OT Clinical Fieldwork III | 1-3 |
OT-630 | Continued Research Advisement | 1 |
Total Credits | 3-5 |
Subject to changes based on regulations by New York State of Education Departments and/or American Occupational Therapy Association requirements.
Our program prepares you for general occupational therapy practice.
As an occupational therapist, you'll work with people of all ages who have various physical, developmental, social or emotional challenges. You will help them develop the skills to lead independent, productive and satisfying lives.
Occupational therapists work in a variety of healthcare settings, including: acute hospital, rehabilitation, and orthopedic settings.
Other major employers of occupational therapists are hospitals, offices of other health practitioners (including offices of occupational therapists), public and private educational services, and nursing care facilities.
Driver rehabilitation, training for the elderly, and ergonomic consulting are emerging practice areas for occupational therapy.
Occupational therapists are in demand in nearly every healthcare setting and are poised to take on an even larger role. Employment of occupational therapists is projected to grow 27 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. For more information about the job outlook for occupational therapists, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
Occupational therapists with specialized knowledge in a treatment area also will have increased job prospects.
The largest number of occupational therapist jobs was in ambulatory healthcare services, which employed about 29 percent of occupational therapists.
Most states, including New York, require licensure to practice. State licensure is typically based on the results of the NBCOT certification exam, but must be applied for separately in the state in which you plan to practice.
The Department of Occupational Therapy has clinical fieldwork agreements with over 400 hospitals, school systems, rehabilitation centers, mental health sites, nursing facilities, and community-based centers in select states across the U.S.
The goal of fieldwork education is to prepare the students to be well-rounded, entry-level practitioners. Three levels of fieldwork education are integrated into the occupational therapy curriculum:
Visits to healthcare agencies are part of certain entry-level courses. These visits orient you to a variety of services provided in the local area, focusing on the context in which occupational therapy services are delivered or could be provided.
Experiences during the academic phase of the program enable students to apply classroom learning in the clinical setting. These experiences are associated with specific intervention courses and place students in various healthcare arenas with a variety of consumers/patients.
Consists of two full-time 12-week clinical training experiences, (Part-time options are available); two internships provide students with the opportunity to treat a wide range of disabilities and age groups. Emphasis is on applying knowledge through in-depth activities, tasks, and the responsibility for delivering healthcare to patients. Clinical experiences may include acute hospital settings, inpatient psychiatric settings, rehabilitation centers, day treatment centers, nursing homes, school systems, developmental centers, and community health initiatives.
An advanced placement in a community setting or educational environment allows you to explore non-traditional or specialty applications of occupational therapy. Community Practice occurs in the graduate year following Level II fieldwork.
Visit Western NY OT Fieldwork Consortium to learn more about fieldwork opportunities. Current students can also review D'Youville Occupational Therapy Fieldwork for information and resources specific to D'Youville programs.
At D'Youville, we are committed to selecting students who are academically well-rounded and committed to meeting the challenges of a high-quality education. If you have been successful in a traditional college preparatory program in high school, you should be well-prepared for the academic challenges at D'Youville. While we don't require you to submit ACT or SAT test scores, if you have taken or intend to take a standardized test we encourage you to submit your scores if you'd like them to be evaluated as part of your application.
Not Required (utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided):
Not Required (utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided):
Occupational Therapists (OTs) are health-related professionals who are experts in evaluating performance skills used by people in everyday activities, and in planning and providing therapeutic intervention to improve and enable function in the home, school, workplace, and community. OTs analyze, select, adapt, design, and implement therapeutic activities for patients, clients, and children whose ability to cope with daily living and perform necessary tasks is compromised by illness, injury, developmental deficiencies, physical impairments, psychological disorders, social inadequacies, the aging process, or environmental deprivation.
OTs provide services in a multitude of settings and situations with a wide range of individuals of various ages, special needs, socio-cultural backgrounds, roles, abilities, and disabilities. The OT department at D’Youville intends to graduate well-prepared entry-level general practitioners, who are team players, ready to ethically and competently practice, effectively document, knowledgeably research, and advocate for those in need of OT services. OTs are responsible for the safety and effectiveness of service delivery with an aim toward achieving health, well-being, and participation in life through engagement in meaningful, purposeful occupations.
In order to competently function in the rigorous educational program and as an OT in practice settings that may involve heavy workloads and stressful situations, an individual must be proficient in certain cognitive, intellectual, interpersonal, social-emotional, communication, physical, psychomotor, and sensory-perceptual-motor abilities as well as demonstrate compassion, professional attitudes, and ethical behaviors. The faculty is committed to an educational environment where students, with or without disabilities, may develop cognitively, emotionally, spiritually, socially, and professionally.
Therefore, the following technical standards must be met with, or without, reasonable accommodations consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The purpose of the technical standards is to delineate specific expectations and abilities for successful student performance in the classroom, laboratory, fieldwork sites, and clinical education environments. Technical standards must be met at enrollment, matriculation into, continuation in, and completion of the OT educational program. Inability to attain and comply with these technical standards may prevent admission to the OT program, or if the enrolled student becomes unable to fulfill these technical standards, with reasonable accommodations, it may result in course failure, withdrawal, or dismissal from the department.
Applicants with disabilities or physical challenges, who are otherwise qualified, must discuss considerations for reasonable accommodations with the Coordinator of Accessibility Resources at D’Youville College by phone at 716-829-7728. Verification and documentation of the disability by a qualified professional, such as a physician or psychologist, is needed before reasonable accommodations are made. Accommodations will not be considered reasonable if they affect the substance of the OT education program, compromise the educational standards, the integrity of the curriculum, and/or negatively affect the safety of students and/or other people, including patients/clients/children, with whom they may come into contact during the course of their studies. If accommodations are provided, this information will be kept in strict confidence, and it is the student’s responsibility to divulge the disability and need for reasonable accommodations while on fieldwork.
All OT applicants must review the technical standards described in this document and perform a self-evaluation to determine whether they are able to attain and maintain compliance with them. A signed copy of this form must be returned to the OT department, signifying the standards have been read and certifying acceptance of the responsibilities and compliance with the standards.
Listen to students and faculty explain what makes a D'Youville education different and how small class sizes, hands-on learning, and a caring community help students succeed.
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