University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is a dynamic profession and an integral part of modern comprehensive health care. Occupational therapy is the use of purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve functional outcomes which promote health and prevent injury or disability, and which develop, improve, sustain, or restore the highest possible level of independence of any individual who has an injury, illness, cognitive impairment, psychosocial dysfunction, mental illness, developmental or learning disability, physical disability, or other disorder or condition. Occupational Therapy services are provided in a variety of settings, ranging from medical facilities to community health agencies, schools, and private practice.

The UTEP Occupational Therapy Program offers an Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) degree. While enrolled in the program, students complete courses in foundational and clinical sciences and general occupational therapy evaluation, treatment and evidence-based practice as well as research and occupation-based practices that incorporates cultural and contextual relevance. Clinical courses address occupational performance in the areas of mental health, pediatrics, and adult orthopedic and neurologic conditions. Most of the third year consists of fieldwork education. Prior to graduation, students complete two full-time, 12-week clinical rotations, a 14-week doctoral experience, and a Capstone project. 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) and will then become eligible for licensure in any state.

Admission Requirements

  1. Completed Bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution
  2. Completed Occupational Therapy application available at https://otcas.liasoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login by set deadline (Instructions for OCTAS can be found at https://portal.octas.org/otcasHelpPages/instructions/overview/index.html
  3. Official transcripts from all universities or colleges attended (must be sent to OTCAS)
  4. Minimum of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale – overall and prerequisite GPA
  5. Forty verifiable clock hours of volunteer or paid experience in an occupational therapy setting, supervised by a licensed occupational therapist
  6. Three references (letters of recommendations). One must be from a licensed occupational therapist
  7. Applicants from countries where English is not the first language are required to demonstrate English proficiency. Please consult the graduate school website for required scores.
  8. Prerequisite courses noted below
2 semesters of Human Anatomy and Physiology with labs (can be 2 separate semesters of A&P-I and A&P-II); or one semester course of human anatomy and one semester course of human physiology. In either scenario, the courses should have lab portions. The course credits can be two 3-credit course plus 1-credit labs, or two 4-credit courses (lecture and lab combined).8
Introductory Psychology3
Human Growth and Development across the Lifespan, Developmental Psychology, or multiple courses that address human growth and development (e.g., Psychology addressing infancy, early childhood, school-age, adolescent, adulthood, ageing, etc.)3
Abnormal Psychology3
Statistics (preferably a behavioral sciences statistics course)3
Behavioral Science elective (suggested course in psychology, sociology, anthropology, or health promotion)3
Medical Terminology (online course or certificate accepted)1
Total Hours 24

Degree Plan 

Required Credits: 105

Required Courses:
DRSC 6390Neuroscience3
DRSC 6495Anatomy for Rehab Sciences4
DRSC 6201Spanish I for Health Profess2
DRSC 6202Spanish II for Health Profess2
OT 6101Surface Anatomy1
OT 6103Intro to Documentation1
OT 6202Assistive Technology in OT2
OT 6204Ethical Considerations in OT2
OT 6220EBP & Research Methods2
OT 6221Research Proposal2
OT 6222Research Implementation2
OT 6223Research Dissemination2
OT 6250Fieldwork I2
OT 6301Policy & Global Health in OT3
OT 6302Foundations in OT Practice3
OT 6303Clinical Reasoning in OT3
OT 6304Conditions in Occupation3
OT 6305Biomechanics3
OT 6306Community Engagement & Occupa3
OT 6307Assessment in Occupations3
OT 6308Leadership & Management in OT3
OT 6320Capstone I3
OT 6321Capstone II3
OT 6331Pediatric OT I3
OT 6332Pediatric OT II3
OT 6333Productive Aging3
OT 6402Activity Analysis & Advance4
OT 6430MH Eval & Interven in OT4
OT 6431Gen Med Eval & Interven in OT4
OT 6432Ortho Eval & Interven in OT4
OT 6433Neuro Eval & Interven in OT4
OT 6651Fieldwork II A6
OT 6652Fieldwork II B6
OT 6750Doctoral Experience7
Total Hours105