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.
Accreditation
The UTEP Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree (OTD) has received candidacy status from ACOTE.
For more information, you can contact ACOTE at:
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 652-AOTA (2682)
Admission Requirements
- Completed Bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution
- 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
- Official transcripts from all universities or colleges attended (must be sent to OTCAS)
- Minimum of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale – overall and prerequisite GPA
- Forty verifiable clock hours of volunteer or paid experience in an occupational therapy setting, supervised by a licensed occupational therapist
- Three references (letters of recommendations). One must be from a licensed occupational therapist
- 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.
- Prerequisite courses noted below
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Psychology | 3 | |
| 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 Psychology | 3 | |
| 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
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| DRSC 6390 | Neuroscience | 3 |
| DRSC 6495 | Anatomy for Rehab Sciences | 4 |
| DRSC 6201 | Spanish I for Health Profess | 2 |
| DRSC 6202 | Spanish II for Health Profess | 2 |
| OT 6101 | Surface Anatomy | 1 |
| OT 6103 | Intro to Documentation | 1 |
| OT 6202 | Assistive Technology in OT | 2 |
| OT 6204 | Ethical Considerations in OT | 2 |
| OT 6220 | EBP & Research Methods | 2 |
| OT 6221 | Research Proposal | 2 |
| OT 6222 | Research Implementation | 2 |
| OT 6223 | Research Dissemination | 2 |
| OT 6250 | Fieldwork I | 2 |
| OT 6301 | Policy & Global Health in OT | 3 |
| OT 6302 | Foundations in OT Practice | 3 |
| OT 6303 | Clinical Reasoning in OT | 3 |
| OT 6304 | Conditions in Occupation | 3 |
| OT 6305 | Biomechanics | 3 |
| OT 6306 | Community Engagement & Occupa | 3 |
| OT 6307 | Assessment in Occupations | 3 |
| OT 6308 | Leadership & Management in OT | 3 |
| OT 6320 | Capstone I | 3 |
| OT 6321 | Capstone II | 3 |
| OT 6331 | Pediatric OT I | 3 |
| OT 6332 | Pediatric OT II | 3 |
| OT 6333 | Productive Aging | 3 |
| OT 6402 | Activity Analysis & Advance | 4 |
| OT 6430 | MH Eval & Interven in OT | 4 |
| OT 6431 | Gen Med Eval & Interven in OT | 4 |
| OT 6432 | Ortho Eval & Interven in OT | 4 |
| OT 6433 | Neuro Eval & Interven in OT | 4 |
| OT 6651 | Fieldwork II A | 6 |
| OT 6652 | Fieldwork II B | 6 |
| OT 6750 | Doctoral Experience | 7 |
| Total Hours | 105 | |