Get two degrees and complete your entry-level Doctorate in Occupational Therapy in just five-and-a-half years with our combined degree program focusing on research, evidence-based clinical practice, leadership, program and policy development, and advocacy.
What You’ll Learn
You’ll spend three years studying how living organisms function, survive, adapt, and evolve while working alongside professors on active research projects.
You’ll then apply to transition into our entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy program for the remaining two-and-a-half years, where you’ll participate in faculty-led research initiatives across academic disciplines, including engineering, computer science, and sports medicine, and in areas such as hand therapy, pediatrics, concussion therapy, physical rehabilitation, and sports and fitness.
Throughout the program’s coursework and fieldwork, you’ll have the opportunity to:
Learn how to teach daily living skills to patients using adaptive equipment and state-of-the-art assistive technology.
Design and fabricate custom prosthetic and orthotic devices.
Develop activity-based interventions to enhance occupational performance.
Administer and interpret standardized assessments.
Adapt environments for persons with disabilities.
Following 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork experiences, your studies will culminate with a 14-week student-driven doctoral capstone project, focusing on a specific area of interest, including clinical practice skills, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, or theory development. You’ll partner with faculty, practitioner experts, and community stakeholders from local and national organizations to create evidence-based programs that promote and advocate for the profession of occupational therapy and explore innovative, actionable means for delivering and evaluating occupation-based services.
You’ll also acquire scholarly competencies and in-depth exposure that will address and advance socio-political initiatives, inform clinical practice, generate high-impact teaching and learning, and be disseminated via research within the inter-professional, cross-disciplinary practice, and delivery models.
Career Options
Clinical Director
Health Specialities College Instructor
Occupational Therapist
Rehabilitation Specialist/Manager