Occupational Therapy Major
Elizabethtown College offers a combined Bachelor of Science in Health and Occupation or Bachelor of Science in Health Science with the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program that requires five years of academic study and six months of clinical fieldwork. This bachelor/master program is exclusively offered to current E-town College students.
Five Years, Two Degrees, One Successful Career
Our Occupational Therapy (OT) program, the second oldest accredited program in Pennsylvania, offers a five-year academic program in occupational therapy, which blends a liberal arts education with professional studies. Our personal and friendly atmosphere and small student to faculty ratio promotes individualized attention, and ensures you’ll build your foundational base as well as mentoring relationships while at E-town College!
You will begin course work in occupational therapy in your first year. During the first two years of study, the curriculum covers foundations of health, healthcare systems, introduction to research principles, and engagement in occupations across the lifespan. These two years will also focus on health and the impact on occupations with a strong emphasis on natural sciences as well as general college core requirements.
During the third and fourth years, students will continue to complete college core requirements, electives, and a minor (if desired), leading to completion of the Bachelor of Science degree. In addition, the third year will introduce students to concepts of occupation and engagement in therapeutic activities along with conditions that impair occupation and performance of daily activities. The fourth and fifth years incorporate occupational therapy history and philosophy, theories of practice and applied clinical skills during the occupational therapy process, advanced research and scholarship, and management of occupational therapy services. The fifth year will culminate with six months of full-time clinical fieldwork.
“The combination of my coursework and my fieldwork placements and internships provided me excellent preparation for entering my first year as an OT clinician. My fieldwork experience at Johns Hopkins Hospital led me to a full time occupational therapist position immediately upon graduation.”
Bachelor of Science in Health and Occupation (through class of 2021) and Bachelor of Science in Health Science (beginning with class of 2022)
This degree serves as a prerequisite to our Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree. By completing only the undergraduate course of study, you are not eligible to become a registered occupational therapist. You will have academic credentials that will qualify you to be employed in health care and community settings.
Learn more about the course requirements.
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
To begin the master’s program in occupational therapy, you must have successfully completed the bachelor’s degree in Health and Occupation (through the class of 2021) with a minimum GPA of 3.0 at Elizabethtown College. Beginning in the fall of 2018, new undergraduate students must progress through the Bachelor of Science in Health Science degree and earn a minimum GPA of 2.9 by the end of the third year to qualify for the graduate portion of the MS in Occupational Therapy degree. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout the fourth and fifth years in order to graduate with the master of science degree.
Successful completion of the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy affords you the opportunity to complete Level II fieldwork and take the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Exam and to become licensed to practice occupational therapy as individual states require. Note: A felony conviction may affect an individual’s qualification to take the NBCOT certification examination and/or obtain professional credentials.
Learn more about the course requirements.
Questions About The Entry-Level Doctoral Degree in Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Is the OTD required?
The entry level doctoral degree (OTD) will be required for any student in the United States who graduates after June 30, 2027. This mandate comes from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Students who graduate with a master’s degree in OT prior to this date will not be affected by this mandate.
Does Elizabethtown College offer the OTD?
Not at this time. We are applying for candidacy status to ACOTE in April 2018, and we expect an answer from ACOTE in the fall of 2018. In the meantime, we will continue to offer our entry-level BS/MS degree.
If I enter the master’s program, can I switch to the OTD at Elizabethtown before I graduate?
We hope to offer students from the incoming cohort, 2018-2019, an option to earn the OTD, but there is no guarantee that this will happen. Students who enter in the fall of 2018 will enter into the BS/MS occupational therapy program. We will communicate with students as we have more information available.
Learn more about occupational therapy at one of the best occupational therapy schools in PA! Come visit us on campus to see what we’re all about!