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The department offers both master's and doctoral degree programs which prepare graduates for work as clinical specialists, administrators, researchers, and teachers. The program interfaces the humanities and the health sciences, recognizing the importance of the profession's theoretical base in both the liberal arts and the sciences.

Clinical reasoning is the central organizing framework of the curriculum. It provides a foundation for clinical decision making and interaction that considers theoretical and procedural components of therapeutic interventions. Human behavior results from dynamic interaction between the individual's innate potentials and characteristics, and experiences with people, objects, and events in the environment. In ongoing clinical reasoning seminars, the faculty and students examine these interactions in the context of clinical and community-based practice.

Master's Degree Program

The master's degree program prepares students for entry-level positions in occupational therapy or provides postprofessional graduate studies for therapists with a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy.

Entry into the master's degree program can be accomplished in different ways, according to the academic degree and professional status of the applicant. Two types of master's degrees are offered:

Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (M.S. in O.T.) without a thesis requirement, for students interested in an applied professional degree, and Master of Arts (M.A.) or Master of Science (M.S.) with a thesis requirement, for students interested in a research-oriented academic degree.

PREREQUISITES: (Total of five courses.) All prerequisites must be passed with a grade of B- or better and taken at an accredited college. Two courses in social sciences, i.e., anthropology, psychology, human development, sociology. Two courses in biology, including content in cell biology. (Anatomy and physiology may be substituted for the biology prerequisite.) One course in introductory statistics. Certificate of Hepatitis B vaccination upon enrollment is required.

Both professional and postprofessional programs are offered.
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Professional-Level Programs for Non-OTRs (Options I and II)

ELIGIBILITY: A bachelor's degree in a field other than occupational therapy. Candidates enter the program at the professional level and proceed to eventual certification as registered occupational therapists. Fall, spring, or summer entry and full-time first year.

PREREQUISITES: (Total of five courses.) All prerequisites must be passed with a grade of B- or better and taken at an accredited college. Two courses in social sciences, i.e., anthropology, psychology, human development, sociology. Two courses in biology, including content in cell biology. (Anatomy and physiology may be substituted for the biology prerequisite.) One course in introductory statistics. Certificate of Hepatitis B vaccination upon enrollment is required.
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Postprofessional-Level Programs for OTRs (Options III and IV)

For postprofessional students interested in developing their knowledge base in areas such as: administration and management, aging, education, mental health, childhood and adolescence, and upper extremity function and rehabilitation. Students may also choose the self-directed concentration focused on their individual interests.

ELIGIBILITY: Registered occupational therapists or candidates eligible for registration.

PREREQUISITES: One course in introductory statistics. The prerequisite course must be passed with a grade of B- or better and taken at an accredited college.
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Doctoral Degree Program (OTD)

The occupational therapy doctoral degree program prepares occupational therapists to assume leadership roles upon completion of the degree. These roles are expected to make a real impact on individuals and groups in society and the world in such areas as health functioning, wellness, and quality of life. As leaders the graduates will be prepared to implement leadership projects and disseminate results.
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Certificate Programs

Certificate programs are offered on a nondegree, part-time basis to students with a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy who are seeking advanced professional education in occupational therapy or are preparing to enter a graduate degree program. Certificate programs are offered through the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. In most cases, courses taken as a nondegree certificate student can be transferred into the master's degree program. For more information, contact the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies in Ballou Hall, 617-627-3395, or visit their website.
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