Bachelor’s to Master’s in Occupational Therapy

USC Occupational Therapy student with kids

Thank you for your interest in the Bachelor’s to Master’s Accelerated Degree Programs at the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. For over 65 years, we have offered excellence in academics and prepared our students for clinical practice and participation in cutting-edge health promotion and disease prevention programs.

As an occupational therapy major, you will be on your way to becoming a professional who is involved in helping people live meaningful, healthy and productive lives.

You will find studies in our undergraduate programs enormously satisfying because our courses focus on occupation, which we define as all the activities that form the fabric of our lives: personal activities, social activities, physical activities, spiritual activities and even paid employment. By knowing more about occupations, you will see that they are central to what makes life worth living and to staying healthy, happy and productive.

Enable People to Live Their Lives to the Fullest

Undergraduates who major in occupational therapy at USC gain practical knowledge about the key elements of healthy living. We believe that knowing more about the way daily activities influence emotional, physical and spiritual health enables you to help others lead healthier, richer and more fulfilling lives.

You will study the ways in which what we do every day impacts our health. A balanced diet is to nutrition as a balanced array of activities is to occupational therapy. You will study the history and possible future of human activities, gather information about people’s abilities to categorize, sequence, focus and accomplish goals, and learn how engagement in activities aids in recovery from, or prevention of, many illnesses. You will also develop a skill set to design devices, environments and homes to optimize living well. Most importantly, you will become instrumental in helping people overcome obstacles and reach goals that improve their quality of life, their independence and their state of health.

You can combine your own interests in ways that help others build better lives and thrive, no matter what stands in their way.

Explore how a B.S. followed by an M.A. in Occupational Therapy could support your personal and professional goals by contacting Sarah Kelly, Director of Admissions, at (866) 385-4250 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The Major in Occupational Therapy: Fast Track to Professional Excellence

Through our Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Program, students majoring in occupational therapy at the undergraduate level can earn a master’s degree in occupational therapy in just one additional year instead of the traditional two years. This wonderful opportunity not only results in a substantial reduction to the cost of your education, but also prepares you sooner for National Board Certification.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy

The Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy requires the completion of 44 units of professional coursework. Students who wish to major in occupational therapy may complete either the one-year or the two-year track. Although both have an identical curriculum, the two-year track frees students from summer study between the junior and senior year.

In the one-year track, you will complete all general education requirements before starting the occupational therapy professional program your senior year. In the two-year track, you may simultaneously fulfill general education requirements and begin professional courses in occupational therapy during your junior year.

Bachelor of Science Professional Coursework

Whether you take the one-year or the two-year track, our undergraduate program courses focus on portions of the professional content required by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Topics include medical sciences, occupational development and performance and the various areas of occupational therapy practice. Practice experiences, as well as hands-on opportunities in our laboratories, are integrated early into the program. At the program’s conclusion, you will have acquired the academic foundation to understand the fundamentals of professional practice as well as the powerful relation of everyday activities to health.

General Education Requirements

Whether you choose our one-year or two-year track, as an undergraduate you must satisfy the University’s general education requirements, which are intended to complement your major and provide a broad educational experience. As soon as you enter USC, you will have regular sessions with a pre-health advisor at the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Advisement Office. The advisor will help ensure that you select courses to satisfy requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree.

Residency Requirements for Undergraduates

You must take a minimum of 64 units (half of the required 128 units for a bachelor’s degree) in residency at USC. This means you can transfer up to 64 units toward your degree. However, after you complete 64 units at USC, you may only transfer an additional 8 units, and these must be taken during the summer term only. Certain general education requirements cannot be completed at another institution. A major in occupational therapy provides 44 of the required 64 units in residency.

Classes

Classes generally meet 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, on USC’s Health Sciences Campus (HSC). Tram service is available from USC’s University Park Campus (UPC), as well as from Union Station. Limited campus parking is available for a fee.

Graduation

Most Occupational Therapy majors graduate in May of their senior year. In addition to USC’s main graduation event, you and your family and friends will be invited to the Division’s satellite ceremony immediately afterwards.

Certification

After you receive your Bachelor of Science degree, you must also acquire a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy to be eligible for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination. Because you have your Bachelor’s of Science in Occupational Therapy from USC, you can earn your master’s degree in 9 to 12 months, depending upon your choice of fieldwork options.

Once you pass the NBCOT exam, you earn the Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR) designation, and are then eligible for licensure and practice. More information about the NBCOT exam may be found at http://www.nbcot.org. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.