Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy: The Two Year, Entry Level Professional Program

Thank you for your interest in graduate professional study at the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. We are proud to have earned the distinction of having been ranked the number one OT Program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 8 consecutive years, and we look forward to advancing our reputation even further in the future. Our curriculum is designed to provide you with the skills to contribute to the realization of the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Centennial Vision. In the year 2017, when occupational therapy is 100 years old, it will be a “powerful, widely recognized, scientifically-driven and evidence-based profession with a globally connected and diverse workforce meeting society’s occupational needs.” As part of the visionary process, occupational therapy is celebrated as the one profession that enables all people to live life to its fullest. As you read this brochure you will find that the USC Master of Arts program and the Centennial Vision go hand in hand.

We are especially interested in recruiting students with bachelor’s degrees in other fields. Since 1962, when we established the country’s first professional master’s program in occupational therapy, we have seen how students who possess bachelor’s degrees in other fields significantly enrich the profession of occupational therapy.

Some of the profession’s most prolific scholars earned undergraduate degrees in fields such as English, neuroscience, history or psychology.
Many of those who have become superior pediatric practitioners possessed degrees in psychology and learned about OT while engaged in “floor-time” programs with children diagnosed with autism.
Many who have championed occupational therapy subspecialties such as environmental design, home modification and assistive technology earned undergraduate degrees in the arts, technology and engineering.

We believe that your undergraduate degree will help you achieve success and satisfaction in the creative, science-driven and humanistic field of occupational therapy and that in practicing occupational therapy, you will experience the joy that makes life worth living.

This information is for the individual with a bachelor’s degree outside of occupational therapy. If you are a certified or board eligible occupational therapist, please ask for our M.A.-1 brochure.

Discover how a master’s 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).

Preparation as a science-driven, evidence-based practitioner who can meet society’s needs
Through our graduate program, you will be prepared as a science-driven, evidence-based practitioner with the ability to meet pressing societal needs. Perhaps your dream is to coach children diagnosed with autism for success in school, or to consult with corporations to design ecologically, ergonomically and health-promoting workplaces. You might have considered enabling at-risk youth to live productive lives, or working abroad as an occupational therapist in underserved countries. Our program will equip you with a full range of skills to realize your personal vision because our faculty is comprised of leaders in the full range of practice areas; and our unique two-pronged curriculum design allows you to choose the coursework you need to pursue your passions.

Our two-pronged curriculum design consists of : 1) the Essential Core (the required coursework) and 2) the Specialty Package.

Courses in the core (consisting of required courses) provide the foundation for all of occupational therapy practice and prepare you as a generalist. The Specialty Package is customized so that you can choose your own emphasis. Typically, this will involve a combination of elective courses which are designated as “Pathways to Excellence,” mentored clinical or research experience, and coursework taken in other schools at USC where appropriate.

Earning your Master of arts in Occupational Therapy Two Year Program Overview
Our master’s program offers you core foundational coursework in occupational therapy and a rich menu of other choices so that you can develop a practice emphasis. As a graduate student in our professional master’s program, you will develop the professional skills to help people of all ages construct healthy, meaningful and productive lives. This involves not only understanding the medical and biological bases of human engagement in the world, but also understanding a person’s unique qualities, motivations, cultural beliefs and values and access to resources and support. Please see the Division website for specific course descriptions and course sequencing.

First Year M.A.-2 Professional Course Work
In your first year of study, courses focus on essential content that spans all areas of occupational therapy practice. Topics include medical sciences, occupational development and performance, assessment and intervention for various areas of practice. Throughout the first year, we integrate practice experiences to enrich the core courses. As a result, at the end of the first year you will understand the fundamentals of professional practice as well as the powerful relationship of occupations to health. Two three-month fieldwork assignments or the equivalent, typically taken at the end of your first and second spring semesters, are a crucial component of USC’s program. The Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy collaborates with a variety of fieldwork centers in the Los Angeles area as well as throughout the nation and the world, including major university teaching hospitals and medical centers, public and private hospitals and numerous community-based settings that offer innovative approaches to programming and practice. Additionally, some international fieldwork opportunities are available. The fieldwork coordinator helps students arrange these experiences after they enroll.

Second Year M.A.-2 Graduate Course
Unlike the first year, the second year includes both generalist core courses and special emphasis electives. You will move from assimilating knowledge to evaluating current theory and approaches to practice. Completing outside reading and writing assignments, you will better understand the science behind the approaches that you learned in the first year. You will evaluate both qualitative and quantitative research so that you can become a science-driven, evidence-based practitioner. Finally, you will become grounded in an understanding of how the rich history of the discipline anchored the profession in a particular set of humanitarian values that are still guiding practice today. Faculty members whose current research is in clinical reasoning and occupational science offer exposure to the latest ideas in the field.

During the second year of the program, most students will choose the comprehensive exam option, although a small number select the thesis option. The exam option enables you to develop advanced knowledge and skill in an area of interest within occupational therapy by choosing three elective courses, at least two from within the Division. Typically, students select from the many Pathway to Excellence courses we offer (see page 10). However, some students prefer to take directed research (OT 590) or the advanced clinical practice courses (OT 500) as part of their 12 units of electives. In OT 500 experiences, you will work in small groups with other graduate students and study with a faculty member whose expertise is in your area of interest, or you may gain experience in an area of occupational therapy practice.

The 8 units of required occupational therapy elective course work may be combined with 4 units from the Division, or from another school to allow the study and development of specialized skills in areas such as geriatrics, art, business and marketing and public policy.

Upon completion of the five required occupational therapy courses, students are eligible to take the comprehensive examination, which is based on course content and assigned readings. The examination is given at the end of the fall and spring semesters each year. A minimum of 32 units, not counting fieldwork units, is required to graduate with this option.

The thesis option provides an opportunity to conduct and report on an original piece of research, thereby developing considerable expertise in a particular topic or aspect of occupational therapy. With the appropriate course work and the guidance of expert faculty, you will acquire strong scholastic, research and analytical skills.

This option requires 4 units of electives, either in the department or outside the department, and two or more semesters of OT 594 (Thesis) for 2 units each semester. Thesis work typically begins either during the spring, summer or fall semester of the second year and usually requires an additional one or two semesters. A minimum of 28 units, excluding fieldwork units, is required to graduate under this option.

Either option prepares you for an area of emphasis or specialization. For example, in the thesis option, choosing a thesis topic related to aging and an elective in the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology would result in an emphasis in geriatrics. For the comprehensive exam option, a student taking School Based Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integrative Theory and Dysphagia from the Pathways to Excellence courses creates a specialization in sensory integration and pediatrics.

Most importantly, the second year will provide an opportunity to prepare yourself as a generalist with a specialty emphasis. The electives you choose in combination with your thesis, if you choose to do one, are building blocks for your preparation in a specialty area. Because students can take courses in many of USC’s professional schools, pertinent areas of study may range from advanced research methods and neuroscience to entrepreneurism, universal design and home modification. Alternatively, you may choose your elective (or electives if you have chosen the comprehensive exam option) from our department’s Pathways to Excellence offerings and complete one of the six specialty focuse areas: Children and Youth (Pediatric), Health and Wellness (Life Design), Mental Health, Work and Industry, Productive Aging, and Rehabilitation, Participation and Disability. Because you can design your own mix of electives in accord with your professional aspirations, your options are virtually limitless.

Taking Advantage of Courses in Other Schools
As a professional master’s student, you may take 4 units in another school within the university. Popular choices include courses in the Marshall School of Business; the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology; the School of Policy, Planning and Development; and the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Additionally, to further tailor the program to your career goals, you may be granted the option of taking even more elective coursework in other USC schools.

Taking Advantage of Clinical Options (OT 500)
These courses are designed by USC faculty as post-professional electives for returning clinicians and entry-level master’s degree students. They provide intense hands-on clinical experiences in areas in which students have the opportunity to develop advanced or specialized skills. They generally include participation in various clinical/health settings, laboratories or innovative practices. All include regular meetings with mentors to help students integrate theory, evidence and treatment approaches. Master’s degree students may fulfill all their elective requirements with these courses.

Taking Advantage of Research Options (OT 590)
As part of their elective emphases, students may elect to take 2 to 12 units of Directed Research (OT 590). These experiences have enabled graduate students in the M.A.-2 program to work with faculty on extramurally funded research programs in areas such as aging, cultural boundaries, spina bifida, sensory integration and neuroscience.

National Board Certification
Once students have successfully completed all professional course work (to fulfill the requirements for the master’s degree), and the required number of fieldwork hours, they are eligible to sit for the professional examination offered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Candidates should visit http://www.nbcot.org for specific information on the examination process. Students who pass this examination earn the designation “Occupational Therapist, Registered” (OTR) and, after fulfilling state licensing requirements, can begin practice as an integral member of the health care community.

Graduation
Upon successful completion of all courses and either passing the comprehensive examination or having your thesis accepted by the Graduate School, you will be awarded the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. At USC, fieldwork is not required for the master’s degree (but it is required to take the NBCOT examination). As a result, Comprehensive Exam Option students will have met all requirements for graduation in May of their second year. Thesis option students typically take an extra semester or two to complete their thesis.