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The faculty and staff of ���߲ݴ�ý, the DePerro School of Health Professions, and the MSOT program are dedicated to promoting and ensuring positive student outcomes.

Outcome data (number of graduates, retention rate, graduation rate) are updated annually in mid-spring. NBCOT exam results are also available at the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy website: .

 

Graduation Year	Number of Students Graduating	Graduation Rate	Retention Rate
2023 (entered 2021)	*15 by May 2023 *16 by Dec. 2023	*83% *88%	94%
2024 (entered 2022)	10	100%	100%
2025 (entered 2023)	6	100%	86%
3-year total	32	96%	93%

* The first cohort of MSOT students graduated in 2023.

Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).

Cost/value

• Same expected entry-level salary regardless of degree path: master’s (MSOT) or doctorate (OTD).
• Reduced level of student loan debt
• Increased lifetime salary and benefits due to earlier entry into practice
• Most healthcare employers do not require a doctoral degree for hiring or advancement in occupational therapy. MSOT graduates meet all licensure and clinical competency requirements, allowing them to be competitive for the same roles and responsibilities as OTD holders in most clinical settings.

Time

• Completion of your degree at least one year sooner.
• The accrediting body for Occupational Therapy programs has mandated that master’s degree programs must be designed to be completed in no more than two years and doctorate programs must be designed to be completed in no more than three to four years.

• Completing an MSOT program in two years offers flexibility for those with personal, family, or financial obligations. For many students, the shorter time commitment means fewer sacrifices in other areas of life, whether that's starting a family, relocating for a job, or saving for future goals.

Entry-level readiness

• Same clinical skills developed regardless of degree path.
• The salary is the same for all entry-level occupational therapists regardless of degree.
• Graduating with an MSOT allows you to begin working and earning income sooner, giving you a head start on building clinical experience and professional networks. This earlier workforce entry can lead to quicker career advancement and greater long-term financial stability.

Potential for transition to doctoral degree

• Entry-level OTs with an MSOT degree explore areas of interest, opportunities, and career paths within their first years of practice. This allows them to make informed decisions about their pursuit of a doctorate.
• OTs may choose a post-professional OTD to strengthen and advance their clinical skills in their area of interest, or pursue a research degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.) to advance their careers in research and/or teaching.
• This time ensures that the resources invested in a doctorate align with each individual’s career goals and passions.

We will accomplish our mission by:

• Maintaining a qualified graduate faculty who possess academic preparation and experience in teaching, mentoring, and scholarship;
  
  
• Providing advanced educational opportunities that are reflected in high standards for student achievement in which academics and fieldwork are closely integrated;
  
  
• Teaching a comprehensive body of foundational knowledge centered in the art and science of human occupation while emphasizing the role of occupational performance in the promotion of health and wellness for persons, groups, and populations;
  
  
• Providing a professional curriculum that is designed to advance understandings about physical and psychological development throughout the lifespan, the value of effective social, cultural, economic and political participation in life, the critical relationship between personal values and beliefs and environmental interaction, and the importance of functional adaptation for enabling participation in daily occupation;
  
  
• Integrating historical knowledge of the profession with present-day competencies, scholarship, and economic insights to prepare students to excel in both traditional and emerging practice areas; and
  
  
• Creating collaborative interprofessional learning opportunities in which students experience socialization to the culture of professional practice while learning with and from other disciplines to foster high-quality health-related outcomes.
  

Our work is guided by our belief that:

People define their humanity and are enabled to achieve health and wellness through occupation, i.e. the performance of valued tasks, meaningful activities, and life span roles. Although human beings seek active involvement in occupation naturally, disruptions in a person’s health and life patterns that are brought on by disability may negatively affect his/her occupational performance and ability to interact productively with others. Occupational therapy facilitates health, well-being and quality of life by increasing functional performance in day-to-day occupations, thereby restoring opportunities for purposeful participation in life activities and roles; 

Academic professional programs must demonstrate a commitment to maintaining the accountability, integrity and long-term viability of the profession. By providing a curriculum that combines an in-depth knowledge and application of the occupational therapy process that is focused on research evidence, trends in health care policy, existing and emerging program development, and management issues such as controlling costs in changing service delivery systems and settings, students will develop into leaders who will guide the profession into the future; 

Occupational therapists must assess the occupational impact of disease and injury and provide occupation-based intervention using ethical, scientific, economic, and legal knowledge. By having students examine the biological, psychological, spiritual, cultural and socio-environmental factors that contribute to the maintenance or recovery of function, the performance of everyday activities, and participation in life roles, they are able to advocate for access to services, select and utilize evidence- based assessments, provide client-centered interventions, and achieve occupation-based outcomes in homes, schools, clinical environments, workplaces, etc.

A dynamic professional graduate program is defined by the core themes that characterize the curriculum design. Systems theory provides the basis for understanding the interaction of the core themes and concepts that make up the curriculum design (Cole & Tufano, 2008). Systems theory also serves as a lens through which the external and internal forces that impact occupational therapy practice and education, including society, cultures, organizations, and practice settings, can be understood. Three curricular threads, in alignment with our faculty scholarship agenda and Franciscan core values of compassion, wisdom, and integrity, are outlined below. 

Compassion 

Occupational Justice is exemplified in the curriculum design through servant leadership, advocacy, and action. 

Goal #1: Students will effectively apply concepts of occupational justice for people, groups, and populations through awareness, advocacy, and action. 

Goal #2: Students will engage in service learning embedded throughout the curriculum to foster a culture of servant leadership.

Wisdom 

Commitment to innovative learning and the student experience corresponds with the curricular thread of wisdom and is illustrated in the curriculum through embedded Level I fieldwork experiences, experiential learning opportunities, and simulated patient experiences. 

Goal #3: Students will identify, consume, and apply evidence to guide their clinical reasoning and inform best practice as students and entry-level practitioners. 

Goal #4: Students will develop clinical skills through innovative experiential learning opportunities. 

Goal #5: Students will apply foundational knowledge in conjunction with critical thinking throughout the OT process.

Integrity 

Health promotion for marginalized populations is a key focus of the integrity curricular thread, and it embedded in OT coursework through community-based service learning, health promotion activities, and adoption of ethical practice and professional behaviors. 

Goal #6: Students will demonstrate professional behaviors that strengthen performance in didactic and clinical settings. 

Goal #7: Students will engage in ethical communication practices that demonstrate support and respect for the uniqueness of each individual.