Program Description

Bachelor of Science to Advanced MS/OTD Program

The University of New Hampshire Department of Occupational Therapy offers a Bachelor's Degree leading to an entry with Advanced Standing into our MS or OTD program. Students in the Bachelor of Science (BS) program smoothly enter into one of the graduate programs by completing professional level OT courses as part of their BS degree. The BS and MS degree programs are completed in five and half years, while the BS and OTD programs require 6 years with two summer terms. Students declare their intent to graduate with an Advanced Standing MS or an Advanced Standing OTD at the end of their sophomore year. Students may enter the BS program as first-year students or apply to transfer within UNH into the BS program during the fall semester of their sophomore year, space permitting. Students interested in transferring into this program should contact the Department of Occupational Therapy for information about transfer requirements, the application process and deadlines.

Students' academic advisor guides them through a stream-lined application process to enter the Occupational Therapy: Advanced Standing MS or OTD Program during the senior year. Students must have a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average, earned a B- or above in all professional level OT courses (700 level or higher), with no more than 8 credits at B-, pass level I fieldwork, and meet professional behavioral standards, which are detailed in the OT Department Policy and Procedure Manual, available to all OT students on the department's learning platform, MyCourses.

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929; telephone: 301-652-AOTA; website: www.acoteonline.org grants accreditation to entry level MS and OTD programs in the United States. Our Master’s degree program is currently accredited by ACOTE.

The OTD program at the University of New Hampshire has received candidacy for accreditation from the ACOTE. The program must have a pre-accreditation review, complete an onsite evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the National Certification examination.

After completing the Master's degree or OTD in occupational therapy, including 24 weeks of Level II Fieldwork, students will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination offered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), which is required to practice as an occupational therapist. Detailed information regarding the Occupational Therapy: Advanced Standing MS and OTD Program may be found in the UNH Graduate Catalog. A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Requirements for the Program

Students begin the BS curriculum with preprofessional courses, which include courses in biological and social sciences as well as occupational therapy. In addition to meeting the University Discovery Program requirements, students take the following courses during the first three years of the program.

Core Curriculum

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
BMS 507	Human Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BMS 508	Human Anatomy and Physiology II	4
OT 500	Behavior and Development of Children	4
OT 501	Developmental Tasks of Adulthood	4
OT 510	Exploring Occupational Therapy and Occupation	4
OT 610	Occupation, Identity, Disability ²	4
OT 685	Psychosocial Disorders and Everyday Life	4
KIN 652 & KIN 653A	Clinical Kinesiology and Musculoskeletal Assessment	6
KIN 706 & KIN 707	Neurology and Neurology Lab	6
OT 720	Medical Terminology	2
PSYC 401	Introduction to Psychology	4
Select one statistics course from the following:		4
HHS 540	Statistics for Health and Human Service Professionals
PSYC 402	Statistics in Psychology
SOC 402	Statistics
Select one health or social policy course from the following:		4
HDFS 760	Family Programs and Policies
HDFS 776	Children, Adolescents and the Law
HDFS 794	Families and the Law
HMP 401	United States Health Care Systems
HMP 403	Introduction to Public Health
HMP 744	Health Ethics and Law
HMP 746	Health Policy
POLT 500	American Public Policy
RMP 663	Management and Finance in the Experience Industry
SW 525	Social Welfare Policy: History of Social and Economic Justice
SW 705	Child and Adolescent Risks and Resiliency: Program, Policy and Practice
Total Credits		54

Details on satisfying these requirements are provided by the student's academic adviser and are outlined in the OT Department Policy and Procedure Manual. All students receive an electronic copy of the manual in their first year, and it is also available on the Occupational Therapy Student Resources site on the University learning platform.

Volunteer or work experience in a health and human service organization is recommended, although not required.

Professional Curriculum

Students in the BS-MS or BS-OTD curriculum with a GPA of 3.0 or higher transition into the professional program and take professional level courses during their undergraduate education. The following courses are required.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses BS-MS and BS-OTD
OT 710	OT Practice and Professional Roles	4
OT 715	Introduction to Group Process: Theory and Application	2
OT 744	Fieldwork and Professionalism - Level 1	1
OT 750	Neuro-Occupation: The Relationship Between Occupation and the Brain ¹	3
OT #751	Mind Body Systems/Neurologically Based Function and Dysfunction	4
OT 752 & 752L	Human Movement and Environmental Effects on Everyday Occupations and Human Movement Lab	4
OT 763 & 763L & 763R	Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention for Adults and Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention for Adults Lab and Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention for Adults Recitation	4
OT 781	Introduction to Research and Evidence-Based Practice	3
OT 782	Research Methods and Application	3
OT 792	Level I Fieldwork	1
Select one of the following:
OT 730 & 730L	Assistive Technology for Enhancing Occupational Performance and Assistive Technology for Enhancing Occupational Performance Lab	4-5
or OT 771 & 771L	Enabling Participation in Community Groups and Enabling Participation in Community Groups Lab
Select one of the following:
OT 760 & 760L & 760R	Psychosocial Evaluation and Intervention and Psychosocial Evaluation and Intervention Lab and Psychosocial Evaluation & Intervention Recitation	4
or OT 762 & 762L & 762R	Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention for Children and Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention for Children Lab and Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention for Children Recitation
Capstone:
OT 741	Human Occupation ²	4
Total credits for BS-MS: 38-39
Total Credits		41-42

¹: This course is an elective for students advancing to the BS-MS program and a requirement for students advancing to the BS-OTD program. Total credits for BS-MS is 38-39.
²: This course also fulfills the writing intensive in major course.

Students need to declare their choice for Advanced Standing MS or OTD by the end of their sophomore year. At the end of the senior year, students are awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy. However, students must earn a graduate degree (MS or OTD) to become registered occupational therapists. Students apply to the Graduate School for Occupational Therapy: Advanced Standing MS or the OTD Program during their senior year. An overall minimum grade point of 3.0 is required for admission to the MS Program or OTD program, and students must earn a minimum grade of B- in all OT classes at the 700 level, with no more than 8 credits of B- in OT courses at the 700 level, pass Level I Fieldwork, and meet professional behavior expectations. Please refer to the Graduate Catalog for additional information about the Advanced Standing MS and OTD Programs and the graduate portion of the professional occupational therapy curriculum including Fieldwork Level II requirements.

Students entering as first-year undergraduate students complete both the BS degree and Advanced Standing MS degree in 5.5 academic years (11 semesters and one January-term), including Level II Fieldwork, while those opting for the Advanced Standing OTD will complete the degree in 6 academic years including two summer terms (14 semesters total), including Level II Fieldwork and a Capstone experience. Students completing either of the advanced standing programs will be eligible to sit for the certification examination administered by the National Board of Certification of Occupational Therapists (NBCOT). A felony conviction may affect a student's ability to complete fieldwork, sit for the NBCOT certification examination, and/or obtain state licensure.

Students are responsible for transportation to off-campus practicum and fieldwork locations.

Curriculum review and revision is undertaken annually. The department works closely with students during academic advising sessions and shares information about any policy and requirement changes during registration periods as well as throughout the academic year. Students also are expected to take an active role in verifying expectations and should check with their academic adviser each September for updated policies and requirements. Program requirements and policies for retention in the major are in the OT Department Policy and Procedure Manual, which is available online.

Student Learning Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes: BS in Occupational Therapy focuses on the study of human participation in life occupations and prepares students for an entry-level graduate degree to become registered occupational therapists. Occupations are the activities that people do every day across the lifespan, including but not limited to self-care, employment, volunteer work, leisure, and play. The aim of the BS program is to prepare students for employment in health services fields, or for graduate study in occupational therapy, or other varied fields and disciplines.

Upon graduation with a BS in OTS degree from UNH, students will:

Critically evaluate biological, psychosocial, and educational theories that influence human behavior and occupational participation.
Demonstrate an understanding of the value of human occupation in health and wellness.
Demonstrate critical appraisal of how disease and disability influences health promotion and occupational well-being.
Recognize the role of culture, socioeconomic status, abilities, and other factors on occupational performance and participation of all members of society.
Demonstrate an understanding of concepts of occupational deprivation and occupational justice as related to health and well being for all people.
Demonstrate competency in information and basic research literacy.
Demonstrate professional behaviors and skills in written and oral communication.
Be prepared to apply for graduate study in the field of occupational therapy or other disciplinary area of graduate study.