Occupational Therapy (M.S.)

A master's degree in occupational therapy (OT) will prepare you for a career supporting people in the daily activities that are important to them. A fast-growing field, occupational therapy provides opportunities to work with people of all ages in a range of settings. Our accredited program emphasizes the understanding that engagement in everyday activities fulfills social needs and gives meaning to life, and is essential to the development, adaptation and well-being of individuals and populations. An entry level master’s degree in occupational therapy will prepare you to enter the profession with strong foundational skills in occupational therapy assessment and intervention in all areas of practice, with application of evidence to inform practice, and skills in leadership and advocacy, scholarly activities, and program development  You will learn to evaluate, provide intervention, and monitor the outcomes of clients facing a variety of illnesses, injuries and disabilities such as autism, traumatic brain injury, stroke, substance abuse and musculoskeletal injuries. After completing your degree, you will be eligible to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy examination to become a registered occupational therapist.

The UNH Occupational Therapy Master's Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD  20852-4929, (301) 652-AOTA.

Academic Standards and Policies

In order to be awarded a MS in Occupational Therapy from UNH, students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 and earn a minimum of B- in all required occupational therapy courses, and may not earn more than 8 credits of B- in OT courses (700 level or above). Students must also pass all competency (practical) exams as part of OT courses, pass all level I fieldwork requirements and receive a passing criterion score on the American Occupational Therapy Association Fieldwork Performance Evaluation for the Occupational Therapist in both 12-week Level II fieldwork experiences.

In addition to the academic standards noted above, students must meet professional behavioral standards, which are explained in detail in the OT Department Policy and Procedure Manual, provided to all occupational therapy students during their first semester.

Because curriculum review and revision is undertaken annually, occupational therapy faculty work closely with students during academic advising sessions and share information about any policy and requirement changes during registration periods as well as throughout the academic year. Students are expected to take an active role in verifying expectations and requirements and should check with their departmental advisers each September for updated policies and requirements. Program requirements and policies for retention in the major are posted annually in the OT Department Policy and Procedure Manual, which is available on the OT department’s organization site on MyCourses.

Students participate in a variety of off-­campus and fieldwork experiences throughout the course of study and are covered with basic personal liability insurance through UNH for all practical components of the curriculum. Students are responsible for transportation to fieldwork sites and other off-campus learning experiences. Students are responsible for meeting the health and criminal record/background  clearances established by their fieldwork sites and off-campus learning sites. Proof of immunization such as poliomyelitis, rubella, H1N1, and hepatitis B may also be required. For Level I and II fieldwork, health insurance and a physical examination, including a tuberculin test, are required. All fieldwork experiences are scheduled in centers approved by the Department of Occupational Therapy and with whom active Memoranda of Understanding with UNH exist.

After successfully completing all Level II fieldwork requirements and academic work, students are awarded a Master of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy. They are then eligible to sit for the National Board Certification Examination in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Consistent with NBCOT expectations, students must sit for the certification examination within three years of completion of coursework and fieldwork. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination and/or obtain state licensure.

The program includes 2.75 years (6 semesters) of coursework, including Level II fieldwork experiences. After the initial summer, there are no summer course requirements. A Level I fieldwork is scheduled for 1 week, 40 hours, in January in the first year of the program. Most classes will be scheduled during weekdays during the day and into early evening. Some courses include experiential, off-campus learning in addition to the Level II fieldwork experiences which are two twelve-week full time experiences. Level II fieldwork experiences are planned collaboratively with the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator.

Sample Degree Plan

Degree Requirements

Students must complete at least 79 graduate-level credits, including 18 credits of fieldwork.

In order to be awarded a MS in Occupational Therapy from UNH, students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 and earn a minimum of B- in all required occupational therapy courses, and may not earn more than 8 credits of B- in OT courses (700 level or above). Students must also pass all compentency (practical) exams as part of OT courses, pass all level I fieldwork requirements and receive a passing criterion score on the American Occupational Therapy Association Fieldwork Performance Evaluation for the Occupational Therapist in both 12-week Level II fieldwork experiences.

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Course requirements for OT 865 Occupational Therapy Practice and Professional Reasoning, include a capstone experience in which students synthesize knowledge from academic coursework and fieldwork experiences to develop an innovative occupational therapy program that addresses the needs of a specific population or program.

The OT Department has identified five student outcomes for our Professional OT Program, MSOT graduates as follows:

Our graduates will:

Demonstrate professional attitudes and behaviors in their work and interactions with clients, and others with whom they work.

• Our graduates will be dedicated to ethical, client-driven, OT practice, demonstrating integrity, honesty, compassion, and fairness. They will demonstrate respect for all clients with whom they work, which is grounded in an appreciation and consideration of individual priorities and life experience.  Our graduates will be life-long learners, and innovative thinkers committed to ongoing professional development, and state-of-the-art, evidence-based practices. They will be able to collaborate well with other professionals as committed team players and have a solid understanding of the many roles and expertise of other professionals with whom they commonly work, along with clarity of their roles as occupational therapists. They will aspire to and be prepared to assume leadership roles in their professional lives as practitioners, researchers, advocates, and educators.

Understand that engagement in meaningful occupations is essential to one’s health and well-being, and be prepared and committed to promote occupation-based occupational therapy practice.

• Our curriculum emphasizes the idea that engagement in everyday activities to fulfill social roles and give meaning to life is essential to the development, adaptation, and well being of individuals, societies and populations. Our graduates are ready and committed to apply occupation-based evaluation and intervention techniques, and to share and expand authentic occupational therapy practices.

Be competent entry-level OT practitioners across diverse practice settings, skilled in the delivery occupation–based evaluation and intervention techniques.

• Our graduates will have developed critical thinking skills, and the capacity for high-level clinical reasoning preparing them to deliver client-centered, occupation-based, services in traditional and emerging practice areas. Graduates will know a variety of evaluation methods for understanding a person’s occupational history, abilities, challenges and goals. They will apply occupation-based intervention approaches, and assistive technologies to address the needs of individuals, and populations in traditional and emerging medical, education, and other community-based practice arenas.

Apply evidence-based practices in their work.

• Our graduates will be skilled in identifying and interpreting relevant research and other data sources for delivering evidence-based, clinical services for promoting occupational participation and life satisfaction. Furthermore, they will have research skills for contributing to the body of knowledge that supports and advances occupational science, and occupational therapy.

Demonstrate skills necessary to advance occupational justice so that all persons can fully participate in desired occupations.

• Our graduates will apply critical thinking skills, ethics, policy, and awareness of the context in which occupational therapy may be of benefit, to help advance the OT profession’s goal of meeting the occupational needs of individuals, populations and societies. Our graduates will also be able to generate new ideas to support and promote occupational justice for individuals, populations, and societies.

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Deadlines

Admissions decisions are made as applications are received. 

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

• Fall: N/A
• Spring: N/A
• Summer: January 15 recommended; March 1 final deadline
• Special: N/A

Application fee: $65

Campus: Durham

New England Regional: CT RI VT

Accelerated Masters Eligible: No

New Hampshire Residents

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Essays should integrate a discussion of the applicant’s experience working with people as a volunteer or employee, demonstration of a broad understanding of occupational therapy, and an explanation of personal interest and match for the profession.

Statements must be included with your submitted application.

Resume

Applicants who are not in the UNH B.S. in Occupational Therapy program must submit a one-page resume that details academic, work, and related experiences.

Additional Department Requirements

Prerequisite Course Verification Form (required): The regular program requires that all applicants print and complete the OT Prerequisite Course Verification Form. All prerequisites must be completed at the time of application. Please email the form to the UNH Graduate School. If you have questions about using the form, please please contact Barbara.White@unh.edu in the OT department.

Students who are currently in the UNH BS Occupational Science Program and applying to the Occupational Therapy Advanced Standing MS Program should talk with their academic advisor in the Occupational Therapy Department regarding any questions on the application process.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

Professional Master’s Degree Track (e.g., those without a B.S. Degree in Occupational Therapy from UNH): Please note that this is a competitive program with a limited number of openings available.

Accelerated Master's Program: For those applicants interested in doing the accelerated masters program in Occupational Therapy be aware that the graduate-level courses taken during a student's senior year can only count towards the Certificate in Assistive Technology, and not the MS in Occupational Therapy degree. All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program specific application questions.

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.