Academic Programs

Director: Jeffrey Boss, MS, OTR,
Phone: (814) 871-5670
Email: boss001@gannon.edu

Overview

Occupational therapists help a variety of people with physical and mental challenges, from psychologically disabled children to the elderly who have suffered strokes. They develop, teach and evaluate specific rehabilitation programs for each person in an effort to help their patients to live as independently as possible. Occupational therapists work in all areas of health care, including hospitals, private practice, schools, long term care, home health care, industry and consulting.

Opportunities for advancement are great, and after working only a short time, Occupational Therapy graduates may advance to become supervisors, clinical educators, case managers and ADA consultants. The field has recently mandated that by 2007 new occupational therapists must earn a Master’s degree in order to practice. Federal studies project the job market to continue to be strong. The average starting salary of an occupational therapist ranges from $39,000 to $50,000 per year.

Advantages of the MS in Occupational Therapy program at Gannon include:

• An exceptionally strong curriculum as evidenced by performance on the latest accreditation review (see web site)
• Gannon’s Occupational Therapy graduates boast close to a 100% pass rate on the national certification exam
• Students in Gannon’s Occupational Therapy program conduct research and compose a publishable paper at the master’s level
• Gannon University has one of the few programs that offers Occupational Therapy students financial aid for graduate students in the form of graduate assistantships and teaching assistantships, as well as departmental scholarships for the last year of the program.

Program Requirements

The minimum requirements to be considered for acceptance into the Occupational Therapy program at the graduate level include:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university conferred before beginning the graduate program.
• Overall grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• A personal interview and/or an essay on your career choice may be requested.
• Prior to matriculation in the fall, students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer experience in two Occupational Therapy settings. Documentation must be submitted from the clinical volunteer sites. Students will also collect information for a student journal during their volunteer experience.
• Prerequisite coursework to include:
  
  • Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
  • Psychopathology or Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)
  • Anatomy and Physiology I and II with Labs (8 credits)
  • Introduction to Sociology or Cultural Diversity (3 credits)
  • Statistics (3 credits)
  • Introduction to Computers (3 credits) or demonstrated competence
  • Physics I (3 credits) or survey course
  • Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
  • Gross Anatomy Lab (1 credit). May be completed at Gannon if it is not available at your school.
• Applications are processed on a rolling admissions basis.

The Occupational Therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Its graduates are therefore eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Register (OTR). Most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the certification examination. For further information on accreditation, you may reach ACOTE at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220; or (301) 652-2682. NBCOT may be contacted at 8005 S. Frederick Avenue, Suite 200, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150; or (301) 990-7979.

Please note that a felony conviction or inability of the student to complete Level II fieldwork within the specified time frame for graduation may affect the student’s ability to sit for the NBCOT exam or obtain state licensure.