There are four entry points for the Master of Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.) Program:

• B.A./M.O.T. 5-Year Program
  Students in the Pre-Occupational Therapy Studies major begin 500-level Master of Occupational Therapy courses the fall before the start of their senior year.  These students earn their B.A. degree after their senior year and continue on as Master of Occupational Therapy students in their final year of the program, receiving their Master of Occupational Therapy degree after completing all additional graduate course requirements. The undergraduate coursework can be found in the Bay Path University Undergraduate Course Catalog and includes the prerequisites required for the graduate Occupational Therapy courses.
• M.O.T. Program
  Students in the Human & Health Studies major or those who completed a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree at another regionally-accredited institution may enroll in the two-year Master of Occupational Therapy program after satisfactory completion of the prerequisite courses and acceptance into the program.
• 3-Year M.O.T. Bridge Program
  Students who have successfully completed a bachelor’s degree in any field along with an associate’s degree in either an occupational therapy assistant or physical therapy assistant program, both from a regionally-accredited institution, may enroll in the three-year Master of Occupational Therapy program after satisfactory completion of the prerequisite courses and acceptance into the program.  A student entering with an associate’s and bachelor's degree will take 81 credits over the course of three years to earn a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (MOT.)
• 4-Year M.O.T. Bridge Program
  Students who have successfully completed an associate’s degree in either an occupational therapy assistant or physical therapy assistant program from another regionally-accredited institution may enroll in the four-year Master of Occupational Therapy program after satisfactory completion of the prerequisite courses and acceptance into the program.  A student entering with an associate’s degree will take 112 credits over the course of four years to earn a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (MOT.)

Accreditation

Bay Path University’s Occupational Therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), which is located at:

6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200
North Bethesda, Maryland 20852-4929

ACOTE's telephone number is (301) 652-6611 and email address is accred@aota.org. ACOTE's website is www.acoteonline.org.

Graduates of the program will be able to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapists administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). (A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure). After successful completion of this examination, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). Most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. The NBCOT can be contacted at www.nbcot.org.

Program Requirements

The B.A./M.O.T. 5-Year Program and M.O.T. Programs require 81 credit hours of graduate level work.  The 4-Year M.O.T. Bridge Program requires 112 credit hours of graduate level work. The 3-Year M.O.T. Bridge Programs requires 81 credit hours of graduate level work. Courses must be taken sequentially.

Student Learning Outcomes

The following educational outcomes reflect the expectations of the Department of Occupational Therapy for students who have completed the advanced level of occupational therapy. Students will:

1. Discuss the knowledge and application of the OT process including evaluation, intervention, and outcomes (transition and discontinuation) through appropriate documentation.

2. Design a client‐centered treatment plan to utilize critical thinking skills to identify problems and address occupational limitations, including relevant client goals and the use of meaningful occupational intervention to address established goals.

3. Demonstrate problem solving and professional reasoning to integrate curriculum content into practice scenarios or simulations ensuring an understanding of ethical practice.

4. Exemplify competence in effective communication of occupational therapy services (written, virtual, and verbal) with the interdisciplinary team, client, family, and third party payers.

5. Interpret and integrate occupational therapy theory, frames of reference, and models of practice to design client‐centered treatment approaches and group protocols to meet the occupational needs of a specific population.

6. Establish a sense of personal awareness through the reflection of professional experiences and develop the skills of a lifelong learner, change maker, leader, and administrator.

7. Acquire knowledge of research, information literacy, qualitative data, and quantitative data, in order to effectively analyze, evaluate, and report scholarly work and determine ethical approaches related to research and evidence‐based practice.

8. Create and utilize an occupational profile to determine client needs and learn to design, adapt, and/or modify the occupation and/or environment.

9. Understand the importance of cultural humility to best meet the client’s occupational needs and the role of the OT as advocate for the profession and the client in diverse practice settings.