Doctor of Occupational Therapy (Post-Professional Program: OTD)

The College of Applied Health Sciences offers the post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree. The OTD focuses on developing advanced professional skills for practice, leadership, management, and education. For the currently practicing occupational therapist, an OTD offers opportunities for career development and advancement. For a currently enrolled master’s student, an OTD offers the opportunity to enter the field with more specialized knowledge and skills. In comparison to a PhD, the OTD focuses less on conducting original research and more on applying existing research and evidence to improve everyday OT practice. The OTD program emphasizes UIC’s scholarship of practice and mentoring model. Students work closely with faculty members within their lines of inquiry, which assures that students have top-quality experiences doing mentored work that is relevant, forward-thinking, and that will make a difference in practice and in the lives of diverse occupational therapy clients. Students are admitted to this competitive program only when there is a good match between student interest and faculty scholarship and expertise. The OTD is composed of five major components: Core courses (research, theory, proseminar) Advanced practica (clinical, teaching, leadershipmanagement, and scholarship of practice applied research) Elective courses Field exam OTD Project (major work in advanced area of specialization).

Proof of certification or eligibility for certification in occupational therapy in the U.S., or have an occupational therapy degree from a WFOT approved program outside of the United States. This will be waived if you’re applying to co-enroll in the MS and P-OTD programs. You must complete Fieldwork II and all MS course work in order to continue on in the P-OTD program. Minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 semester hours earned that lead to a either a bachelor’s or master’s degree. If your GPA is below 3.0 but you have strengths in other areas, you may still be considered.