Occupational Therapy

Program Profile: Occupational Therapy

Program Description | Accreditation | Program Highlights
About the Profession | Faculty | Class Size
Length of Program | Locations | Prerequisites
Costs | Scholarships and Financial Aid | How to Apply

Program Description

Name of program: Occupational Therapy

Program Overview: The Occupational Therapy program at ISU offers a curriculum that terminates in a Master of Occupational Therapy degree. The program requires three years of graduate-level coursework and includes four clinical affiliations. There are six semesters and two full-time summer sessions for a total of 83 credits. The program prepares the student to practice occupational therapy in diverse practice settings.

Accreditation

The ISU Occupational Therapy program was initially accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association's Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) in 2001 and will undergo re-accreditation in the 2015-16 academic year. ACOTE may be contacted at 4750 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814-3425; (301) 652-AOTA (ext. 2682).

Program Highlights

As of 2009, 100% National Certification Examination (NBCOT) pass rate by first time takers and 100% employment rate within 4 months of graduation. Small class sizes are part of the OT curricula (no more than 14 per class), including frequent hands-on experiences throughout the and low faculty to student ratios.

About the Profession

Occupational therapists help people to achieve independence in all areas of their lives, including self-care, work, play, leisure, and education. Occupational therapy enables people to do the day to day activities that are important to them, despite impairments or limitations. The term "occupation" refers to how we "occupy" our time with those activities that are personally meaningful. Occupational therapist work with persons, from infants to the elderly, who experience physical, cognitive, or psychosocial dysfunction. Occupational therapists work in traditional medical settings, such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, and neonatal intensive care; as well as community based settings, such as homeless shelters, home health agencies, schools, community mental health settings, group homes, early intervention programs, businesses, and industry. A 21-35% increase in the need for occupational therapist is expected over the next decade.

Potential Salary: $48,000 - $90,000

Faculty

Four full-time faculty, 28 clinical faculty and 122 clinical sites.

Class Size

Fixed Seats: Yes

Number of students in entering class: 14

Total number of students enrolled in program: 21

Length of Program

Number of academic years needed to complete the program: 3

Locations

Locations offered: Pocatello

Program offered fully online? No

Program delivered through distance presentation? No

Prerequisites

Required Degree: A Bachelor's degree is required for admission to the Occupational Therapy program. Alternate admission through the Bachelors of University Studies program is also possible for persons working towards their Bachelor of Science degree. Applicants must have a minimum of an earned grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 for all upper division coursework to apply to the OT program. Prerequisite courses include anatomy and physiology. Students must demonstrate knowledge and exposure to occupational therapy practice, with a total of 40 hours of observation from two different occupational therapy practice settings. Applicants must take the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) for admission consideration.

Costs

Tuition: Resident: $4279 per semester; Non-resident: $8841 per semester.

Professional fees: Resident: $878 per semester; Non-resident: $3034 per semester.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Scholarship Deadline: Variable department scholarships are available upon admission to the OT program. Contact the Scholarship Office for more information.

Financial Aid Deadline: Contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.

How to Apply

Application Deadline: January 15 each year.

Program Start Date: August: Fall semester.

Other Information: See the department's web site.