Occupational Therapy (MSOT), Master of Science Degree - Texas

Program Location	Texas
Program Credits	90 Credits
Program Length	6 Trimesters, 90 Weeks
Time to Complete	24 Months

*Program length may vary

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 29-1122.00, 29-1122.01

Program Mission: Our mission is to develop caring and competent entry-level generalists who are lifelong learners and who can develop into advocates and leaders for the Occupational Therapy profession in diverse local and global communities. Through a student-centric and inter-professional curriculum, the students will be prepared to be reflective practitioners by applying principles of evidence-based practice, research, and critical thinking to facilitate the well-being of consumers through engagement in valued occupations and as it relates to health promotion, prevention, and wellness.

Program Objective: West Coast University’s Occupational Therapy Program is based on the belief that all humans are occupational beings in nature, and in the healing power of occupation whereby humans can influence their own health status. Occupational engagement and thus occupation-based interventions are therefore the central theme of the curriculum.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the program the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy students will be able to:

1. Develop and implement client centered care that is inclusive of cultural values, beliefs and needs.
2. Demonstrate effective communication skills to function effectively as a member of an inter-professional health care team.
3. Support all clinical decision making with evidence based knowledge.
4. Design interventions with a central focus on occupation as the means and end of therapeutic processes, in line with the profession's philosophy.
5. Integrate health promotion and wellness in interventions with individuals, communities and populations.  
6. Model leadership and advocacy for occupational therapy in the full range of service areas.  

Admission Requirements

A student applying for admission to a graduate program at West Coast University must:

1. Submit a completed application for admission with all admissions requirements through the Centralized Application Service for Occupational Therapy system (OTCAS) and pay $75 application fee through WCU.  
2. Meet the program admissions requirements.
3. Submit a copy of official transcripts through OTCAS.
4. Participate in a qualitative admissions interview arranged by the admissions department.  

  a. Engage in interview with faculty member or the Dean

  b. Draft an essay on given topic.

  5.  Complete an enrollment agreement if accepted into the program.

  6.  All requirements must be met by the application deadline in order to be considered.  

Program specific application requirements and prerequisites:

1. Have obtained a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.  Overall last 60 semester units must meet a 3.0 minimum GPA.  
2. Application can be submitted during enrollment in an undergraduate degree program or during completion of prerequisite course work.  However, pending coursework/undergraduate degree along with and all other requirements must be completed, met, and verified through OTCAS by the deadline in order to qualify.  
3. Medical terminology course required. 
4. Applicants who earned a bachelor’s degree in a non-English speaking country must have verification of the following scores within two years of intended enrollment:  
5. An Internet Based TOEFL (iBT) score of 90 with no less than 20 on each sub-score; or 
   1. An IELTS of 6.5 with no less than 6 on each band score.  
   2. Students whose native language is English and/or students with a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university are exempted from this examination.  
6. Applicants must have obtained an overall 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) of program prerequisite courses (from accredited universities) within the last ten years and with a grade of a C or better.  
   1. Required prerequisite courses:

• Two (2) courses in the humanities or social sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Humanities, Anthropology; Philosophy; Religion; Ethics; Cultural studies; Group Dynamics - 3 semester units each).
• One (1) Statistics course. (3 semester units)
• One (1) course in Human Anatomy plus Lab (3 semester units).
• One (1) course in Physiology plus Lab (3 semester units).
• One (1) course in Human Development or Lifespan (Human Growth & Development, Developmental Psychology, Lifespan Psychology (3 semester units).
• One (1) course in Abnormal or Behavioral Psychology (Abnormal Behavior, Abnormal Psychology, Psychopathology, Behavioral Disorders) (3 semester units). 
• One (1) course in Advanced Writing (3 semesters units)

b. Student should have:

• Basic computer skills in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
• Three (3) references: Two (2) occupational therapists; one (1) faculty member/advisor/employer.
• A minimum of 40 volunteer or observation hours obtained from an occupational therapy setting of choice or multiple settings.

c. Full-time devotion to this program is highly recommended; any employment can interfere with the successful completion of this program. 

d. In order to be considered, all program specific admissions requirements and prerequisites must be met by the deadline posted on OTCAS:  

• The University reserves the right to deny admission to applicants if the admissions requirements are not successfully met.  The denial of admissions is final and may not be appealed.

• Candidates - Once the applicant becomes an eligible candidate, a $500 deposit (Cashier’s Check or Money Order only) is required as part of the acceptance to the MSOT program offered at WCU.  This requirement will also be mentioned in the acceptance letter from the Occupational Therapy Department. 

  Health Insurance Requirement - Students enrolled in the MSOT program will be required to provide evidence of health insurance prior to participation in fieldwork.  Participation in fieldwork is required to complete the program. 

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program does not allow advanced placement, transfer credit, or substitution of course work based on previous experience.  

Please refer to OTCAS (www.otcas.org) for additional details about admissions requirements.  

MSOT Candidate Deposit

Applicants that are conditionally accepted to the MSOT program will be required to submit a $500.00 good faith payment for a Seat Deposit. The Seat Deposit will be credited to your program costs. The University will retain a maximum of $175.00 of this deposit should you cancel your enrollment within seven calendar days (excluding holidays) of enrollment or by the seventh calendar day of the first term, whichever is later. Deposits may be paid by money order or cashier's check made out to West Coast University.

For specific graduation requirements, please see the MSOT Graduation Requirements.

 

Clinical Requirements

The program has five fieldwork opportunities. Fieldwork Level I is 1 week each in trimesters 2; 3; 4 covering the life stages of the Older Adult, Adult, and Child & Adolescent (40 hours each). Fieldwork Level II takes place in trimester 5 and 6 and each 15 weeks in length (510 hours each). Fieldwork serves to synthesize skills, knowledge and professional attitude in real life situations.

Program Information and Disclosures

Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program Accreditation Disclosure

More information about the NBCOT examination process is available at: www.nbcot.org.

The WCU entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree (MSOT) program has applied for accreditation 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. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a preaccreditation review,complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be 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, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Students enrolled in the MSOT program will be required to provide evidence of health insurance prior to participation in fieldwork.  Participation in fieldwork is required to complete the program. 

MSOT Curriculum

 

Core Occupational Therapy Courses

OCC 610	Occupational Therapy Practice and Profession	2
OCC 611	Theory of Fieldwork I	2
OCC 612	Theory of Scholarship and Research	2
OCC 613	Evaluation and Assessment I	3
OCC 614	Clinical Skills and Procedures	2
OCC 615	Human Movement in Occupation	4
OCC 620	Occupational Performance: Older Adult Population	3
OCC 620L	Occupational Performance: Older Adult Skills Lab	2
OCC 621	Preparation for Practice: I-Older Adult	1
OCC 622	Evaluation and Assessment II	3
OCC 623	Occupations and the Brain	3
OCC 624	Occupations through the Lifespan	3
OCC 625	Evidence in OT Practice I	2
OCC 630	Occupational Performance: Adult Population	3
OCC 630L	Occupational Performance: Adults Skills Lab	2
OCC 631	Preparation for Practice: I - Adult	1
OCC 632	Evidence in OT Practice II	2
OCC 633	Modalities in OT Practice	3
OCC 634	Technology in OT Practice	4
OCC 640	Occupational Performance: Child and Adolescent Population	3
OCC 640L	Occupational Performance: Child and Adolescent Skills Lab	2
OCC 641	Preparation for Practice: I - Child and Adolescent	1
OCC 642	Theory of Fieldwork II	2
OCC 643	Modalities in OT Practice II	4
OCC 644	Community and Wellness Interventions	4
OCC 645	Leadership and Advancement in OT Practice	3
OCC 650	Preparation for Practice II-A	12
OCC 660	Preparation for Practice II-B (Fieldwork II-B)	12
Total Credit Hours:		90.0

MSOT Program Costs

For program costs, please see the Graduate Tuition and Fees section.