Occupational Therapy Curricula, Schedules & Dates

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Curriculum Philosophy

In the Jesuit tradition, a primary focus of the OTD curriculum is to seek the truths and values essential to human life. Our program holds the belief that the intrinsic and unique value of human beings is expressed through occupation, and that the deepest purpose of each man and woman is to create, enrich and share life through human community.

We believe we should strive for a human community of justice, respect and mutual concern. The OTD curriculum integrates these beliefs into a response to important trends in occupational therapy practice and healthcare. The OTD Program prepares you to become an excellent practitioner and leader who is able to translate theoretical and philosophical tenets into every-day practice and who can influence a variety of systems toward health and wellness through occupation.

Our vision is to be nationally recognized for scholarship, research, teaching and learning, and the quality and professional excellence of our graduates and faculty as ethical leaders providing occupation and evidence-based care and service for individuals and the global society.

Curriculum Themes and Threads

Our curriculum encompasses three primary themes: occupation, professional practice and professional identity. The curriculum is built around the nesting of these themes so you begin engaging in them as soon as you enter the program and continue to build on them throughout the curriculum. Leadership and Ignatian values are also interwoven within the curriculum. We provide you with unique professional formation development through professional trajectory coursework in emerging and specialty areas of occupational therapy.

Student Learning Outcomes

The philosophical basis of the Department of Occupational Therapy is consistent with the American Occupational Therapy Association’s philosophical base and standards. Central to the curriculum is the understanding of the value of occupation to the individual as a keystone to daily well being.

The objectives of the professional clinical doctorate in Occupation Therapy program are to graduate therapists that:

Demonstrate entry-level occupational therapy clinical skills.*
Develop a new program or refine an existing one that enhances occupational therapy practice.
Demonstrate positive interpersonal skills and insight into one’s professional behaviors to accurately appraise one’s strengths as well as areas for improvement.
Demonstrate the ability to practice educational roles for clients, peers, students and others in community and clinical settings.
Influence policy, practice and education by advocating for occupational therapy services for individuals and populations.
Demonstrate the aptitude and characteristics to assume leadership roles at the local, national and international levels in occupational therapy, health professions and the community.
Develop essential knowledge and skills to contribute to the advancement of occupational therapy through scholarly activities.
Apply principles of ethics to individual, institutional and societal issues; articulate justifiable resolutions to these issues; and act in an ethical manner.

*Assumed to be accomplished by all post-professional OTD students.

Fieldwork

Level I Fieldwork: Students in the entry-level program enroll in four 3.5-week Level I Fieldwork experiences. Level I Fieldwork can be completed in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, school systems and community centers and consists of both didactic and experiential learning opportunities.

Level II Fieldwork: Students complete two three-month clinical Level II Fieldwork placements during the sixth and seventh semester. Level II Field work experiences are completed at supervised, approved facilities. Eligibility for Level II Fieldwork experiences is determined by the student’s mastery of the professional curriculum.

Entry-level Doctoral Experiential Component: Following the successful completion of the second Level II Fieldwork experience, students take part in an entry-level doctoral experiential component comprised of 16 semester hours. Doctoral experiential components offer students the opportunity to extend and refine knowledge acquired in the curriculum. Students should be able to articulate a rationale for their doctoral experiential component site choice that considers their own occupational interests and needs, the opportunities, limitations, requirements and needs of practice environments and the potential contribution a professional prepared with an OTD degree can make to such environments. Emphasis is placed on understanding the personal, communal and institutional/societal dimensions of professional development and on the importance of balancing them. After the doctoral experiential component is completed, students must complete the requirements for and participate in an on-campus capstone event for one credit hour.

Fieldwork Placement: Clinical education is available in a variety of practice settings and geographic locations. Some travel may be necessary outside of Omaha; students will be responsible for finding their own lodging and paying their own living expenses.

Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy Curricula Description

The Post-Professional OTD distance curriculum consists of 42 semester hours of required didactic coursework for students with a master’s degree and 54 semester hours for students with a bachelor’s degree. Distance learners access the course through various technologies provided by the School. Courses are asynchronous and available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition to didactic courses, students engage in 15 semester credit hours of doctoral capstone experience, which offer the opportunity to extend and refine knowledge gained. The doctoral experiential component of the curriculum is tailored to each individual, based on a self-assessment of professional competencies. Students may elect to enhance generalist clinical skills or select a focused area for professional study. Whenever possible, doctoral experiential components will be arranged at practice sites in the student’s geographic region.

The Post-Professional OTD students enrolls new students each fall semester.

Coursework	Hrs
Core Courses (21 credits)
POTD 550 Occupation, Community, and Health: Population Perspectives*	3
POTD 551 Advocacy and Leadership	3
POTD 562 Advanced Clinical Ethics	3
POTD 565 Instructional Methods	3
POTD 650 Professional Literature and Research	3
POTD 651 Research Proposal	3
POTD 700 Capstone Planning	3
Electives (MA/MS = 6 credits; BA/BS = 18 credits)**
POTD 420 Spirituality	3
POTD 530 Grant Writing	3
POTD 531 American Professoriate	3
POTD 552 Neuro-Occupation and Technology	3
POTD 557 Program Development and Management	3
POTD 586 Institute for Latin American Concern (ILAC)	3
POTD 599 Independent Study	3
IPE 512 China Honors Interprofessional Program (CHIP)	3
Experiential (15 credits)***
POTD 701 Capstone I (Research Implementation)	3
POTD 702 Capstone II (Manuscript Writing)	3
POTD 703 Capstone III	9

*POTD 550 is the first course students are required to complete. There is a two-day, on-campus requirement for this course. A one-time technology fee must be paid before leaving campus.

** Students may take up to 6 credits of outside electives to count toward the POTD total credit hour requirement (e.g., Lifestyle Medicine, Healthcare Ethics).

***The doctoral capstone component may vary in number; each student must complete 15 credit hours in total. All Students are required to dedicate 6 credit hours of capstone to their research trajectory courses and 9 credits to their individually designed capstone experience.

Curricula

Classes entering Fall 2019 and Later

Entry-Level

Classes entering Fall 2021 and Later

Entry-Level

Classes entering Fall 2022 and Later

Entry-Level

Post-Professional

Academic Calendar

Please note that this calendar is tentative. Dates are subject to change.

Exam Schedule

Fall Exam Schedule

Spring Exam Schedule

Summer Exam Schedule

Exam schedule details and policies:

Hybrid students should make their exam appointments when the scheduling window opens.
Friday is reserved as a make-up day in the event that may require the University to close or if there are technical problems.
Students should NOT make travel plans until Friday after 5 p.m.
Final examinations scheduled for a day in which the University is closed will be rescheduled to the next available day. An alternate final examination schedule will be posted as soon as possible
Final Exams Schedule Policy
Occupational Therapy Exam Environment Expectations (campus)
Examination Security and Time Window for Occupational Therapy and Pharmacy Students
Emergency-Related School Closing and Suspension of Exams