The educational experience is a five-year entry-level master's program with direct admission at the freshman, sophomore, or junior level. Both the bachelor of science and master of science degrees are conferred at the end of the fifth year. In addition, each student is required to fulfill the requirements for a structured minor offered at the university.

Throughout the curriculum, studies in the liberal arts and sciences are combined with professional studies of occupational therapy. This combination is essential to promote the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for occupational therapy practice.

Courses numbered at the 400-level and higher represent a combination of professional (undergraduate) and advanced (graduate) course material. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking and theoretical analysis of various assessments and intervention techniques throughout these courses. In the final semester,  students are required to complete a Critically Appraised Topic research project and publicly present the findings.

Clinical and community visits are arranged in several courses. In addition, three (3) Level I Fieldwork courses expose students to the diverse needs and/or diagnoses of people and populations. These Level I Fieldwork courses/experiences prepare students for Level II Fieldwork experiences in the graduate year. It is the responsibility of each student to arrange transportation to each clinical visit/fieldwork experience.

Students are required to complete 24 weeks of supervised Level II Fieldwork. The Level II Fieldwork experience typically includes two (2) placements of 3-months duration each, but some clinics/site placements may vary. Students are assigned to sites located throughout the United States and are responsible for all travel and living arrangements to the site and while on clinical placements. Placements are based on availability among the various sites.

The Occupational Therapy (OT) Program has been fully approved and registered by the New York State Education Department. It is designed to meet or exceed the 2018 Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapist and to prepare the graduate to succeed in diverse and emerging areas of practice.

The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at:

7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814

ACOTE's telephone number c/o AOTA is 301-652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Once all requirements are completed, graduates are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination for Occupational Therapists, administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). A felony conviction may affect a student’s ability to sit for the NBCOT Certification Exam. After successful completion of this exam, the individual is an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). All states require licensure in order to practice. State licenses are based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Exam, as well as the completion of at least six months of supervised fieldwork and graduation from an accredited occupational therapy program. The student is required to apply for licensure in the state(s) in which she/he/they will practice.

Course Requirements for the Major

OT Required Courses

OT Research Required Core

Courses In Other Academic Areas Required for the Major

Electives/As Needed

Subject to changes based on regulations by New York State of Education Departments and/or American Occupational Therapy Association requirements.

Academic Regulations

Academic regulations for OT are in addition to general university policies for all students. Full-time (and part-time) OT students must meet all academic regulations listed below.

1. Occupational Therapy Department Good Academic Standing
   1. To be in good standing while enrolled in undergraduate courses (100-400 level) a student must:
      1. Maintain a minimum semester and cumulative average of at least 2.5.
      2. Obtain a minimum grade of “C” in all 100- to 300- level OT courses required in the major and for all other undergraduate course requirements for the major.
      3. Obtain a minimum grade of “B” in all credit-bearing 400-level OT courses. Students receiving a “B-“, “C +” or a “C” in these courses will be placed on academic probation.
      4. A grade of “C-“ or lower in any course required for the major is not applicable to the occupational therapy degree.
   2. To be in good standing while enrolled in graduate courses (500- & 600-level), a student must:
      1. Maintain semester and cumulative averages of at least 3.0
      2. Obtain a minimum grade of "B" in all graduate-level work.
   3. To be in good standing in OT courses that are graded as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, students must achieve a grade of Satisfactory. (Psychosocial Level I Fieldwork (OT-313), Fieldwork Seminar I (OT-321), Child & Adolescent Level I Fieldwork (OT-323), Adult & Geriatric Level I Fieldwork (OT-330), Fieldwork Seminar II (OT-432), OT Clinical Fieldwork I (OT-640), OT Clinical Fieldwork II (OT-641), and Research Project II (OT-693)). An Unsatisfactory grade in any of these courses constitutes a failure to meet academic regulations and will require the student to repeat the course.
2. Occupational Therapy Department Academic Probation
   1. Students, whether full-time or part-time, who are not in good standing in the department are placed on OT department academic probation where they will remain until they meet the conditions of academic good standing for two full-time semesters. The conditions of OT department academic probation must be met in each successive (full- or part-time) semester, but probationary status is not removed until conditions are fulfilled during two full-time semesters.
   2. Conditions of Occupational Therapy Department Academic Probation
      1. While on probation, failure to meet the following conditions will result in dismissal from the program. A student on probation must:
         1. For all 100- and 300-level courses over the next two full-time semesters:
            1. Receive no less than a "C" in all courses;
            2. Achieve a semester and cumulative average of at least 2.5
         2. For all 400- to 600-level courses over the next two full-time semesters:
            1. Receive no less than a "B" in all courses;
            2. Achieve semester and cumulative averages of at least 3.0
         3. For the S/U graded OT courses (listed in 1.c of the Occupational Therapy Department Good Academic Standing section), over the next two full-time semesters, receive grades of S.
3. Dismissal From the Occupational Therapy Department
   1. A student who is on OT department academic probation and does not meet the conditions of OT department academic probation will be dismissed from the OT department but not necessarily dismissed from the university. The dismissed student is encouraged to meet with the OT academic advisor/faculty mentor and the advisor in the Student Success Center.
   2. A student dismissed from the OT department has the option to appeal the dismissal. In order to appeal, the student must follow the School of Health Professions' appeals process as indicated below under "Appeals.
4. Grades Below B Policy Pertaining to Degree Conferral - This policy applies to all 500- and 600-level OT courses. No more than a total of six credits or two courses (whichever better advances academic progress) with grades lower than B (B-, C+, C) are applicable to the OT degree. A grade of C- or lower is not applicable to the OT degree
5. Requirements for Level II Fieldwork
   1. Students must have the permission of the instructor before registering for Level II Fieldwork courses: OT Clinical Fieldwork I (OT-640), OT Clinical Fieldwork II (OT-641). In order to obtain permission, students must demonstrate the ability to meet academic and professional standards of the program and participate in faculty-led professional development interviews in the third and fourth years of study.
   2. Receipt of a U grade in Psychosocial Level I Fieldwork (OT-313), Fieldwork Seminar I (OT-321), Child & Adolescent Level I Fieldwork (OT-323), Adult & Geriatric Level I Fieldwork (OT-330), and/or Fieldwork Seminar II (OT-432) may alter the student's choices or plans for Level II Fieldwork.
   3. Students who receive a U in a Level II Fieldwork course (OT Clinical Fieldwork I (OT-640) , OT Clinical Fieldwork II (OT-641)) or who voluntarily withdraw from the course must receive approval from the faculty in the OT major before repeating the course. Students will not be allowed to repeat more than one Level II Fieldwork course.
   4. A student cannot proceed to Level II Fieldwork if s/he is involved in an unresolved appeal.

Policy for Completion of Occupational Therapy Program in Timely Manner

Full-time and part-time students in the OT programs must complete all academic requirements within three (3) semesters or one 12-month calendar-year following successful completion of Level II Fieldwork (OT Clinical Fieldwork I and II [OT-640 and OT-641]). This includes the semester following completion of Level II Fieldwork when students return to campus to complete coursework (OT-689 Professional Issues, OT-690 Community Practice and OT-693 Research Project II), and two (2) additional semesters.

In addition to other academic requirements, Level II Fieldwork must be successfully completed within a 12-month period of completion of all other coursework or repetition of academic courses may be required.

A student who does not complete Level II Fieldwork within the required 12-month period may need to repeat one or more of the following courses:

• Child & Adolescent Intervention (OT-429) 
• Adult & Geriatric Intervention (OT-434)
• OT Methods of Evaluation & Documentation I (OT-427) 
• OT Methods of Evaluation & Documentation II (OT-433)

Students who do not complete the OT program within the time frame specified in this policy must petition for an extension of the time limit by submitting a completed "Request for Extension of Time to Complete the Graduate Program" form. [Refer to "Extension to Complete Graduate Degree" in the academic policies and procedures section of the catalog for the required steps in the procedure.]

Appeals

To appeal a decision rendered by the School of Health Professions faculty/administration that has academic consequences, a student must follow the appeal procedures which can be found in Academic Policies.

Admission Requirements

The program accepts applicants (on a rolling-admission basis) for full-time study in the freshman year. Transfer students are accepted on a competitive, space-available basis. Students are admitted directly into the OT program and they do not have to reapply for admission to the upper division. Admission requirements reflect the structure of the program as a five-year bachelor of science and master of science degree program.

In order to be eligible for direct acceptance into this program, students must submit proof of the following minimum criteria:

1. A high school average of at least 85 percent.

Students who do not meet these criteria are encouraged to apply to the Undecided Program and apply to OT after successfully completing two full-time semesters.

Although D’Youville does not mandate that letters of recommendation or a letter of intent to study a specific discipline be included with the application, students applying to OT are strongly advised to include these documents with their application.

Students must also demonstrate successful completion of the following high school courses: two years of math, one year of biology, and one year of chemistry. Physics is strongly recommended. Students who have not taken high school chemistry will be considered for admission with the understanding that a college preparatory chemistry course must be taken before beginning the curriculum.

Students are strongly encouraged to gain competence in office productivity software (Microsoft Office) before entering the program. Students are expected to enroll in distance learning/online coursework throughout the OT curriculum. Students are expected to have a laptop or tablet for personal use in class for coursework and for quizzes/exams. The University provides several tutorials and an online orientation course to prepare students for distance/online learning.

The online orientation can be found here.

Thirty-six students are admitted to the program in the freshman year. These students are selected from the pool of applicants on the basis of the above criteria. Late applications are processed on a space-available basis. Students who have been out of high school for more than five years need not submit SAT scores. Selection is based on high school average and class rank.

Transfer students are accepted on a competitive, space-available basis. A minimum G.P.A. of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) is required to apply. Point of entry depends on the number of transfer credits accepted by the registrar, including major course requirements.

In order to register for any OT courses, students must have been formally accepted into the program or need to receive permission of instructor or Chair of the Department.