3+3 Doctorate in Occupational Therapy

3+3 Doctorate in Occupational Therapy

Real Life, Real Outcomes

Make a direct impact on people's quality of life with the highest degree in the occupational therapy profession—the Doctor of Occupational Therapy. In this growing healthcare field, practitioners assist individuals and communities in performing daily routines; adapt environments to improve function in home, work, or leisure settings; and provide client-centered support for participation in the activities they enjoy. As a doctor of occupational therapy, you will work with populations with disabilities and those at risk for disabilities, advance community health outcomes in interprofessional practice teams, and transform practice in primary care and telehealth.

$92,800 Median Pay (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022)

Why Choose 3+3 OTD?

Two degrees of preparation—in just six years, not seven. That’s the advantage of earning a joint BS or BA and OTD degree at Western New England. Save time and tuition, and be positioned to earn the salary afforded those among the highest degree in the field.

First-year students commit to this early-admissions program and spend their first three years in at 杏吧直播app working towards completing their bachelor's degree while focusing on prerequisite OT coursework. Students apply to the OTD program during the spring of junior year, and accepted students transition into the OTD program at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for their fourth year. OTD students join undergraduate classmates in receiving the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, and the final two years of doctoral study in the OTD program prepare students for licensure and work in a practice, administration of a department, or academic work in higher education.

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Three Pathways to the OTD

What Will You Learn?

Your journey begins with a strong background in science. In the Pre-OTD concentration of the 3+3 OTD program, you will complete 92 credits of the foundational prerequisite coursework (biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, psychology, mathematical analysis, statistics, and general liberal arts curriculum) with a strong emphasis on lab work. The OTD curriculum, taught in our well-equipped laboratories that simulate therapy settings and actual OT practice settings in the field, is unique as it allows you to immediately apply theory learned in the classroom to hands-on learning.

From day one, your coursework is integrated with multiple Level I Fieldwork experiences that prepare you for the 24 weeks of Level II Fieldwork in your final year in the program, and set the stage for the customizable 14-week Doctoral Experiential and Capstone Project. You’ll complete both degrees in six years, saving a full year of time and tuition and with no intermediary master’s degree required. You will be well-prepared to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Examination (NBCOT) that authorizes you to practice as a Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR).