Curriculum & Courses

Courses are offered on a 12-month schedule starting each fall.
To earn the MOT degree, candidates must earn a satisfactory grade (“C“ or higher) in each of the required courses and must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in order to be granted the degree.
OTA Pathway: No bachelor's degree required (applicants must have completed 90 semester hours of college credit and hold a valid OTA license) Click here for more information.
Alternative Pathway: Hold a bachelor's degree in a field related to occupational therapy. Click here for more information.

MOT Course Descriptions

YEAR 1

MOTP 601 - Foundations of OT Practice: This course focuses on understanding the history of OT, distinct nature of occupation as the foundation of the profession, activity and occupational analysis, the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, and the OT process. Students are introduced to therapeutic use of self, professional ethics and reasoning, application of theory, scholarship, leadership, quality improvement, and intraprofessional roles, responsibilities, and collaboration. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 602 – Professional Transitions and Occupational Therapy Theory: This course focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the occupational therapist, ongoing professional development, and effective communication. This course introduces occupational therapy theory and the knowledge base necessary for future practice as an occupational therapist. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 604 - Health Policy and Informatics for the OT: This course focuses on two topics that, although different, are inextricably linked: health policy and informatics. Students learn about the diverse healthcare system and the policies that drive decisions within government, institutions, and facilities. They are introduced to their role within this complex system. Students also learn about health information systems used within healthcare for recordkeeping and communication and develop an understanding about information literacy that will guide them as they explore evidence within the MOT program and build a foundation for evidence-based practice. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 605 - Cognitive Neuroscience for OT: This course focuses on foundational content in neuroscience for future learning about human function, cognition, and neurodevelopmental movement. The course is an introduction to human cognition from neuroscientific and evolutionary perspectives. Topics include perception, memory, language, brain organization, and plasticity. The ways in which neuroscience supports occupational performance and human behavior are explored. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 608 - Anatomy & Physiology Review for OT Practice: This one-hour course reviews the content from anatomy & physiology courses taken as prerequisites to the MOT program. In this course, students will gain an understanding of the body structures and body functions most often encountered in OT practice, including all body systems. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 610 - Occupational Assessment & Planning: This course focuses on assessment and planning from an occupational perspective with students learning the skills to assess occupational performance, satisfaction, and opportunity. By taking a broad look at these processes, without the constraint of a particular population, students will be offered a pure view of occupation and an opportunity to be client-centered with a holistic perspective. Examples within the course will come from across practice settings, areas and ages. The course will feature the Model of Human Occupation and other occupation-based and client-centered models to identify occupational needs. Students will develop an occupation-based intervention plan for individuals. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 611 - Sensory Assessment & Planning Lecture: The sensory system is viewed in this course as being the foundation of the central nervous system and therefore an influence on all human functioning. This course teaches students about the sensory system, sensory processing and disorders of the sensory system. Included are assessment of disorders in varied populations and details for planning intervention for individuals and groups. This course coordinates with MOTP 612 – Sensory Assessment & Planning Lab. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 612 - Sensory Assessment & Planning Lab: This course focuses on lab activities related to sensory processing across the lifespan. It is an adjunct to the lecture portion of the sensory course. The sensory system is viewed as being the foundation of the central nervous system and therefore an influence on all human functioning. This course provides students hands-on practice administering sensory assessments, completing skilled observations, and planning intervention using sensory equipment and strategies, based on various sensory theories. This course coordinates with MOTP 611 – Sensory Assessment & Planning Lecture. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 613 - Developmental and Human Behavior Influences on Occupational Performance: This course applies content from human development and psychology courses taken as prerequisites. Content focuses on the influence that development and behavior have on an individual’s occupational performance. Basic occupational therapy intervention plans are completed as part of this course as a foundation for more complex developmental and behavioral planning in future MOT courses. This course employs online instruction, using asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences.

MOTP 615 - Kinesiology for OT: This course serves as the foundation upon which students will build knowledge of human movement and kinesiology. The concepts of kinesiology are applied to facilitate students' understanding of human movement and its influences on occupational performance. Students learn to assess, plan and provide intervention focusing on the musculoskeletal systems. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences. This completes the foundational content allowing students to begin, during Spring 2, to apply content to planning for specific individuals, groups, populations, and purposes.

MOTP 620 – Occupational Performance in Mental Health Lecture: This course focuses on occupational therapy theories, assessments and interventions necessary for serving the mental health needs of individuals throughout the lifespan. It prepares students to recognize how mental and behavioral health impacts occupational performance across settings, as well as plan for and provide intervention. Students learn that an individual's mental well-being is a vital component of a holistic approach in occupational therapy practice. This course coordinates with MOTP 621 Occupational Performance in Mental Health-Lab and MOTP 622 Mental Health Level I Fieldwork. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 621 – Occupational Performance in Mental Health Lab: This course provides the opportunity for students to practice and demonstrate competence in assessments and interventions frequently utilized by occupational therapy practitioners in mental health practice in all settings. This course coordinates with MOTP 620 Occupational Performance in Mental Health Lecture and MOTP 622 Mental Health Level I Fieldwork. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 622 - Mental Health Level I Fieldwork: This course is the Level I Fieldwork experience for the area of mental health. Students participate in a variety of experiences addressing mental health, behavioral health, or psychosocial aspects of client performance to support their engagement in occupations. They have opportunities to apply knowledge and skills from the concurrent lecture and lab courses: MOTP 620 Occupational Performance in Mental Health and MOTP 621 Occupational Performance in Mental Health Lab. This course is a hybrid format utilizing online instruction, simulated environments, and faculty-led fieldwork experiences in the community.

MOTP 625 - Evidence-Based Practice I: This course introduces foundational research concepts essential to critically examine and use current research to support evidence-based occupational therapy practice. Students will analyze quantitative, qualitative, and methodological research to understand research design, methodology, sampling, and data analysis. Students will also identify ethical issues impacting health sciences research. This course establishes a solid groundwork for the MOTP 647 Evidence-Based Practice II and MOTP 656 Scholarly Study courses where students develop their own research questions. MOTP 625 is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 627 - Functional Human Movement Lecture: This course builds on prior kinesiology learning and examines functional human movement as a foundation for function and occupational performance. Course content includes an overview of OT theoretical models/frames of reference and development of assessment and intervention skills for clients with neuromuscular and musculoskeletal conditions. This course coordinates with MOTP 628 Functional Human Movement Lab and employs a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 628 - Functional Human Movement Lab: This course examines functional human movement as a foundation for function and occupational performance. This course provides the opportunity for students to practice assessments and interventions frequently utilized by occupational therapy practitioners for individuals with neuromuscular and musculoskeletal dysfunction. This course coordinates with MOTP 627 Functional Human Movement Lecture and employs a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 630 - Occupational Performance in Children and Adolescents Lecture: This course utilizes content from courses already taken, applies it to those birth-21 and includes topics specific to this population. Pediatrics is a diverse area of practice in occupational therapy. Topics include working with families, assessment, developmental theory, play, interventions for all ages, handwriting, school-based practice, and various diagnoses. Co-requisites include MOTP 631 Occupational Performance in Children and Adolescents Lab and MOTP 632 Children and Adolescents Level I Fieldwork. This course employs a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 631 - Occupational Performance in Children and Adolescents Lab: This course provides the opportunity for students to practice and demonstrate competence in assessments and interventions frequently utilized by occupational therapy practitioners for the children and adolescent populations across traditional settings. This course coordinates with MOTP 630 Occupational Performance in Children and Adolescents Lecture and MOTP 632 Children and Adolescents Level I Fieldwork. This course employs a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 632 – Children and Adolescents Level I Fieldwork: This course is the Level I Fieldwork experience for the area of children and adolescents. Students participate in a variety experiences focusing on the population of individuals birth to 21 years. They have opportunities to apply knowledge and skills from the concurrent lecture and lab portions of courses for children and adolescents: MOTP 630 Occupational Performance in Children and Adolescents Lecture and MOTP 631 Occupational Performance in Children and Adolescents Lab. This course is a hybrid format utilizing online instruction, simulated environments, and faculty-led fieldwork experiences in the community.

MOTP 633 - Assistive Technology of Occupational Performance: In this course students learn about assistive technology including the principles of assessment to identify the products or technology that support occupational performance, health, and well-being across the lifespan. There is emphasis on employing a systematic process to design, fabricate, and fit assistive technologies focusing on the relationship between the client and the assisted occupation within client-specific contexts. The use of physical agent modalities including indications, contraindications, and precautions are addressed. Students are introduced to assessment for orthotics, fabrication, application, and training in orthoses to promote the client’s performance. Professional reasoning, documentation, and reimbursement for these areas of practice are included. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 635 - Leadership and Program Development: This course reviews leadership styles and strategies both within and outside of occupational therapy and facilitates the identification of personal and professional strengths and areas of growth necessary for practitioners to become effective leaders in a variety of practice settings. This course provides the foundation for the business planning aspects of practice including financial management, marketing, program evaluation models, and strategic planning. Students will demonstrate the ability to determine and develop occupational therapy program needs as well as to design ongoing processes for quality improvement to ensure quality of outcomes and services provided. This course is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

Year 1 = 38 Total Semester Credits

YEAR 2

MOTP 640 - Occupational Performance in Adults Lecture: This course provides a comprehensive overview of various conditions that impact health, participation, and occupational performance within the adult population, specifically diagnoses frequently encountered and assessments and interventions frequently utilized by occupational therapy practitioners across traditional settings. Course content includes integration of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, OT theories/frames of reference, professional reasoning, and current evidence to develop client-centered and culturally relevant assessment and intervention skills. The critical importance of intraprofessional collaboration and documentation will be highlighted. This course coordinates with MOTP 641 Occupational Performance in Adults Lab and MOTP 642 Adults Level I Fieldwork. This course employs online instruction, using asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences.

MOTP 641 - Occupational Performance in Adults Lab: This course provides the opportunity for students to practice and demonstrate competence in assessments and interventions frequently utilized by occupational therapy practitioners for the adult population across traditional settings. The critical importance of intraprofessional collaboration and documentation will be highlighted. This course coordinates with MOTP 640 Occupational Performance in Adults and with MOTP 642 Adults Level I Fieldwork. MOTP 641 employs a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 642 - Adults Level I Fieldwork: This course is the Level I Fieldwork experience for the area of physical dysfunction in the adult population. Students participate in a variety of experiences addressing physical dysfunction in adults and the implications for client performance supporting their engagement in occupations. They have opportunities to apply knowledge and skills from the concurrent lecture and lab courses: MOTP 640 Occupational Performance in Adults Lecture and MOTP 641 Occupational Performance in Adults Lab. This course is a hybrid format utilizing online instruction, simulated environments, and faculty-led fieldwork experiences in the community.

MOTP 644 - Advocacy & Planning for Alternative and Emerging Practice: This course explores healthcare advocacy, legislation, and regulation for occupational therapy practice, practitioners, and clients across many contexts, including navigation of current social and political systems relevant to occupational therapy. Course content also focuses on emerging practice areas, non-traditional roles for practitioners, grant-writing, ethical decision-making, and marketing and promotion of occupational therapy. Resources and strategies for advocacy related to clients, occupational therapy, roles of occupational therapy practitioners, colleagues, and students are also discussed. This course employs online instruction, using asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences.

MOTP 647 – Evidence Based Practice II: This course builds on the foundational concepts from MOTP 625 to support student understanding and application of research methodologies and evidence-based practice. Students develop a PICO question about a current occupational therapy practice problem, then search the literature and critically examine current evidence about their topic. This course will cover the following components of the research process: development of a PICO question, development of a search strategy, searching the literature, critical appraisal of information found, evaluation of the level and quality of evidence, and synthesizing evidence for application to practice. MOTP 647 is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 650 - Occupational Performance in Older Adults Lecture: This course explores a variety of diagnoses and conditions frequently encountered within the older adult population that impact health, participation, and occupational performance, along with assessments and interventions utilized by occupational therapy practitioners across community and institutional settings. Course content highlights community-based practice and aging in place, primary care, chronic condition management, community mobility, coding/billing/reimbursement, and inter-/intraprofessional collaboration for client-centered care. This course coordinates with MOTP 651 Occupational Performance in Older Adults Lab and MOTP 652 Older Adults Level I Fieldwork. MOTP 650 employs a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 651 - Occupational Performance in Older Adults Lab: This course provides the opportunity for students to practice and demonstrate competence in assessments and interventions frequently utilized by occupational therapy practitioners for the older adult population across community and institutional settings. The critical importance of inter- and intraprofessional collaboration and documentation will continue to be highlighted. This course coordinates with MOTP 650 Occupational Performance in Older Adults Lecture and MOTP 652 Older Adults Level I Fieldwork. MOTP 651 employs a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 652 - Older Adults Level I Fieldwork: This course is the Level I Fieldwork experience with the older adult population. Students participate in a variety of experiences using a holistic approach to address the impact of the aging process to support older adults’ engagement in meaningful occupations. They have opportunities to apply knowledge and skills from the concurrent lecture and lab courses: MOTP 650 Occupational Performance in Older Adults and MOTP 651 Occupational Performance in Older Adult Lab. This course is a hybrid format utilizing online instruction, simulated environments, and faculty-led fieldwork experiences in the community.

MOTP 656 – Scholarly Study: This course provides the opportunity for students to work with a faculty mentor and participate in scholarly activities that align with current research priorities. Students will perform scholarly study with a goal to advance knowledge translation, professional practice, service delivery, or professional issues. MOTP 656 is a hybrid format including online instruction and on-campus weekend learning experiences.

MOTP 660 - Level II Fieldwork I: This course facilitates full-time fieldwork experiences where students are provided opportunities to apply their academic knowledge and skills to clients in selected clinical settings under the supervision of an occupational therapist. The goal is to promote professional reasoning, professionalism and reflective, ethical practice as students develop competency as entry-level, generalist occupational therapists, focusing on the application of purposeful and meaningful occupation-based services, including in-depth client assessment, intervention planning, and delivery of evidence-based occupational therapy interventions.

MOTP 661 - Seminar I: This fieldwork seminar facilitates the opportunity for students to engage in ongoing communication with faculty and peers as they apply professional reasoning regarding the experiences in their Level II placement. These interactions allow the students to further understand the similarities, differences, and diversities that exist in the delivery of OT services in a variety of practice settings and make additional connections between didactic and clinical practice through reflective discussions and assignments. This course employs online instruction, using asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences.

MOTP 670 - Level II Fieldwork II: This course facilitates full-time fieldwork experiences where students are provided opportunities to apply their academic knowledge and skills to clients in selected clinical settings under the supervision of an occupational therapist. The goal is to promote professional reasoning, professionalism and reflective, ethical practice as students develop competency as entry-level, generalist occupational therapists, focusing on the application of purposeful and meaningful occupation-based services, including in-depth client assessment, intervention planning, and delivery of evidence-based occupational therapy interventions.

MOTP 671 - Seminar II: This fieldwork seminar facilitates the opportunity for students to engage in ongoing communication with faculty and peers as they apply professional reasoning regarding the experiences in their Level II placement. These interactions allow the students to further understand the similarities, differences, and diversities that exist in the delivery of OT services in a variety of practice settings and make additional connections between didactic and clinical practice through reflective discussions and assignments. This course employs online instruction, using asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences.

Year 2 = 31 Semester Credits

TOTAL SEMESTER CREDITS = 69 CREDITS

Master of Occupational Therapy