Doctor of Occupational Therapy (Professional Program)

University of Illinois Chicago

UIC’s entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program is designed for students who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in another subject and want to become occupational therapists. Our curriculum prepares you for the national certification exam and practice as an OT. Learn to integrate occupational therapy practice, theory and research using our Scholarship of Practice model. Gain skills to engage in ethical, reflective and high-quality practice. Get ready to become a leader and advocate, and deliver best practice in a wide variety of settings. We’re committed to helping you become a culturally responsive practitioner, able to meet your clients’ diverse occupational needs and achieve full participation in society, especially within under resourced urban communities. You’ll get an education that prepares you to integrate occupational therapy practice, theory and research using our Scholarship of Practice (SOP) model. Complete your doctoral capstone with the support of your SOP Collaborative, a faculty-led group of students pursuing scholarly work in a specific area. Become a leader and advocate to serve individuals, families, groups and communities across the life span in a wide variety of settings. Our entry-level OTD program is carried out in the context of an urban research university, reflecting UIC’s commitment to diversity, social justice and community engagement. Your career If you’re an analytical thinker, a ''people person,'' and enjoy solving problems creatively and collaboratively, you’ll find occupational therapy to be an extremely rewarding career. OTs work to maximize the function and life satisfaction of persons whose daily life performance has been, or might be, affected by a health condition, disease, disability, life stress and other factors. Occupational therapy consists of facilitating participation in roles and activities that are important to the patient, client or family. Occupational therapy also includes teaching prevention and wellness strategies to keep people healthy, modifying home and work environments, and addressing the needs of underresourced communities. Occupational therapy is a rewarding field that provides job opportunities in a variety of settings. Many OTs work within hospitals and outpatient clinics, but many OTs work in nonmedical settings such as: School systems: Working to support students’ ability to successfully participate in their classrooms and other school environments Community-based organizations that support older adults: Collaborating with older adults-and their families-to support their efforts to successfully age in place and participate in their communities Home and community-based settings that serve pediatric clients: Working in natural settings to promote a child’s development and the occupational performance of children, families and communities.

College of Applied Health Sciences