Curriculum and Graduation Requirements

THE MSOT PROGRAM MISSION and LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The mission of the CSUDH MS in Occupational Therapy Program is to prepare entry-level clinical practitioners with knowledge, skills, and understanding necessary to practice in traditional as well as emerging occupational therapy roles with an excellent foundation for later specialization and lifelong learning.

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program has been planned with enthusiasm to help prepare students for a professional career focused on helping people achieve skills and utilize resources to live independent and meaningful lives. The program is structured towards producing client-centered therapists with enhanced critical thinking abilities. It aims to produce professionals, who can research, develop, implement, and evaluate procedures utilizing a high degree of independent judgment and to consult where appropriate with other members of the health care team.

Upon completion of the entry-level MSOT, students will be able to...

demonstrate entry-level knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences and skills essential to practice occupational therapy;
use knowledge of how humans construct meaning and seek adaptation through occupation across the lifespan;
demonstrate mastery of entry-level professional clinical skills specific to all areas identified in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process;
serve the needs of diverse and underserved populations with demonstrated sensitivity to psychosocial identity and cultural and ethnic heritage;
implement occupational therapy services that maintain health and wellness and remediate dysfunction;
apply principles and constructs of ethics to individual, institutional and societal problems and demonstrate competence in developing appropriate resolutions to these problems;
identify researchable problems, advocate for and participate in research, and incorporate findings into clinical practice;
provide scholarly contributions to the knowledge base of the profession through written and oral communication;
relate theory with practice and use research evidence to think critically about or adapt new and existing practice environments based on population needs and research evidence;
participate in advocacy and educational roles with patients and their families, students, and others in community and clinical settings;
serve as practitioners and leaders who can influence practice, education, and policy development;
assume leadership roles at the local, state, national and international levels in occupational therapy and in health professions.
achieve success in Fieldwork settings, the national board examination and become licensed to practice occupational therapy.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The entry-level Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) Program is comprised of 96 units of entry-level professional didactic and clinical coursework offered in a semester format including summer sessions. Courses are listed by course number and title as a sequence of seven consecutive semesters, five didactic and two full-time clinical internships.

Students enrolled in the MSOT degree program must have at least a “C” to pass each course. No course with a grade lower than a “C” will be applied to the degree program. In addition, students must have a minimum GPA of “B” or 3.0 to fulfill degree requirements. In order to be eligible for graduation, students must be in good academic standing. A student who is on academic probation may not be granted a master’s degree.

MSOT CAPSTONE PROJECT (previously COMPREHENSIVE EXAM)

A capstone project is the culminating activity requirement that needs to be successfully passed, in addition to all didactic and fieldwork courses, for a student to be granted a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy.

MSOT REQUIRED COURSES FOR GRADUATION

All courses listed below are required for the MSOT Program and need to be taken at the prescribed sequence.

https://catalog.csudh.edu/academics/occupational-therapy/

MSOT Information Printable Sheets

MSOT Admission Requirements.pdf

Semester One (Spring) - Foundations (16 units) (7 courses)

OTR 500 (2 units) Person, Environment, Occupation Interactions
Emphasizes the importance of occupational engagement to health and the relationship that exists between individuals, occupations, and environments. Students will be challenged to explore the person-environment-occupation model centered on persons and the occupations they fulfill within their everyday environments.

OTR 502 (2 units) The History of Occupation
A historical survey of the development of the profession and the study of the occupational nature of human beings. Review of how leaders of the profession have articulated occupation and therapeutic applications across time.

OTR 504 (3 units) Activities Across the Lifespan (Flow)
Introduction to how activities used as meaningful occupations can be used as therapeutic interventions.
Individual and group experience with media and how to identify, analyze, and adapt activities for their potential as treatment modalities is emphasized.

OTR 506 (3 units) Interactive Reasoning and Group Leadership
Introduction to the historical, theoretical underpinnings and application of group work to populations spanning the lifespan.

OTR 508 (1 unit) Professional Development Seminar – Portfolio I: Introduction to E-Portfolio
Portfolio I introduces students to the skills and requirements necessary for development of an individual e-portfolio of learning experiences and outcomes. Specifically, the course aims to 1) orient students to the step-by-step process of portfolio development and completion, 2) introduces critical thinking and reflective learning methods and 3) provides students with foundational experiences for self-directed learning.

OTR 510 (2 units) Introduction to Frameworks for OT Practice
Introduction to fundamental theoretical concepts of occupational therapy practice, philosophy,
terminology, professional role delineation, ethics, scope and models of practice.

OTR 512 (3 units) Human Anatomy
Advanced study of human body by means of review of Web based materials specific to dissection and identification of select specimens and structures of the body.

Semester Two (Summer) - Adolescence (17 units) (9 courses)

OTR 515 (3 units) Occupation Across the Lifespan I – Adolescence
Explores development of activity patterns associated with adolescent occupational choice, roles,
routines, habit formation and attributed meaning. Focus is on adolescent development and life transition.

OTR 517 (1 unit) Assessments in Occupational Therapy Practice - Adolescence
This course focuses on OT clinical evaluation with the adolescent population. Students will develop clinical reasoning and skill to select and administer standardized and non-standardized interview, observational, self-report and assessment tools in the processes of referral, screening, evaluation and documentation.

OTR 519 (2 units) Interventions in Occupational Therapy Practice – Adolescence
This course focuses on OT clinical interventions with the adolescent population. Students will develop clinical reasoning and skill in treatment planning, implementation, reviewing progress, discharge planning, and documentation.

OTR 521 (2 units) Conditions Affecting Health I – Adolescence
Theoretical approaches and models of practice commonly used with this population will be discussed in association with conditions that affect adolescent’s ability to engage in meaningful occupations common to this developmental level.

OTR 523 (1 unit) Case Seminar I – Adolescence
Seminar format to provide opportunities for students to hear first-hand occupational profiles and
personal narratives of adolescents and their families as they are engaged in discussions of issues relative to problems in domains of occupational engagement.

OTR 525 (1 unit) OT Research I – Qualitative Research Methods for Health
Professionals
Introductory comparisons of qualitative research methods are presented and applied. Students will explore the role of qualitative research in developing a deeper understanding of client populations and the development of theory in occupational therapy. Research design, data collection strategies, and methods of analysis will be discussed.

OTR 527 (4 units) Foundations of Kinesiology for Occupational Therapists
The course consists of lectures, activity analyses, and case studies designed to provide students with diverse opportunities to integrate key concepts of kinesiology into an understanding of how movement and loss of movements may impact performance of complex, everyday occupations.

OTR 529 (1 unit) Level I Fieldwork – Adolescence
Fieldwork offers on-site clinical experiences with populations commonly served in OT practice settings for adolescents. Clinical experiences support co-requisite coursework and will rely on first semester course materials.

OTR 530 (1 unit) Professional Development Seminar– Portfolio II: Ethics
Portfolio II is an introduction to ethics theory and principles as applied to common occupational therapy clinical situations and opportunities to analyze and solve ethical dilemmas. Overview of legal principles that may impact ethical decision-making.

Semester Three (Fall) - Pediatrics (17 units) (8 courses)

OTR 535 (3 units) Occupations Across the Lifespan II – Pediatrics
Provides the theoretical foundations and frames of reference to understand pediatric populations and their family’s occupations. Explores the developmental impact of contexts, family, and child factors that promote or limit engagement in occupations and co-occupations from infancy through school age.

OTR 537 (2 units) Assessments in Occupational Therapy Practice - Pediatrics
This course focuses on OT clinical evaluation with the pediatric population. Students will develop clinical reasoning and skill to select and administer standardized and non-standardized interview, observational, self-report and assessment tools in the processes of referral, screening, evaluation and documentation.

OTR 539 (2 units) Interventions in Occupational Therapy Practice - Pediatrics
This course focuses on OT clinical interventions with the pediatric population. Students will develop clinical reasoning and skill in treatment planning, implementation, reviewing progress, discharge planning, and documentation.

OTR 541 (2 units) Conditions Affecting Health II – Pediatrics
The application of knowledge of at-risk and diagnostic conditions to the occupational performance of children and their families. The role of genetics, body structures, functions, and the environment in the presence of developmental issues from conception through adolescence will be addressed.

OTR 543 (1 unit) Case Seminar II – Pediatrics
Seminar provides opportunities for students to hear first-hand from families and children with special needs and discuss issues relative to diagnosis, occupational therapy assessment and intervention, service delivery, as well as the contexts in which children and their families participate.

OTR 547 (5 units) Neurological Foundations of Occupation
Foundational knowledge of how the human nervous system serves as the foundation for occupational choice and occupational engagement. Designed to provide opportunities to learn the structures and functional organization of the nervous system related to the performance of everyday occupations.

OTR 550 (1 unit) Level I Fieldwork – Pediatrics
Fieldwork offers on-site clinical experiences with populations commonly served in OT practice settings with infant through school-aged children. Clinical experiences support co-requisite coursework and will rely on first semester course materials.

OTR 552 (1 unit) Professional Development Seminar – Portfolio III: Qualitative
Research Project
Portfolio III links student interests with co-requisite coursework and the development of a
research paper and professional quality presentation. Simultaneously, the student is
mentored through planned research activities by the course instructors.

Semester Four (Spring) - Adult (15 units) (8 courses)

OTR 545 (3 units) OT Research II Quantitative Research Methods for Health Professionals
This course reviews clinical research methodology and designs as the foundation of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy. The emphasis of the course is on interpreting and utilizing research results as well as understanding statistics and the impact of research on evidence-based practice.
Students will develop a feasible research proposal related to occupational therapy practice.

OTR 553 (1 unit) Professional Development Seminar – Portfolio IV: Evidence-Based
Practice in Occupational Therapy
Portfolio IV links student interests with co-requisite coursework and the development of an
understanding of the concept of Evidence-Based Rehabilitation as applied to occupational therapy practice. Simultaneously, the student is mentored through planned learning activities by the faculty advisor and the development of an evidence-based research paper. The course includes: (1) the development of questions relevant to specific issues in occupational therapy practice, (2) learning and application of tools and strategies in searching for research evidence, (3) analysis and critique of research outcomes, and (4) application of research outcome to practice scenarios.

OTR 555 (3 units) Occupations Across the Lifespan III – Adults
Provides the theoretical foundations and frames of reference to understand adult populations and their family’s occupations. Explores the impact of contexts, family, and other factors that promote or limit engagement in occupations and co-occupations of adult populations.

OTR 557 (2 units) Assessments in Occupational Therapy Practice - Adults
This course focuses on OT clinical evaluation with the adult population. Students will develop clinical reasoning and skill to select and administer standardized and non-standardized interview, observational, self-report and assessment tools in the processes of referral, screening, evaluation and documentation.

OTR 559 (2 units) Interventions in Occupational Therapy Practice - Adults
This course focuses on OT clinical interventions with the adult population. Students will develop clinical reasoning and skill in treatment planning, implementation, reviewing progress, discharge planning, and documentation.

OTR 561 (2 units) Conditions Affecting Health III – Adults
A professional course that focuses on common occupational performance dysfunctions secondary to medical, biophysical, and psychosocial conditions in adults 18-55 years old.

OTR 563 (1 unit) Case Seminar III – Adults
Seminar format to provide opportunities for students to hear first-hand the life stories of adults living with disabilities acquired through illness, disability or trauma.

OTR 571 (1 unit) Level I Fieldwork – Adults
Offers on-site clinical experiences with populations commonly served in OT practice settings with adult clients. Clinical experiences support co-requisite coursework and will rely on first semester course materials.

Semester Five (Summer) - Geriatrics (15 units) (9 courses)

OTR 554 (1 unit) Professional Development Seminar – Portfolio V: Quantitative
Research Project
Portfolio V involves completion of a quantitative research project as part of the professional
development portfolio. The course also provides an opportunity to present written and oral summary of completed portfolio activities and research papers to faculty and students.

OTR 575 (3 units) Occupations Across the Lifespan IV – Geriatrics
Focused on theoretical foundations of occupational therapy used in working with the geriatric
population. Explores the value and meaning of occupation to the health and wellbeing of elderly and frail elderly adults within cultural and temporal contexts.

OTR 577 (1 unit) Assessments in Occupational Therapy Practice - Geriatrics
This course focuses on OT clinical evaluation with the geriatric population. Students will develop clinical reasoning and skill to select and administer standardized and non-standardized interview, observational, self-report and assessment tools in the processes of referral, screening, evaluation and documentation.

OTR 579 (2 units) Interventions in Occupational Therapy Practice - Geriatrics
This course focuses on OT clinical interventions with the geriatric population. Students will develop clinical reasoning and skill in treatment planning, implementation, reviewing progress, discharge planning, and documentation.

OTR 581 (2 units) Conditions Affecting Health IV – Geriatrics
A professional course focused on common occupational performance dysfunctions secondary to
medical, biophysical, and psychosocial conditions in the elderly and frail elderly adult (older than 55 and 85 years respectively).

OTR 583 (1 unit) Case Seminar IV – Geriatrics
Life narratives of elders and frail elders and their family members will be facilitated to engage in
discussions on issues relative to their personal life situations, occupational history and profile.

OTR 591 (1 unit) Level I Fieldwork – Geriatrics
Fieldwork offers on-site clinical experiences with populations commonly served in OT practice settings with elderly clients. Clinical experiences support co-requisite coursework and will rely on first semester course materials.

OTR 567 (2 units) Administration and Management in Occupational Therapy
Presentation and discussion of current concepts and trends in the administration and management in occupational therapy practice. Challenges students to explore the various facets of occupational therapy management in a constantly changing health care environment.

OTR 569 (2 units) Applications of Adaptive and Assistive Technology
RESNA technology competencies for occupational therapists, state and federal laws effecting
availability or acquisition of assistive technology, assessments used in evaluation for technology
prescription, seating and wheelchair measurements, computer input devices, augmentative
communication, environmental controls, use of universal design.

Semester Six (Fall) - (9 units) (1 course)

OTR 592 (9 units) Fieldwork II A
Completion of 12 weeks of full-time equivalent supervised Fieldwork Level II practicum in a community or clinical setting. With the supervision of the Fieldwork Educator (FE), student will conduct client evaluations, delivery of OT services, progress notes, documentation, reports and/or provision of resources as assigned at the placement site. CR/NC grading.

Semester Seven (Spring) - (9 units) (1 course)

OTR 593 (9 units) Fieldwork II B
Completion of 12 weeks of full-time equivalent supervised Fieldwork Level II practicum in a community or clinical setting. With the supervision of the Fieldwork Educator (FE), student will conduct client evaluations, delivery of OT services, progress notes, documentation, reports and/or provision of resources as assigned at the placement site. CR/NC grading.

MSOT Capstone Project

In addition to all didactic and fieldwork courses, MSOT graduate students must successfully complete a Capstone Project to be granted a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy. The MSOT Capstone Project consists of a comprehensive capstone paper and an oral & competence presentation. The project reflects the graduate student's understanding and synthesis of theory, application of clinical and research evidence, and demonstration of knowledge and skills of the practice of occupational therapy.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Transportation

Students will be responsible for transportation and housing during Fieldwork Levels I and II and may be required to attend a Fieldwork II experience in neighboring states.