Husson's School of Occupational Therapy offers multiple entry options for students in all different stages of their academic journeys. Whether you are currently enrolled at Husson University, transferring from another academic institution, or an applicant already holding a four-year undergraduate degree, Husson can help you achieve your goal of becoming an occupational therapist.

VISION AND MISSION 

VISION STATEMENT: 

The school of occupational therapy will serve the occupational needs of the community by educating practitioners who are compassionate, client-centered leaders.  

MISSION STATEMENT: 

Husson School of Occupational Therapy prepares confident, clinically-skilled ethical practitioners who engage in client-centered, evidence-based practice.  We achieve this through: 

  • Experiential learning

  • Interprofessional collaboration

  • Community engagement

  • Fostering critical thinking

  • Instilling the desire for lifelong learning

PROGRAMMATIC OUTCOMES

Students will demonstrate proficiency in: 

  • Foundational content requirements. 
  • Occupational therapy theoretical perspectives.
  • Basic tenets of occupational therapy. 
  • Referral, screening, evaluation, and intervention plan.
  • Intervention plan: formulation and implementation. 
  • Context of service delivery, leadership, and management of occupational therapy services.
  • Scholarship. 
  • Professional ethics, values, and responsibilities.

ACCREDITATION

The following statement is from the website Policies & Procedures – ACOTE (acoteonline.org) for the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®).

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) is an Associated Advisory Council of the Executive Board of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA®). ACOTE is recognized as the accrediting agency for occupational therapy education by both the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ACOTE is also an active member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA). ACOTE currently accredits all  occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational programs in the United States and its territories.

The School of Occupational Therapy at Husson University was initially accredited in 2003 and has been continuously accredited by ACOTE since then. The next accreditation review will occur in the academic year 2025/2026.

Additional information about AOTA can be obtained on the AOTA webpage (http://www.aota.org/). AOTA and ACOTE can be contacted at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda Maryland 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA's is (301) 652-6611. The web address for ACOTE is: WWW.ACOTEONLINE.ORG. For more information about accreditation please see: WWW.ACOTEONLINE.ORG.

CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE

Once students graduate with the MS in Occupational Therapy, they are eligible to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination. Their address is: One Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, (301) 990-7979. After successful completion of this exam, you will be an Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR). All states require licensure in order to practice, and you must be an OTR to be eligible for licensure. Please be aware that a felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT examination or attain state licensure.

Admission to the M.S. in Occupational Therapy

The MS only track provides two points of entry for applicants.

Track 1: An earned bachelor's degree which requires:

  • An overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • A grade of C+ or better in each of the following courses totaling 20 credits: General Psychology (3 credits)
    • Anatomy & Physiology with Lab I and II (or comparable) (8 credits)
    • Lifespan development (3 credits)
    • Statistics (3 Credits)
    • Social Sciences (3 Credits)

Applicants may apply to the program if they are still completing coursework, but have a plan to complete the courses prior to matriculation. Applicants with outstanding prerequisite coursework will be granted conditional acceptance.

Track 2: 60 Credits of Coursework which requires:

  • A grade of C+ or better in each courses totaling 60 credits.
    • English Composition and Literature -6 Credits
    • Math (college algebra, pre-calculus, or calculus) 3 credits
    • Statistics-3 Credits
    • Anatomy and Physiology with Lab I and I (or comparable)- 8 credits
    • General Psychology-3 Credits
    • Lifespan Development -3 Credits
    • General Education Core Social Science-6 Credits
    • General Education Core Humanities- 3 credits
    • Creative Arts- 3 credits
    • Ethics- 3 credits
    • Electives: 19 credits

Applicants who enter with 60 credits of previous coursework will not earn a bachelor's degree, but will earn a MS in Occupational Therapy. Applicants may apply to the program if they are still completing coursework, but have a plan to complete the courses prior to matriculation. Applicants with outstanding prerequisite coursework will be granted conditional acceptance. In addition, it is strongly recommended that each applicant complete 20 hours of volunteering or “shadowing” with an Occupational Therapist.

Applications for admission are reviewed on a rolling basis starting in the December prior to fall semester of enrollment. Applications will be accepted until one month before the semester begins. Decisions are typically made within 2-4 weeks application verification.

Applications may be submitted through the OTCAS system, or directly through the Husson website.

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for application. All students in the School of Occupational Therapy must possess the essential skills and behaviors required of a professional therapist. Therefore, all occupational therapy students must possess the essential qualifications, referred to as Technical Standards, listed at the end of this document to meet admission, progression, and graduation requirements. Your application to this program indicates that you have read the Technical Standards and are qualified to meet them.

Financial Aid

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid with your specific questions regarding financial aid. Students in the MS-only are classified as graduate students for the three years of study.

Progression policy (MS in Occupational Therapy)

Graduate

  •  Attain and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in order to progress each semester in the graduate program (1st, 2nd, and 3rd years).

  • No more than six (6) credits of graduate course work in the “C+” range can be applied toward the Masters degree.

All Occupational Therapy students – Undergraduate and Graduate

  • All first year professional courses must be completed successfully with a grade of C+ or better in order to progress to the second year. All second year professional courses must be completed successfully with a grade of C+ or better in order to progress to Fieldwork Level II clinical experiences and to the third year of professional courses. This includes a letter grade of “Pass” for all Level I Fieldwork courses.
  • Students are expected to be full-time during the professional phase of the program. Under exceptional circumstances students may petition to be part-time. If the request is granted by the Faculty there is a prescribed sequence of courses students must take. Part-time students must complete the professional phase within 5 years of starting the professional phase whether they started as full time or part time students. All students must enroll full-time in the final graduate year, known as the 3rd year in the curriculum. Again, exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis but will be the exception rather than an expectation.
  • A maximum of two professional level courses may be repeated.
  • Grade deficiencies should be removed during the subsequent semester or during Summer/Winter/May sessions whenever possible. For programmatic purposes, successfully repeating a course does not negate the original grade.
  • Students must demonstrate professional behaviors as outlined in the Occupational Therapy Association Code of Ethics and Ethics Standards, 2020. Professional behaviors are considered for progression in the program and students may be dismissed from the program for violating the policy regardless of academic standing.

Course Repeat Policy

Students must repeat any core course in which they do not achieve a grade of 77% or better the first time they are enrolled in the course. When a course is repeated, a grade of “B” (83%) is required in order to progress. A student who receives less than “B” (83%) the second time they take a core course may be dismissed from the OT program. Any withdrawal grade is considered an enrollment in the course.

Credit Hours

A) The credit hour translation used by the School of Occupational Therapy Program is consistent with the Carnegie Classification.

One (1) credit hour =

  • 1 lecture hour
  • 2 lab hours
  • 2 seminar hours
  • 13 hours of community service with assignments

B) Fieldwork requirements are reflected as:

  • There are three Level I Fieldwork experiences consisting of approximately 40 hours of experiential learning in combination with didactic coursework; each Level I Fieldwork is 1 credit hour.
  • As dictated by the AOTA accrediting body, ACOTE, Level II Fieldwork requires a minimum of 24 weeks full-time placement for occupational therapy students. Typically, this is accomplished in two, 12 week placements. Each 12 week Level II Fieldwork placement is 6 credit hours for a total minimum of 12 credits hours of Fieldwork Level II. (ACOTE Standard C.1.13)
  • Please note, the School of Occupational Therapy only sends students to Level II sites where a licensed occupational therapist is present to provide supervision. In the event of an international placement students are only sent to sites where the occupational therapist is a graduate of a World Federation of Occupational Therapists approved program. 

Grading Policies

  • The system of evaluating a student’s achievement at Husson University in academic courses is by letter grade, with grade point values based upon an earned credit unit (see Husson University Catalog Academic Policies section – Grading system).
  • Fieldwork I is evaluated using the Maine Occupational Therapy Educators Alliance (MOTEA) – Evaluation form. The clinical portion of the Fieldwork Level II is graded according to the “AOTA Fieldwork Performance Evaluation of the Occupational Therapy Student” form.

Technical Standards for the School of Occupational Therapy

Introduction

The technical standards listed below are minimal technical requirements for admission to, promotion within, and graduation from this entry-level professional program.  The requirements are grouped into emotional, cognitive, social, communication, physical and health/safety requirements.

Occupational therapists work with people to improve their ability to function in a variety of environmental contexts. Occupational therapy education requires not only the acquisition of academic knowledge but also technical skills, professional attitudes and professional behaviors.  Before program completion, graduates must acquire a broad base of knowledge and skills required to be safe and competent clinicians. In order to accomplish this goal, students must demonstrate key functions in a relatively independent manner. In addition, in order to participate fully in the program students are required to travel to settings in the community that may have unpredictable environments. Students who do not meet the essential qualifications as defined below with or without reasonable accommodation may be unable to participate as an occupational therapy student.

Emotional Requirements

The student must have sufficient emotional stability to perform under stress produced by both academic study and the necessity of performing occupational therapy in simulated and real client/patient situations while being observed by faculty, peers, fieldwork educators, and others. Students must be able to adapt to a physically and emotionally demanding program. Students must exhibit appropriate responses to moderate personal stress levels to achieve success while adhering to the professional standards and requirements of the program.

Cognitive Requirements

The student must exhibit cognitive skills necessary for problem solving, clinical reasoning, and judgment. Students must integrate a variety of material with increasing complexity presented throughout the curriculum including presentations, class discussions, client/patient interviews/evaluations, and readings from textbooks, journals and medical records. Students must be able to identify and respond accurately to factual information as well as subtle non-verbal cues of mood, temperament, and gestures provided by others. Students must be attentive and be able to focus during class and field experiences to fully participate in the learning environment.

Social Requirements

The student must have appropriate social skills for forming and maintaining relationships with a variety of people including faculty, peers, fieldwork educators, clients/patients and their families/significant others. Students must demonstrate the ability to participate as an effective group member. Flexibility and maturity in all interactions is required for this program. Verbal and non-verbal communication and interactions must be respectful, civil and professional in manner, demeanor and tone.

Communication Requirements

Students must be able to communicate in written and oral English with faculty, peers and clients in the classroom, clinical settings and community. Communication skills include oral speech, reading and writing in order to be able to complete written and oral assignments. Students must be able to communicate in English effectively and sensitively with patients.

Physical Requirements

Each student must be willing to submit to screening, examination and therapeutic treatment by student partners, of either gender, to practice therapeutic techniques which may include physical contact. This will always be closely supervised by faculty and in the context of appropriately professional limits.

  • Motor

Students must have sufficient motor function to obtain information from patients/clients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other standardized and non-standardized evaluative procedures. They must be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general occupational therapy, including the strength to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, lift and transfer patients, and be able to stand/sit long periods of time. Many procedures require coordination of both gross and fine motor movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses. For this reason, students must have manual dexterity including function of wrists, hands, fingers, and arms in order to have the ability to engage in procedures involving grasping, manipulating, pushing, pulling, holding, extending, and rotation.

  • Speech

Ability to speak clearly in order to communicate with faculty, peers, fieldwork educators, clients/patients, physicians, and others; need to be understood on the telephone.

  • Vision

The student must able to observe demonstrations and participate in laboratory aspects of the curriculum. Students must be able to observe patients and obtain relevant, meaningful assessment information from this observation.  As such, students must have visual perception, which includes depth and acuity. They must also be able to read documents such as medical records, textbooks, and computer screens.

  • Hearing

Sufficient to accurately hear on the telephone, discriminate sounds in the environment for safety, communicate with people, listen and assess through the stethoscope to discriminate sounds. It is possible to use compensatory aides and assistive technology such as hearing aids.

  • Touch

Ability to palpate both superficially and deeply for tasks such as discrimination of tactile sensations and facilitation of body movements.

Health and Safety Requirements

Students must display good self-awareness of personal health practices and hygiene. They must understand the importance of good personal health habits and the prevention of disease/infection. They must display an awareness of personal issues and report any that would potentially interfere with their ability to competently care for others.

Students must complete the requirements listed below by mid-term of the first semester of the professional phase.  All of these requirements must be kept up-to-date throughout the professional phase of the program and throughout Level II Fieldwork. The list below is a minimal list; more detailed and specific information will be provided to you as you approach the professional phase of your education to assure compliance with these requirements.

A. Immunizations:

a. Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)

b. Polio series

c. A two step-Tuberculin series (only the initial year requires a two step procedure and subsequent years require one step) or Tspot blood draw test to document immunity.  

d. Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) booster (every 10 years),

e. Varicella titer (determined through a blood draw as having had chicken pox is not sufficient to avoid getting it again, a titer assures a level of protection)

f. Hepatitis B series – must be started by September of the first semester of the professional phase (they are administered over a span of several months)

g. Annual Influenza vaccination or signed declination form; most clinical sites require proof of vaccination.

h. COVID-19 vaccine and booster or exemption approved through Husson University.

B. Current CPR Certification for children and adults: (American Red Cross or American Heart Association approved) It must be the certification for healthcare providers.

C. Personal health insurance (Husson University or private)

D. Fingerprinting with CHRC approval through the Maine State Department of Education.

E. Criminal Background check to be provided by an approved source to be identified by the School of Occupational Therapy; we are currently using Castle Branch.

F. E-Learning (HIPAA, OSHA) Modules on Castle Branch.

G. SOT Covid-19 Acknowledgement Form and training videos.  

It is the policy of the Husson University School of Occupational Therapy to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified students with a disability so they can meet these essential requirements in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disability Act of 1990.  Whether or not a requested accommodation is reasonable will be determined on an individual basis.