UWM Undergraduate Catalog 2008-09 College of Health Sciences Occupational Studies

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Occupational therapy is a profession with a unique focus on occupation and daily life activities. It promotes full participation in life roles as an active member of a community. Persons with or without disabilities can benefit from occupational therapy intervention to gain meaning and purpose in their daily lives.

There is increasing evidence that engagement in these occupational routines results in enhanced health, well-being and life satisfaction. Occupational therapists work with occupational therapy assistants, health and medical personnel, educational personnel, social service and mental health personnel, architects, industry, and, most importantly, service recipients and their families.

Occupational therapy education programs are accredited at the post-baccalaureate degree level. Students must complete the B.S./M.S. program and graduate with their MS in Occupational Therapy to be eligible for the National Board for Certification in OT (NBCOT) certification examination.

Admission. The application for admission to the professional program at the undergraduate level is available at the Student Affairs Office in Merrill Hall, Room 115, and the CHS website (www.uwm.edu/chs). Students with bachelor's degrees in other areas are welcome and encouraged to contact advising for credit evaluation.

An overall GPA of 2.75 is required for prerequisite courses taken during the pre-professional years to be considered eligible for admission. The admission GPA is computed at the end of the spring semester of application to the professional program. All GER requirements must be completed prior to admission to the professional program. The Admissions Committee will consider academic criteria when making decisions regarding student admissions to the professional program. Upon admission to the occupational therapy major, students must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA, a 2.75 semester GPA, and a grade of C or better in all professional level occupational therapy courses. Students may repeat a professional level course only one time. Students are strongly encouraged to maintain a 3.0 or better GPA in the undergraduate professional program. Prior to fieldwork, students will be required to comply with a background check. Application to the MS portion of the professional curriculum is required at the start of the final undergraduate semester.

The UWM Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. ACOTE's telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA (2682). Graduates of the master's program who complete Level II fieldwork successfully may sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice. State licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Candidates for the NBCOT Certification Examination will be asked to answer questions related to the topic of felonies when applying for the exam. For further information on these limitations and other certification requirements, contact NBCOT at www.nbcot.org or The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, the Eugene B. Casey Building, 800 S. Frederick Avenue, Suite 200, Gaithersberg, MD 20877-4150 (301) 990-7979. A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Course of Study in the B.S. Portion of the OT Program. The program is divided into the pre-professional program and professional program. The B.S. portion of the program requires 128 credits for graduation. All students admitted to the professional program must satisfy University-wide General Education Requirements (except second degree candidates who are exempt). English and mathematics competency must be satisfied before June 1 of the year of application to the professional program for all students, except second-degree candidates.

The semesters of the professional years must be taken in sequence beginning in September of each year. Summer school between the first and second year in the professional program is required. Completion of a master's degree that includes six months of fieldwork, occurring in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, and community placements, is required to be eligible to sit for the national certification exam to become a registered occupational therapist.

Pre-professional Curriculum for Occupational Therapy Majors

Biological Sciences

Physics

Health Care Administration

Occupational Therapy

Therapeutic Recreation

Human Movement Sciences

Psychology

Philosophy

Admission GPA is computed at the end of the Spring Semester for all applicants to the OT professional program based on all courses listed above. Overall minimum admission GPA of 2.75 is required for all applicants.

Occupational Therapy

With 128 credits required to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy, students need to take responsibility to complete all required courses, GER requirements, and elective credits, a number of which are available in the Occupational Therapy program.

OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES BACHELOR OF SCIENCE PROGRAM

*This course may be taken in place of TherRec 202 or used as an elective.  

PROFESSIONAL CURRICULUM

Courses

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Occupational Therapy

Web Home Pages:
[ College of Health Sciences ]
[ Occupational Therapy ]

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University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Undergraduate Catalog 2008-09:
Occupational Therapy
[ College of Health Sciences ]
[ Schools and Colleges ]
[ Contents | How to Use This Book | Calendar | Index ]
[ Admission | Registration | Financial Information | Academic Information ]
[ Administration | About UWM | Academic Opportunities | Campus Resources ]

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Last update: April 2007. --- URL: http://www.uwm.edu/ugbulletin/SC/D_AH_OT.html
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