Cathy Shanholtz,  OTD, M.Ed., OTR/L, CLA, Program Director, OTD Program 
Division Director for the Division of Occupational Therapy

Shenandoah University’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate is designed to prepare entry-level occupational therapy practitioners.  The program is delivered in hybrid format with much of the didactic content delivered online. This learning model requires students to think critically and act professionally in independent, interpersonal and community-based problem-solving experiences.  During the first six semesters, students attend classes on campus one day per week as well as engage in experiential learning an additional weekday. The final three semesters include full-time engagement in fieldwork and capstone experiential learning as a required component of the doctoral curriculum.  Graduates of this program enter the field as reflective, skilled and compassionate occupational therapists, serving a diverse range of patient populations in a variety of health care and community-based settings.

Occupational Therapy Program  

The Occupational Therapy Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6611 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, 301-652-6611, email: accred@aota.org, website:  https://acoteonline.org/. AOTA’s phone number is (301) 652-AOTA. Graduates are eligible to apply for the NBCOT Certification Examination for Occupational Therapist Registered OTR®. Graduates must answer each of the following questions on the examination application:

• Have you ever been charged with or convicted of a felony?
• Have you ever had any professional license, registration or certification revoked, suspended or subject to probationary conditions by a regulatory authority or certification board?
• Have you ever been found by any court, administrative or disciplinary proceeding to have committed negligence, malpractice, recklessness or willful or intentional misconduct, which resulted in harm to another?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” the candidate must submit documentation to NBCOT’s Regulatory Affairs Department, (phone: 301-990-7979, email: info@nbcot.org, address: One Bank Street Suite 300 Gaithersburg, MD 20878), which will determine eligibility. Upon passing the examination, occupational therapists are able to use the trademark OTR.

Graduation from an accredited professional program, passing the NBCOT Certification Examination and freedom from felonies and other legal infractions are the qualifications for licensure or registration to practice in most states. Students must check with specific states for laws regarding the right to practice.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements include: a 3.0 grade point average, a bachelor’s degree, completion of prerequisite courses with minimum grade of “C,” a writing sample and two references from two of these three people: a licensed occupational therapist OTR (not an assistant), a professor or an employer. In addition, applicants must supply documented evidence of a minimum of 40 hours of observation under qualified occupational therapists in practice. For additional information, check the website at www.su.edu/ot.

Applications must be completed through the OTCAS system and qualified applicants will be contacted for onsite interviews with faculty.

Criminal Background Checks

Prior to beginning health professional courses, a student is required to authorize and submit to a criminal background check, including sex offenses and crimes against minors and fingerprinting. Some students may also be expected to submit to random drug testing required by clinical practice sites. Non-compliance with the criminal background checks and/or drug testing policies may be cause for dismissal from the program. See Academic Policies section for details

Degree Requirements

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) requires a minimum of 107 credit hours of occupational therapy courses for graduation. Students must begin coursework in the fall semester of the year they gained acceptance into the program. Full-time students must progress through the program within four years including fieldwork. Progression is based on the following: satisfactory completion of all course prerequisites before beginning coursework each semester; completion of all coursework with grades of “C” or better; maintenance of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average (GPA); satisfactory evaluation on Professional Development Plans in each semester of the curriculum; payment of all university tuition and fees; maintenance of health, clinical safety and security requirements, including CPR, physical examinations and criminal background checks.

Students who receive grades of “D” or “F” in a course are not permitted to take any new courses in the program and are placed on academic probation until all required work has been successfully completed. Courses may be repeated only once. Failure to successfully complete the designated requirements within two semesters results in termination from the program. Students who receive grades of “D” or “F” in more than two courses are dismissed from the program.

OT 851  and OT 852  are full-time fieldwork experiences completed during normal working days and hours. Either fieldwork may be repeated once. Students who fail Level Two Fieldwork more than one time are dismissed from the program. All admitted students are required to review the SUDOT Fieldwork Handbook regarding specific policies.

In addition to policies and procedures of the university as identified in this catalog and the Student Handbook, occupational therapy students are responsible for reading, understanding, and implementing the policies and procedures found in the Division of Occupational Therapy Student Handbook.

Students are required to take all the following courses. 

Semester/Season	Credits	Course #	Course Title
Semester 1 - Summer	3 Credits	OT 700	Foundations of Occupational Therapy
Semester 1- Summer	1 Credit	OT 701	Experiential Learning and Professionalism
Semester 1- Summer	3 Credits	OT 702	OT Framework and Task Analysis
Semester 1 - Summer	4 Credits	OT 704	Functional Anatomy and Movement
Semester 1 - Summer	2 credits	OT 705	Research: Introduction**
	13 Credits
Semester 2 - Fall	3 Credits	OT 710	Group Dynamics
Semester 2 - Fall	1 Credit	OT 711	Level I Experience: Group Dynamics
Semester 2 - Fall	2 Credits	OT 712	Communication and Documentation**
Semester 2 - Fall	3 Credits	OT 714	Occupation & Health: Participation
Semester 2 - Fall	3 Credits	OT 715	Research: Quantitative
Semester 2 - Fall	4 Credits	OT 718	Occupational Performance: Neurological
	16 Credits
Semester 3 - Spring	3 Credits	OT 720	Devices, Technology, Accessibility
Semester 3 - Spring	1 Credit	OT 721	Level I Experience: Community
Semester 3 - Spring	2 Credits	OT 723	Theoretical Perspectives
Semester 3 - Spring	2 Credits	OT 725	Research: Qualitative
Semester 3 - Spring	3 Credits	OT 732	Occupation & Health: Service Delivery and Systems in OT
Semester 3 - Spring	2 Credits	OT 734	Occupation & Health: Population**
Semester 3 - Spring	1 credit	OT 735	Research Project: Introduction
	14 Credits
Semester 4 - Summer	3 Credits	OT 740	Assessments
Semester 4 - Summer	1 Credit	OT 741	Level I Experience: Assessments
Semester 4 - Summer	3 Credits	OT 744	Traditional and Emerging Practice Areas
Semester 4 - Summer	2 Credits	OT 745	Research Project: Design
Semester 4 - Summer	2 Credits	OT 746	Doctoral Capstone: Introduction**
	11 Credits
Semester 5 - Fall	2 Credits	OT 805	Research Project: Implementation
Semester 5 - Fall	3 Credits	OT 810	Occupational Performance: Mental Health
Semester 5 - Fall	1 Credits	OT 811	Level I Experience: Mental Health
Semester 5 - Fall	3 Credits	OT 817	Leadership and Management
Semester 5- Fall	2 Credits	OT 818	Teaching and Learning **
Semester 5 - Fall	3 Credits	OT 820	Occupational Performance: Pediatrics
Semester 5 - Fall	1 Credits	OT 821	Level I Experience: Pediatrics
	15 Credits
Semester 6 - Spring	2 Credits	OT 825	Research Project: Completion
Semester 6 - Spring	3 Credits	OT 830	Occupational Performance: Adults
Semester 6 - Spring	1 Credit	OT 831	Level I Experience: Adults
Semester 6 - Spring	3 Credits	OT 836	Professional and Scholarly Practice
Semester 6 - Spring	2 Credits	OT 837	Occupation & Health: Policy and Advocacy***
Semester 6 - Spring	3 Credits	OT 847	Doctoral Capstone: Design
	14 Credits
Semester 7- Summer	6 Credits	OT 851	Level II Fieldwork A
Semester 8- Fall	6 Credits	OT 852	Level II Fieldwork B
Semester 9- Spring	8 Credits	OT 858	Doctoral Capstone: Experience
Semester 9- Spring	3 Credits	OT 859	Doctoral Capstone: Dissemination
	11 Credits
Offered Semesters 3-7	1 credit	OT 801	Level I Experience: Specialization