Arkansas State University is competitive. We will admit no more than 30 students per year into the program for a three year matriculation sequence.

Applicants will complete all documents and submit them to the OTD Chair for review by the Admissions Committee. Application to the Graduate School and acceptance is required prior to OTD program admission.  All application materials must be sent to: 

Arkansas State University-Jonesboro
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Program Director
Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program
PO Box 910
State University, AR 72467

To be considered as an applicant, all applications must be completed and submitted by:  February 1st.

Students will be notified by both an emailed letter and paper letter of their status by:  March 31.

Applicants not admitted during the current admission period are eligible to reapply in the next review period.

 In order to be eligible for application to the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, the following requirements must be met, in addition to admission to the Graduate School at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro:

• Earned a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited University or College.
• Official transcripts from ALL post-high school institutions
• Completed program prerequisites with a minimum of  a “C” grade on all courses.
• Earned a prerequisite and cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all college work.
• Meet English proficiency requirements, if foreign born.
• Three letters of recommendation

 Students admitted to any College of Nursing and Health Professions  program must meet professional course requirements stated in the A-State Graduate Bulletin. 

Evidence of the following is required before registering for any professional fieldwork:

1. CPR certification valid through the academic year
2. TB skin tests valid through the academic year
3. Evidence of Hepatitis B immunization or signed declination statement
4. Copy of valid health insurance
5. Copy of professional liability insurance
6. Background check

Prerequisite Courses

IMPORTANT: Satisfactory completion with a letter grade of C or higher in all prerequisite courses AND a 3.0 prerequisite GPA on a 4.0 scale are required for admission to the OTD program.

• Medical Terminology (3 credits)
• Anatomy & Physiology I (4 credits - Must include lab)
• Anatomy & Physiology II (4 credits - Must include lab)
• Applied or General Physics (4 credits - Must include lab)
• Applied Statistics (3 credits)
• General Psychology (3 credits)
• Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
• Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)

*NOTE: The GRE is not required to apply.

The OTD program is a lock-step program. Students must maintain satisfactory grades in each semester; otherwise the student can be placed on probation or dismissed from the program. The OTD Program requires timely completion of the all degree requirements, including all didactic coursework, Level II Fieldwork rotations, Entry Level Competency Exam, Level III Fieldwork: Doctoral Rotation, and Capstone project. Students have up to 24 months after completion of the didactic coursework to complete both Level II Fieldwork rotations and the Doctoral Rotation experience with Capstone project. Timely completion of the program is monitored by the student and his/her faculty advisor using the OTD Program Graduation Check Sheet. In addition to academic standards outlined by Arkansas State University, the Department of Occupational Therapy has specific academic policies and procedures. To progress in the professional curriculum, students must:

1. maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all Occupational Therapy Program courses,
2. receive grades of C or better in all professional courses,
3. maintain academic integrity and professional behavior in classroom, laboratory, any fieldwork sites visited, and in the community,
4. maintain the standards of affiliating fieldwork facilities, and
5. exhibit effective behaviors consistent with the Professional Behavior Expectations and AOTA Code of Ethics.

Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Fieldwork Requirements


The curriculum includes four (4) Level I fieldworks, allowing the student to acquire 40 hours of clinical experience in each of the following areas: pediatrics, psychosocial aging adults, and interprofessional practice. The Level 1 fieldworks support students’ integration of learned information to applied clinical contexts.  Fieldwork assignments are designed to foster students in developing clinical reasoning skills and to develop knowledge about the principles of occupation. Level I. experiences are integral to the curriculum design and include direct observation and participation in selected aspects of care.  Level I experiences may relate to occupational therapy service delivery, or they may be under the supervision of related professionals in emerging practice areas.

The curriculum also includes 2 Level II fieldworks that afford students with 12 weeks of clinical experiences. The Level II Fieldwork is designed to facilitate the student’s personal and professional development. The integration and application of clinical reasoning and practical skills will be required in both of the Level II. experiences, during which students will provide occupational therapy services to a range of  individuals. The fieldwork experiences are provided at approved facilities with supervision to meets professional accreditations standards. Students are responsible for all aspects of the occupational therapy process during the Level II. experiences.

 The Level III fieldwork is called the doctoral rotation and affords students with experiential learning through: Clinical practice; research, theory; leadership; program development; policy development; advocacy; and education. The doctorate rotation is a minimum of 16 weeks or 640 hours and must occur under the supervision of a mentor with expertise in the area of practice.  Prior fieldwork or work experience may not be substituted for the experiential component.  This fieldwork experience may not occur at a place the student is employed. 

Students are responsible for all fieldwork expenses.

The student must successfully complete all coursework and Level II fieldwork and pass a pre-NBCOT competency practice examination requirement prior to the commencement of the doctoral experiential component.

Advanced Knowledge through Experiential Activities and a Culminating Project

The curriculum includes the OTD 726V Level III Fieldwork:  Doctoral Rotation and the corresponding OTD 7272 Capstone. OTD 726V provides experiential learning and students complete a scholarly project called the Scholarship of Application through the capstone. The Scholarship of Application will reflect the learned experiences from the applied Level III Doctoral Rotation. These courses are built upon above-generalist content provided to students throughout the curriculum to prepare them for the doctoral expectations of: The development of a proposal with appropriate design and rationale; implementation of the study; analysis of the study data; interpretation of findings; communication of findings in a professional forum.

To graduate from the program, students must achieve a final grade of 75% or higher on all didactic courses and they must pass the Level I, II and III components of the curriculum.

Curriculum Design

The occupational therapy curriculum design can be conceptualized in three major domains:  Core Knowledge, Occupation, and Leadership.  The domains can be further separated into five threads of knowledge. These threads correspond to the distinguished features of the curriculum and identified as: Foundational Sciences, Lifespan Development, Fundamental Skills, Evidenced-Based Practice, and Professionalism. The domains and streams (i.e. threads) are operationalized as follows:

Curricular Domains

Core Knowledge: Knowledge that serves to support students in the advancement of knowledge about foundational sciences, evidenced-based practice and the development of the human across the lifespan (lifespan development), which are identified as program streams/threads. Prior to entering the program, students are required to have specific pre-requisites and a liberal arts bachelor’s degree. Prerequisite courses were selected to strengthen the student’s scientific knowledge of body function/body structure relationships and to support students in the advancement of knowledge of the domain Client Factors operationalized in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (AOTA, 2014). The professional program advances this knowledge through the stream foundational sciences, evidenced-based practice, fundamental skills, professionalism and lifespan development .

Occupation: Knowledge that serves to support students’ in the understanding, application and creation of concepts, interventions, and products that reflect the unique perspective of occupation in the life of a human being.

Leadership: Knowledge that supports students in the influence or representation of the profession, healthcare policy and management, enterprise, advocation, and innovation.

Curriculum Streams

Foundational Sciences: This stream represents a broad foundation in liberal arts and sciences and includes pre-requisite courses. Upon matriculation into the OTD program, this stream represents information that supports students in the development of scientific knowledge about body functions/body structures and OT theories.

Fundamental Skills: This stream represents information that supports students in the development and utilization of practical skills and strategies supportive of the OT Process.

Evidence–Based Practice: This stream represents information about evidenced-based informational resources, methods and measurements.

Lifespan Development:  This stream represents information about human development and behavior and includes information about practice settings/life stages, evidenced-based practices and the impact of various contexts and health conditions on development and behavior. Lifespan is organized across the curriculum as follows: pediatrics (birth-10 years), adolescence (10-19 years), adulthood (20-64), and aging adulthood (65-death).

Professionalism: This stream develops students’ knowledge of the culture of occupational therapy practice from a national, international and regional perspective and expands students’ interprofessional knowledge through cognates with other students from other disciplines. Students learn about professional ethics, practice scope, licensure rules and regulations and the importance of lifelong learning. The professionalism stream is emphasized during Fieldwork experiences.

Curriculum Design: Conceptual Model

The conceptual visual for the curriculum design is crafted in the likeness of rivers, streams, and creeks that run through the Delta Region.  The rivers represent the domains, the streams represent the primary threads found within a specific course and the creeks represent information that develops into streams with progression through the curriculum. Similar to running water, the curriculum dynamically moves to first emphasize core knowledge, then occupation and then engagement. However, all domains remain active throughout the curriculum to maintain comprehensive and balanced learning opportunities. With program matriculation, some streams move into creeks, creeks move into streams and some rivers become prominent while others less. As students progress into Level II Fieldworks all domains and streams serve to influence learning because students will call upon learned knowledge to support the experiential learning that takes place in clinical and community-based settings. Overall, the water represents occupation flowing through a region. Just as the land shapes the flow of water, we believe the dynamic interaction of physical, social, spiritual temporal, cultural and psychological dimensions of existence shape the course of human life.  As each river has its own course, we believe the healthy day-to-day life is organized around structure and routine. As waterways flow and disperse throughout the land; likewise, our students will be self -directed, self -motivated, and establish their own rhythm of daily life occupation.  They will utilize their energy, creativity, and knowledge to maximize the quality of life of individuals, families and societies in the Delta Region and beyond.

Organization of Coursework

Curriculum Summary Semester 1: Students begin the first semester of their professional education expanding upon their core knowledge through information from the foundational sciences stream where students consider and analyze the biological influences to health conditions and/or experienced disability through OTD 7213 Movement Science and OTD 7113 Gross Anatomy and OTD 5023 Pathology and Disability. Students are introduced to the science supportive of occupational therapy in OTD 5012 History of OT Science and OTD 5092 Research I: Occupational Science. Students are introduced to evidenced based-practice in OTD 5092 Research I: Occupational Science where they learn about core concepts essential to the review of a research paper that informs practice. Students are introduced to the unique meaning of occupation in OTD 5012 History of OT Science and the development of occupation-based theories and methods in OTD 5092 Research I: Occupational Science. They learn about specific instrumentation methods used to measure physical abilities in OTD 5043 Technology and Skills Training and begin to develop knowledge about the unique culture of occupational therapy through the professionalism stream (OTD 5012). Students are introduced to leadership through OTD 5043 where they teach OTA students about the tools and methods used in the clinic to support physical rehabilitation.

Organizational Summary Semester 2:  The second semester fully engages students in two bodies of knowledge: occupation and core knowledge. Core knowledge continues to develop through the foundational sciences as students learn about the cellular, molecular and structural aspects of the brain in OTD 7224 Neuroscience. Because Neuroscience is a theoretical basis for occupational therapy, this course is allotted 4 credit hours to allow students more time to learn about complex and dynamic mind/body connections that serve as a foundation to the profession. The additional hour in the Neuroscience course enables students to work in problem-based learning teams that work to identify the relationship between a neurological condition, occupation and perceived wellness. Core knowledge expands into the OTD 5074 Practice I. Pediatrics course where students learn about the developing child from experienced pediatric experts. Knowledge is expanded upon in the course OTD 5142 Research II Descriptive Research where students learn how to translate observations into measurable form, implement surveys and use research methods to support evidenced-based practice. Students take their first cognate course, which expands upon their core knowledge in one of three cognate areas: Behavioral, Leadership and Policy, and Educator. The curriculum emphasizes occupation as students move into the first of five practice courses (I-V). Practice courses reflect the “relevant drivers of change” outlined in the AOTA centennial vision (AOTA, 2003). Practice courses are organized around the human lifespan (aging), psychosocial factors and population health to provide students with information from instructors with expertise in the particular area (pediatrics, adolescents and adulthood, aging adult, psychosocial, population health) supportive of the course. The occupation domain grows larger through the practice courses where students develop knowledge about occupation-based theories, measurement methods, evidenced-based intervention methods and the influence of occupation on the individual, group and population. This information compliments students’ first Level I Fieldwork (OTD 5201 Level I: Pediatrics), which is concentrated in pediatrics to support the integration of classroom and applied knowledge. Additionally, students learn about commonly used treatment methods (development, compensation, preparatory methods etc.), task analysis, therapeutic use of self and other clinical applications through OTD 5183 Fundamentals of OT I. This is the first of a series of four (I-IV) Fundamentals courses developed to support students in the application of theoretical knowledge through the development of clinical skills. The occupation domain also serves as a cornerstone to the OTD 7224 Neuroscience course because students learn about the neuroscience supportive of everyday living. The OTD 5142 course enables students to learn about the influence of occupation through a personal perspective with occupation-based tools to support a one-on-one interview with an individual living with disability in the Northeast Arkansas region. This process along with the fieldwork experience supports students in the development of professional identify. The development of leadership continues with OTD 7224 where students work together around a problem-based learning assignment about the neuroscience of occupation and present the team’s synthesis of findings at the end of the semester.

Organizational Summary Semester 3: During the third semester, the students participate in service learning developed to facilitate the expansion of knowledge, the application of occupation-based principles, the administration and interpretation of assessments and the utilization of observational skills.. The third semester marks a gradual emphasis in the curriculum from core knowledge and occupation to that of scholarship through the integration of core knowledge, occupation and leadership.  Core knowledge continues to be developed as students take the second practice course OTD 5173 Practice II: Adolescents and Adulthood where they learn about the science associated with the life stage adolescents and early-middle adulthood. Students will learn about hormonal changes and the influence of neurochemistry on the development of the adolescent and the adult. They will also learn about research principles and apply knowledge through the creation of a study proposal and the application of statistical analysis for the purposes of informing clinical practice in OTD 6182 Research III: Experimental Research. Knowledge about Occupation continues to expand through OTD 5173 as students advance their understanding of occupation-based theories and practices that support adolescents and adults in achieving optimal occupational performance. In OTD 6182 students learn about the use of outcomes to inform occupational therapy treatments and they integrate observations from the service-learning assignment to develop mock studies designed to improve occupational performance. Skill development in the area of leadership and advocacy continues as the students participate in service learning supported through OTD 5283 Fundamentals of OT II.  They consider the scope of occupational therapy through the professionalism stream in OTD 5173. Students gain confidence through Leadership during the service learning experiences jointly developed through the courses OTD 5283 and OTD 6182. Participation in service learning necessitates leadership skills and provides students with ample opportunities to reflect upon the role of OT in advocacy and non-traditional settings (occupation), develop critical thinking skills about the development of empirical questions (core knowledge) and dynamically interact in non-structured learning environment (leadership).

Organizational Summary Semester 4:  To prepare students for the upcoming Level IIs (in semester 6 and 7), the fourth semester incorporates information from the professionalism stream throughout the curriculum.  Students’ Core Knowledge about interprofessionalism expands with the second cognate focused in one of three areas: Behavioral, Leadership and Policy, and Educator. In OTD 6164 Practice III: Aging Adult, the students are introduced to the science and life stages associated with the aging process. In OTD 6222 Research IV: Mixed Methods Research students articulate their capstone question and write a scholarly theoretical paper, Scholarship Through Integration, which supports their culminating doctorate project, The Scholarship of Application. Students develop clinical competencies during two level Is: OTD 5151 Level I Fieldwork: Psychosocial and OTD 6191 Level I Fieldwork: Aging Adult. The occupation domain continues to be emphasized with the OTD 6164 Practice III: Aging Adult course where students learn about occupation-based theories through the foundational sciences stream and the application of knowledge through the OT Process through the lifespan development stream and consider the role of the occupational therapist through the professional stream. Students continue to expand upon their repertoire of clinical skills with OTD 6183 Fundamentals of OT III where they learn about the modification of the environment to support occupation and policies and procedures important to follow when making modifications. This dynamic learning experience serves to integrate leadership and knowledge about occupation. The OTD 5151 Level I Fieldwork: Psychosocial moves students from traditional settings to settings where OT services have not existed. This experience serves to develop students’ leadership skills as they teach clients and healthcare professionals about the impact of occupational therapy on psychosocial factors and outcomes and demonstrate professionalism to individuals in the North East Arkansas region. The course OTD 6191 Level I: Aging Adult supports students in the application of knowledge develop through OTD 6164.

Organizational Summary Semester 5: Semester five marks the final semester prior to students beginning their first level II fieldwork experiences. Accordingly, the curriculum equally represents the three domains core knowledge, occupation and leadership with coursework strongly informed through the professionalism stream. The OTD 6231 Level I Fieldwork: Interprofessional Practice expands students’ knowledge about the scope of occupational therapy and other professions and develop leadership skills as they articulate the unique contribution occupational therapy can make to the individual experiencing barriers to occupation and participation. Students also learn about the science that underlies psychosocial balance and imbalance with OTD 6103 Practice IV Psychosocial where they explore the DSM-V, occupation-based theories, group dynamics and the varied roles of the occupational therapist who serves to support clients experiencing psychosocial imbalance experience well-being, participation and improved quality-of-life. Students will be expected to demonstrate leadership as they engage with other professionals in other fields during OTD 6231 and apply knowledge about psychosocial factors that impact clients during OTD 6103. Students continue to learn fundamentals skills in the last fundamentals course (with OTD 6283 Fundamentals of OT IV) during which they will be expected to integrate and demonstrate clinical skills learned from prior fundamentals courses. In preparation for Level II experiences and future practice, students will develop professional knowledge about state licensure and National board regulations and processes in the OTD 6243 Professional Practice Seminar. Additionally, students will develop goals for the upcoming OTD 726V Doctoral Rotation (semester 9) and develop a timeline to establish level III placements. Finally, students will articulate their knowledge about occupation and the role of occupational therapists with 1:1 interview with OTD faculty. This interview is a re-assessment and will be compared to baseline knowledge measured during the first semester course OTD 5012 History of OT Science.

Organizational Summary Semesters 6 and 7: Level II Fieldwork experience creates the ultimate experiential learning as students participate in two (OTD 625V and OTD 720V) twelve-week (totaling 24 weeks) fieldwork experiences in traditional and/or emerging practice areas. Both Level II Fieldwork experiences require students to  complete reflective assignments that emphasize the three domains core knowledge, occupation and leadership while drawing from and expanding on their knowledge from the five streams foundational sciences, lifespan development, fundamental skills, evidenced-based practice and professionalism. Both level II Fieldworks expose students to at least two practice areas per fieldwork experience. In all settings, psychosocial factors influencing engagement in occupation are identified and integrated for the development of client-centered, meaningful, occupation-based outcomes. 

At the end of the seventh semester, students are required to demonstrate entry-level OT Practice skills competency by passing an NBCOT practice exam. Students progress to the coursework in semester 8, which focuses on further advancing the knowledge and skills beyond the entry level practitioner after successful completion of the competency exam.

Organizational Summary Semester 8: Following the two Level II experiences that took place semester 6 and semester 7, semester eight purposefully reintegrates the students into the classroom to build upon the learning experienced during level II experiences to develop knowledge in advanced topics relevant to healthcare. Additionally, semester 8 prepares students to move into the ninth semester during which their learning will culminate through a capstone project, The Scholarship of Application, and a level III fieldwork experience that reflects their cognate coursework. Accordingly, the semester 8 curriculum emphasizes all the integration of the three domains core knowledge, occupation and leadership. This organization reflects the maturation of the student from matriculation into a program where the development of knowledge was emphasized to the development of the critical-thinking skills necessary to independently create and lead evidenced-based practices. During semester 8, Core knowledge continues to develop through the final cognate course and the final practice course (OTD 7223 Practice V: Population Health) where students expand upon person-centered learning to consider interprofessional influences and contexts that influence the health and wellness of populations. Students expand upon knowledge to consider the micro- and macro-healthcare systems and services available to clients through OTD 7252 Healthcare Delivery. They move from the development of new knowledge to leadership and occupation through the course OTD 7242 Program Development and Assessment where they apply knowledge to conduct a needs assessment and develop an occupation-based program or treatment in an identified area of interest.  The culmination of core knowledge, leadership and occupation takes place through the course OTD 7222: Research V: Scholarship of Application where students explore funding options, develop an evidenced-based library and synthesize evidence findings to support the development of the occupation-based program or treatment developed in OTD 7242. This work creates a foundation for the upcoming (semester 9) capstone project. Prior to complete of OTD 7242, students will submit their IRB protocol and complete research training modules to support ethical research investigation.

Organizational Summary Semester 9: The ninth semester culminates students’ learning experiences through the synthesis of knowledge, leadership and occupation and the integration of curriculum streams as students engage in the OTD 726V Level III Fieldwork: Doctoral Rotation and the OTD 7272 Capstone project. The level III experience builds upon prior cognate coursework while the capstone projects serves to synthesize program outcomes including the utilization and creation of evidenced-based and occupation-based practices and the demonstration of leadership and advocacy skills. 

The curriculum has also been designed to meet all university levels guidelines and requirements. 

References:

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2014). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(Suppl. 1), S1–S48. doi:10.5014/ajot.2014.682006

Yerxa, E. J. (1998).  Occupation:  The keystone of a curriculum for a self-defined profession.  American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 52, 365–372.

Curriculum and degree requirements can be found in the most current Graduate Bulletin.

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Occupational therapy is one of the most in demand professions in the United States. Arkansas projects a 20% increase in an already high need within the next ten years. The number of programs in the field has, like many health professions, expanded to accommodate the increased number of individuals who experience significant challenge in regards to achieving life balance that supports health, wellness and quality of life.  Yet the state of Arkansas has only one Master’s level program to meet the regional workforce and social needs. Doctorate-level graduates are educated to competently meet the needs of current practice settings, and to skillfully move into emerging practice areas. Current practice settings and emerging practice areas include:

• Psychosocial treatments for individuals experiencing:
  • Mild to moderate cognitive loss.
  • Behaviors harmful to the individual’s health, development and overall quality of life.
  • Family-based needs.
  • Transitional support following divorce, death of a loved one, change in health status, change in locations.
  • Mental health symptoms.
  • Moderate to severe cognitive change due to progressive neurological conditions.
• Functional cognition.
• Aging in place.
•  Home and environmental adaptations.
• Work and job placement with accommodations reflective of need.
• Coaching to support socialization for individuals maturing into adolescence and young adulthood with disabilities.
• Preventive health for adults with chronic diseases who live in rural locations.
• Coaching for career transitions.
• Traditional pediatric, adult, aging adult occupational therapy services.
• Community mobility including driving evaluations.
• Low vision services.

The A-State entry-level doctoral degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. For more information please contact ACOTE by phone at (301) 652-AOTA or visit www.acoteonline.org. 

Graduates will be eligible to 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 an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

The OTD program is a lock-step program. Students must maintain satisfactory grades in each semester; otherwise the student can be placed on probation or dismissed from the program. The OTD Program requires timely completion of the all degree requirements, including all didactic coursework, Level II Fieldwork rotations, Entry Level Competency Exam, Level III Fieldwork: Doctoral Rotation, and Capstone project. Students have up to 24 months after completion of the didactic coursework to complete both Level II Fieldwork rotations and the Doctoral Rotation experience with Capstone project. Timely completion of the program is monitored by the student and his/her faculty advisor using the OTD Program Graduation Check Sheet. In addition to academic standards outlined by Arkansas State University, the Department of Occupational Therapy has specific academic policies and procedures. To progress in the professional curriculum, students must: 

1. maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all Occupational Therapy Program courses,

2. receive grades of C or better in all professional courses,

3. maintain academic integrity and professional behavior in classroom, laboratory, any fieldwork sites visited, and in the community,

4. maintain the standards of affiliating fieldwork facilities, and

5. exhibit affective behaviors consistent with the Professional Behavior Expectations and AOTA Code of Ethics.

When is application due date?

February 1st

When will I be notified of status?

March 31

What if I miss the application deadline?

Please contact the Department Chair. However, there are only 30 slots available, and all candidates who submitted their application on time will be considered as a priority. Each class is expected to be filled with the applicant pool.

What is reviewed in the admission packet?

• Earned Bachelor’s Degree
• Pre-requisite coursework
• GPA and overall grades
• Cumulative GPA
•  Additional preparation in advanced coursework
• Three preprofessional evaluations
• English proficiency (if foreign born)
• Leadership through service  

Can I go part-time?

No, not at this time.

Can I work while I attending the program?

The program is considered full time, and is very demanding. Due to the rigor of the education, we strongly advise you not to work. In addition to in class lectures, some of the assignments are completed in the community, some with peers, and some with other students from different degree programs. Employment while enrolled in the program may lead to poor academic performance and could result in failure and eventual dismissal from the program.

What fieldwork expenses should I plan for?

You should plan to provide your own transportation, lodging, food, and general living expenses. You will have 4 Level I fieldworks (40 hours each), 2 Level II fieldworks (12 weeks) and one Level III fieldwork (16 weeks). You may do at least 2 if not all of these fieldworks outside of the Jonesboro area.

How is an entry-level doctorate program different from a masters-level program?

Both the occupational therapy doctorate program and the master level occupational therapy program are points of entry into the profession of occupational therapy. Both forms of education are accredited by ACOTE. Both degree levels prepare entry-level occupational therapy generalists. The doctoral degree graduates professionals with above-generalist level knowledge and advanced skills that support their work in emerging practice areas as well as current practice settings.

What major should I pick as an undergraduate student preparing for a degree in occupational therapy?

There is no one degree required, but all pre-requisite courses must be completed. Some of the degrees that our students earn include: Psychology, Biology, Physics, Sociology, and Education. No preference is given to students with these specific degrees.

What is the accreditation status?

The Arkansas State entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Pre-Accreditation Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to 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 an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Organizational Memberships

American Occupational Therapy Association membership is strongly encouraged at an approximate cost of $75 per year. 

Health Insurance

The University offers each student the opportunity to purchase an accident and hospitalization insurance policy as part of a group consisting of A-State students and students enrolled in other universities across the state. Membership in the group is voluntary. Application forms are available through the website located at http://www.astate.edu/a/student-health-center/index.dot.  Health insurance is required during fieldwork educational experiences. 

Physical Exam and Immunizations

Fieldwork education agreements require specific immunizations and an annual physical examination.  Costs for these procedures vary and are available through the A-State Student Health Center.  Price information is available at http://www.astate.edu/a/student-health-center/index.dot.  TB mask fitting has been $25.  Immunizations may also be obtained through the Craighead County Health Department.

Fieldwork Education

You are responsible for living expenses, transportation, and tuition while on all fieldwork education experiences.  The fee for the fieldwork education assessment tool is approximately $50.00.  Additional information will be provided by the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator.

Other Expenses

Other costs associated with the program may include but, are not limited to: composite class photograph ($75), A-State OT polo shirt ($80), graduation fees ($85), SOTA Membership ($10).