Department of Occupational Therapy
Health Sciences 101
(216) 687-3567
https://health.csuohio.edu/occupational-therapy
Beth Ekelman, Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy, Graduate Program Director

Introduction

Occupational Therapy, which began in 1917, is a health field that focuses on individuals’ ability to do their everyday occupations in self-care, work, and leisure (such as dressing, homemaking, working, and recreating). Its goal is to help people achieve their own unique, desired lifestyles. It requires getting to know individuals personally, understanding their goals, and identifying creative ways to allow them to reach their desired levels of independence and productivity. This work is highly personal and creative. In addition to working directly with clients, occupational therapists often consult with others important to the client about adapting the client’s lifestyle or environment. Occupational Therapists also design programs for themselves or others to implement, they speak on behalf of clients and their families, and they participate in research.

Cleveland State University’s entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program 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. 

Students must complete a minimum of 103 credits, which includes 24 weeks (940 hours) of full-time fieldwork and a doctoral capstone in order to be eligible to sit for the national certification examination and to apply for state licensure. To allow for continuity of academic and clinical learning, students must complete Level II fieldwork and capstone requirements within 24 months following completion of the didactic portion of the program unless they have written permission from the program director to extend the timeline.

The certifying body for occupational therapists is the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) (www.nbcot.org).

Note: A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or to attain state licensure.

Faculty Research

The Occupational Therapy Program faculty has an outstanding record of research and publications.

Current faculty information can be located on the Cleveland State University Faculty Profile page.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of graduate assistantships may be available to full-time students for the second year of the Program. Assistantships are stipend only. Assistants may be involved in departmental projects or work with individual faculty on specific teaching endeavors. Contact the Department of Occupational Therapy at (216) 687-3567 or via e-mail at ot@csuohio.edu for more details.

Admission Information

Admission to the program is limited to 45 students each Fall. Applications are available electronically through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application System (OTCAS) on or around July 18th of the year prior to admission. All applications, transcripts, and other documents or test scores required to apply must be submitted electronically through OTCAS no later than October 1st of the year prior to admission.

Admission Criteria

Students must have:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
2. An overall grade-point average of at least 3.0 or a score at the 50th percentile or above in each area of the GRE (test scores within 5 years will be accepted).
3. A minimum GPA of 3.0 in prerequisite courses, with at least two of the natural science prerequisites, and at least 4 of the 8 required courses (or their equivalent) completed prior to the application deadline.
4. Non-native English speakers must demonstrate proof of English-language proficiency. See Admission to the College of Graduate Studies for applicable policies and procedures.

Application Procedures

Students must submit an application to the OTD Program through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Process (OTCAS). Click here to begin application to the CSU OTD Program.

All transcripts, application fees, the program application including the program specific essay, official GRE Test scores if using to satisfy the overall GPA requirement, and other documents required to complete the OTCAS application must be submitted directly to OTCAS by the application deadline.

Once students are accepted into the OTD Program, the College of Graduate Studies will then consider the student’s application for final approval of admission to Cleveland State University.

Students must complete all 8 required prerequisite courses (or their equivalent) with a grade of C or better by the end of the summer semester of the year of application.

Fifteen students who have graduated or are scheduled to graduate from the pre-occupational therapy track of the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Program at Cleveland State University before the Fall start date of the OTD Program will be selected competitively prior to acceptance of all other applicants.

Occupational therapists treat individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Our goal is to admit academically qualified students who embrace, respect, and represent individual differences. Our students should be able to interact effectively with those from diverse backgrounds, as represented in our local Cleveland community.

We encourage persons to apply who are Certified OT Assistants, veterans, dependents of veterans, and/or who qualify as meeting one or more of the economic or environmental Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) indicators identified on the OTCAS application.  Examples of HRSA indicators are that the applicant is economically disadvantaged, a first generation college student, a participant of an academic enrichment program funded by the Health Careers Opportunity Program, or their primary language is not English.

Although not mandatory, it is strongly recommended that applicants volunteer and/or work under the direct supervision of an occupational therapist in at least two areas of practice prior to enrollment in our program. 

Required Prerequisites

Pathology (HSC 381, if taken at Cleveland State). Introduction to medical diagnosis and treatment, covering basic concepts and nomenclature of pathology, major diseases of body systems, epidemiology, biopsychosocial concepts, pharmacology, infectious disease, cellular injury, tissue repair, neoplasia, genetic disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, nervous system disorders, and psychiatric disorders.

Physiology with lab (HSC 422 and HSC 450 or BIO 422 and BIO 423 or BIO 266/267 and BIO 268/269, if taken at Cleveland State). Human physiology is recommended.

Human Anatomy (HSC 475 and HSC 457, if taken at Cleveland State). Human cadaver dissection or prosection is recommended. Please note that BIO 266/267 and BIO 268/269 (Anatomy and Physiology I and II) do not satisfy this prerequisite.

Neurosciences with lab (HSC 476 and 478, if taken at Cleveland State). Study of structure and function of human central and peripheral nervous systems, including vascular components and special senses. Please note that a Neuropsychology course does not satisfy this prerequisite.

Lifespan (PSY 223, if taken at Cleveland State). Examination of human development from infancy to old age.

Abnormal Psychology (PSY 345, if taken at Cleveland State). Survey of major psychological disorders and their classification, etiology, and management.

Social Science Statistics (PSY 317 or STA 347, if taken at Cleveland State). Content should include inferential statistics used in analyzing and interpreting data in the social sciences OR

Social Science Statistics (PSY 217 or STA 147 or STA 145, if taken at Cleveland State) and Research Methods (HSC 484, if taken at Cleveland State). Statistics content should include descriptive statistics in analyzing and interpreting data in social sciences and rules of probability. Research methods content should include examination of the methods of inquiry in health sciences, including quantitative and qualitative methods for gathering and analyzing data, and critiquing and interpreting research and theory, design, and basic statistics involved in survey and experimental research.

Medical Terminology (HSC 203, if taken at Cleveland State). Evidence of completion of medical terminology course or self-study.