The faculty and staff of St. Bonaventure University, the DePerro School of Health Professions, and the MSOT program are dedicated to promoting and ensuring positive student outcomes.

Outcome data (number of graduates, retention rate, graduation rate, NBCOT exam results) are updated annually in mid-spring. NBCOT exam results are also available at the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy website: https://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.

* The first cohort of MSOT students graduated in 2023.

Graduates of the program are 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 typically based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.

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

Cost/value

• Same expected entry-level salary regardless of degree path: master’s (MSOT) or doctorate (OTD).
• Reduced level of student loan debt
• Increased lifetime salary and benefits due to earlier entry into practice

Time

• Completion of your degree at least one year sooner.
• The accrediting body for Occupational Therapy programs has mandated that master’s degree programs must be designed to be completed in no more than two years and doctorate programs must be designed to be completed in no more than three to four years.

   

Entry-level readiness

• Same clinical skills developed regardless of degree path.
• The salary is the same for all entry-level occupational therapists regardless of degree.

Potential for transition to doctoral degree

• Entry-level OTs with an MSOT degree explore areas of interest, opportunities, and career paths within their first years of practice. This allows them to make informed decisions about their pursuit of a doctorate.
• OTs may choose a post-professional OTD to strengthen and advance their clinical skills in their area of interest, or pursue a research degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.) to advance their careers in research and/or teaching.
• This time ensures that the resources invested in a doctorate align with each individual’s career goals and passions.

We will accomplish our mission by:

• educating and preparing students to become practitioners who function effectively and efficiently in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse, multidisciplinary health care environment;
• conducting research directed toward generating new knowledge and understanding to improve occupational therapy practice;
• developing researchers and scientists to create new knowledge and understanding, which will enhance treatment and practice;
• developing new and strengthening existing collaborative relationships with health care providers, private sector industries and other organizations which enrich student learning, support current research, and improve the design and delivery of occupational therapy services;
• disseminating new knowledge and understanding to occupational therapy practitioners, other healthcare providers and organizations committed to improving life conditions for clients and their families;
• disseminating knowledge about disability and rehabilitation to promote overall health and well-being within the local rural and global community; and
• influencing health policy to improve overall individual and community health and well-being. 
  

Our work is guided by our belief that:

Health is a global concern that impacts communities and populations, not only individual well-being, and thus the Occupational Therapy program must embrace a global perspective in its education and training of future practitioners and scholars;

Individuals live their lives in diverse sociopolitical, economic and cultural environments, and thus the Occupational Therapy program must prepare practitioners with the knowledge, capacity and confidence to meet the needs of diverse communities at the level of individual therapeutic interactions and community-level interventions alike;

Major changes in society have been brought by new computing and information technologies that must be used as tools, in tandem with problem-solving and clinical reasoning skills, in an effort to address occupational problems that impede function in everyday life; and

Changes in the world impact the rehabilitation professions and occupational therapy practice, and thus the Occupational Therapy curriculum must prepare its graduates to step beyond the role of clinician, to assume a variety of leadership roles in clinical practice, scholarship, and teaching, as well as in the profession, community and government.

Our expectation is that SBU Occupational Therapy graduates will be known for their commitment to and demonstration of the following:

• Practice that is holistic and client-centered, as well as evidence- and occupation-based;
• Advanced skills in clinical reasoning, assessment and intervention;
• Leadership, advocacy and professional innovation and compassion;
• Lifelong learning; and
• Professional and ethical behavior.
  

Our expectation is that St. Bonaventure University Occupational Therapy graduates will be known for their commitment to and demonstration of our Franciscan Values through:

• practice that is holistic and client-centered, as well as evidence- and occupation-based
• advanced skills in clinical reasoning, assessment and intervention
• leadership, advocacy and professional innovation
• lifelong learning
• professional and ethical behavior