Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Bridge Program

Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT)

Dean of the School of Health and Natural Sciences: Dr. Tara L. Underwood

Chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Fitness: Ms. Betsy McDaniel

Program Director, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy: Dr. Traci Swartz

 

(478) 934-3057, office

(478) 934-3418, FAX

(800) 272-7619, toll-free

Email: traci.swartz@mga.edu

 

School of Health and Natural Sciences

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

1100 Second Street, S.E.
Cochran, Georgia 31014

 

Accreditation Statement

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Bridge Program at Middle Georgia State University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. For more information, please visit the ACOTE website. 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. All graduates must pass the NBCOT® exam in order to become licensed to practice. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT® certification examination or attain state licensure.


Felony Conviction
A felony conviction may affect a student’s ability to complete Level II Fieldwork or a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT® Certification Exam and attain state licensure. All students will be required to complete a background check upon admission to the MSOT Bridge Program. If you have been convicted of a felony, you will be required to complete the Early Determination Review process with NBCOT® to determine eligibility to take the National Certification Exam and provide the MSOT Bridge Program with documentation from NBCOT® indicating that you will be eligible to take the certification exam once all other eligibility requirements are met. For more information on the Early Determination Review process, please see the NBCOT® website.

 

Mission Statement

The Middle Georgia State University Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) Program is supportive of the mission of MGA, as well as the University System of Georgia (USG), by educating lifelong learners whose scholarship and careers will enhance the region, as well as providing accessible and affordable, high-quality education in the field of occupational therapy. The MSOT Program seeks to enable individuals to create healthy and productive lives through occupational and community engagement, by producing graduates who are competent, compassionate, ethical, and reflective practitioners, and who become leaders in the field. 

 

Program Format and Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program is a rigorous full-time 2.5 year program (seven sequential semesters), including fieldwork experiences, offered in a hybrid format (online, with on-campus attendance required approximately 4-5 times per semester). The 74-hour (not including prerequisites) curriculum includes coursework in three components: foundational knowledge, courses related to the occupational therapy process, and fieldwork experience. 

 

MSOT Program Progression

All MSOT courses must be taken in sequential order, and graduate students must obtain a "B" or better in all MSOT courses. Failure to complete any course in the semester will delay progression to the next semester.  Students will be allowed a second attempt of the failed course the following year when the course is offered again. Failure of the second attempt of the course will result in dismissal from the MSOT Bridge Program. 

Core Course Requirements

*Students must hold an associate degree in occupational therapy assistant from an ACOTE accredited OTA program and be currently certified by NBCOT and licensed as an OTA. In addition, they must have completed a minimum of 84 semester equivalent credits from an institutionally accredited college or university with up to 43 of those hours being OTA courses. This program will require 4 core courses at the undergraduate level that are not traditionally included in most OTA curriculums*: MATH 1401 - Elementary Statistics, SOCI 1101 - Intro to Sociology, PSYC 3265 - Abnormal Psychology, HLSA 3000 Research Methods for Health Sciences. Note: Equivalent transfer courses may be accepted upon review.

MATH 1401Elementary Statistics

3 credits

SOCI 1101Introduction to Sociology

3 credits

PSYC 3265Abnormal Psychology

3 credits

HLSA 3000Research Methods for Health Sciences

3 credits

OTMS Semester 1 (Fall)

Students must obtain a letter grade of "B" or better in the following courses

OTMS 5000Occupational Therapy Foundations

3

OTMS 5010Clinical Kinesiology with Lab

3

OTMS 5020Clinical Pathophysiology for Occupational Therapy with Lab

3

OTMS 5110Assessment and Documentation Process

2

OTMS 5030Leadership, Ethics, and Professionalism

2

*Note: All courses must be taken in sequential order.  Graduate students must obtain a "B" or better in all OTMS courses. Failure to complete any course in Semester 1 will delay progression to the next semester.  Student's will be allowed a second attempt of the failed course the following year when it is offered again. Failure of the second attempt of the course will result in dismissal from the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Bridge Program. 

OTMS Semster 2 (Spring)

Students must obtain a letter grade of "B" or better in the following courses

OTMS 5100Occupation Based Assessment and Intervention with Lab and FW-IA: Pediatrics

7

OTMS 5120Neuroscience Foundations for Occupational Therapy with Lab

3

OTMS 5130Occupational Analysis and Performance

2

OTMS 5140Evidenced Based Practice and Research I

3

*Note: All MSOT courses must be taken in sequential order.  Graduate students must obtain a "B" or better in all MSOT courses. Failure to complete any course in the semester will delay progression to the next semester.  Students will be allowed a second attempt of the failed course the following year when it is offered again. Failure of the second attempt of the course will result in dismissal from the MSOT Bridge Program. 

OTMS Semester 3 (Summer)

Students must obtain a letter grade of "B" or better in the following courses

OTMS 5200Occupation Based Assessment and Intervention with Lab and FW-IB: Biopsychosocial Influences

5

OTMS 5210Evidence Based Practice and Research II

2

*Note: All MSOT courses must be taken in sequential order.  Graduate students must obtain a "B" or better in all MSOT courses. Failure to complete any course in the semester will delay progression to the next semester.  Students will be allowed a second attempt of the failed course the following year when it is offered again. Failure of the second attempt of the course will result in dismissal from the MSOT Bridge Program. 

OTMS Semester 4 (Fall)

Students must obtain a letter grade of "B" or better in the following courses

OTMS 5300Occupation Based Assessment and Intervention with Lab and FW-IC: Adults to Geriatrics

7

OTMS 5040Administration, Management, and Policy

2

OTMS 5340Evidence Based Practice and Research III

2

*Note: All MSOT courses must be taken in sequential order.  Graduate students must obtain a "B" or better in all MSOT courses. Failure to complete any course in the semester will delay progression to the next semester.  Students will be allowed a second attempt of the failed course the following year when it is offered again. Failure of the second attempt of the course will result in dismissal from the MSOT Bridge Program. 

OTMS Semester 5 (Spring)

Students must obtain a letter grade of "B" or better in all Level II Fieldwork courses

OTMS 5220Emerging and Nontraditional Practice

3

OTMS 5310Assistive Technology, Environmental Assessment, and Intervention

4

OTMS 5320Service Delivery and Educational Methods

2

OTMS 5330Clinical Review and Competency Testing Seminar

1

Students must successfully complete all didactic MSOT courses with a letter grade of "B" or better, complete all clinical requirements as necessary, and be in good standing with the MSOT Faculty before they will be allowed to register for Level II Fieldwork courses.  Students must successfully complete all Level II Fieldwork courses with a grade of "B" or better as determined by the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Fieldwork Educator in order to progress. Failure of a fieldwork course with a letter grade of less than "B" on the Level II Fieldwork Performance Evaluation may result in dismissal from the MSOT Program.

OTMS Semester 6 (Summer)

Students must obtain a letter grade of "B" or better in all Level II Fieldwork courses

OTMS 5400Level II Fieldwork A

9

Students must successfully complete all didactic MSOT courses with a letter grade of "B" or better, complete all clinical requirements as necessary, and be in good standing with the MSOT Faculty before they will be allowed to register for Level II Fieldwork courses.  Students must successfully complete all Level II Fieldwork courses with a grade of "B" or better as determined by the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Fieldwork Educator at the assigned site in order to progress. Failure of a fieldwork course with a letter grade of less than "B" on the Level II Fieldwork Performance Evaluation may result in dismissal from the MSOT Program.

OTMS Semester 7 (Fall)

OTMS 5402Level II Fieldwork B

9

Students must successfully complete all didactic MSOT courses with a letter grade of "B" or better, complete all clinical requirements as necessary, and be in good standing with the MSOT Faculty before they will be allowed to register for Level II Fieldwork courses.  Students must successfully complete all Level II Fieldwork courses with a grade of "B" or better as determined by the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Fieldwork Educator at the assigned site in order to progress. Failure of a fieldwork course with a letter grade of less than "B" on the Level II Fieldwork Performance Evaluation may result in dismissal from the MSOT Program.