Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy, PP-OTD
Department Chair: Marian Gillard, Ph.D. OTR/L, FAOTA
Post-Professional Program Director: Barbara Doucet, PhD, OTR
Director of Administrative Affairs: Lori McNamara
Overview
The Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy program of study provides meaningful, obtainable, and affordable post professional education to licensed occupational therapists. The Program is offered through an online format and can be completed in sixteen months.
The program is structured to facilitate the student’s personal and professional development, to encourage change and adaptation, and to ensure the mastery of the discipline through advanced coursework including development as leaders and advanced scholarly practitioners in occupational therapy. Coursework is organized to prepare students to identify client’s potential or actual occupational needs and to intervene with a client-centered, evidence-based approach. Student completion of the doctoral capstone project is designed to strengthen the integration of evidence and practice. Students graduate as doctoral-level practice-scholars with the capacity to transform occupational therapy practice and to teach in the discipline.
The curriculum promotes synthesis of professional trends, occupational science, and technologies that support health and participation. Students are required to complete 30 credits of Occupational Therapy courses including the doctoral capstone series and 6 advanced practice courses focused on developing hybrid teaching and learning skills for the healthcare clinic and classroom.
Mission
To prepare practice scholars, educational innovators, and professional leaders who utilize clinically meaningful research in the implementation of best practice to meet the changing demands of the Occupational Therapy profession.
Admission Requirements
The PP-OTD program is designed for qualified individuals who wish to further their academic studies in occupational therapy. Students accepted into the PP-OTD Program must meet the following criteria. All applicants will:
- Provide a current and valid license to practice occupational therapy in one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or US Virgin Islands. This license must be in good standing.
- Submit an online application.
- Submit official transcripts from an entry-level, accredited occupational therapy program at the master’s level.
- Submit a CV/resume.
- Submit 2-3 letters of recommendation.
- Submit an application essay or personal statement expressing the student’s professional goals and reasons for pursuing a PP-OTD degree with Baylor University.
Applicants for whom English is not a primary language must take either the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo exam.
Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of relevant evidence, diagnostic considerations, and regulations that inform and guide best practice in the identified practice area.
- Implement instructional design and teaching and learning principles to provide occupational therapy education in the healthcare clinic or classroom while demonstrating cultural relevance; knowledge of current occupational therapy practice; integrating available evidence; and leveraging occupation-based theoretical perspectives.
- Identify ethical implications associated with the delivery of client-centered and student-centered services and articulate a process for navigating through fiscal, regulatory, scope of practice, or organizational issues.
- Promote services for individuals, populations, or institutions in the identified practice area through education or advocacy activities.
- Demonstrate a commitment to scholarly practice and research through lifelong learning and critical inquiry.
Post-Professional OTD Courses
Courses are structured to guide the student’s personal and professional growth, to encourage change and adaptation, and to ensure the mastery of the discipline through synthesis of theory and research.
Occupational Therapy Core Courses
Seven core courses (17 credit hours) promote synthesis of evidence-based practice, professional trends, occupational science, and technologies that support health and participation in life.
Doctoral Capstone Projects
Three doctoral capstone courses (7 credit hours) guide the student through completion of a scholarly capstone project that reflects synthesis of knowledge, reflective practice, and skills developed during post professional studies to demonstrate in-depth knowledge in a practice area that relates to the student’s professional goals. Capstone projects are a faculty-mentored experience that may be completed either individually or in project teams.
Advanced Practice Courses
Three advanced practice courses (6 credits) develop the student’s teaching skills for the healthcare clinic or classroom with a focus on incorporating digital technologies in hybrid learning environments.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Post-Professional OT Core | ||
| OTD 6310 | Advances in Occupational Therapy Practice | 3 |
| OTD 6210 | Evidence-Based Practice | 2 |
| OTD 6320 | Occupational Therapy Conceptual Foundations | 3 |
| OTD 6220 | Professional Development and Leadership | 2 |
| OTD 6230 | Teaching and Educational Theory in Occupational Therapy | 2 |
| OTD 6330 | Clinical Reasoning: Forms of Inquiry in Advanced Practice | 3 |
| OTD 6240 | Program Evaluation & Development | 2 |
| Doctoral Capstone | ||
| OTD 6340 | Doctoral Capstone 1 | 3 |
| OTD 6272 | Doctoral Capstone II | 2 |
| OTD 6280 | Doctoral Capstone III | 2 |
| Advanced Practice | ||
| OTD 6196 | Hybrid Learning in the Healthcare Clinic and Classroom | 1 |
| OTD 6298 | Hybrid Teaching Strategies for the Healthcare Clinic and Classroom | 2 |
| OTD 6396 | Developing Hybrid Teaching Skills for the Healthcare Clinic and Classroom | 3 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Certificate in Hybrid Teaching for the Occupational Therapy Practitioner
Admissions
- All applicants must provide a copy of a current and valid license to practice occupational therapy in the US, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands.
- All applicants must have completed an entry-level, accredited occupational therapy program at the bachelor's level or higher
- Applicants must provide official transcript(s) from the degree-conferring institution(s). Transcript(s) must be submitted to Baylor University directly from the issuing institution(s).
- Applicants must provide a current CV/Resume.
- Applicants for whom English is not a primary language must take the TOEFL and submit the test scores.
Requirements for the Certificate in Hybrid Teaching for the Occupational Therapy Practitioner
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| OTD 6230 | Teaching and Educational Theory in Occupational Therapy | 2 |
| OTD 6196 | Hybrid Learning in the Healthcare Clinic and Classroom | 1 |
| OTD 6298 | Hybrid Teaching Strategies for the Healthcare Clinic and Classroom | 2 |
| OTD 6396 | Developing Hybrid Teaching Skills for the Healthcare Clinic and Classroom | 3 |
| OTD 6220 | Professional Development and Leadership | 2 |
| Total Hours | 10 | |