Coursework/curriculum

Students who successfully complete all the requirements for this 100% online, post-professional program will earn a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree. 

Credit Hours Required

A total of 36 credit hours is required to complete the degree. The program allows for degree completion in five continuous semesters; semesters are composed of two 7-week sessions (see curriculum, below).

Course Sequence

Students in Binghamton’s Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy program can complete the program in five consecutive semesters, as outlined below.

TERM 1 — FALL

Course Number	Course Title	Credits
OCT Z702	Ethics and Analytical Reasoning (weeks 1-7)	3
OCT Z703	Justice: Health Disparities and Health Equities in the Practice of Occupational Therapy (weeks 9-15)	3
OCT Z720	OTD Seminar I: Explore Capstone Project (15 weeks with 1-week break)	1

TERM 2 — SPRING

Course Number	Course Title	Credits
OCT Z704	Evaluation of Occupational Therapy Theory and Clinical Research (weeks 1-7)	3
OCT Z705	Health Promotion and Health Advocacy (weeks 9-15)	3
OCT Z721	OTD Seminar II: Create Capstone Project (15 weeks with 1-week break)	1

TERM 3 — SUMMER

Course Number	Course Title	Credits
OCT Z710	Evidenced-Based Practice in Translational Science (weeks 1-7)	3
OCT Z711	Outcomes Measurement and Assessment: Individual, Community, Society Part A (weeks 8-14)	3
OCT Z722	OTD Seminar III: Assess Capstone Project (14 weeks)	1

TERM 4 — FALL

Course Number	Course Title	Credits
OCT Z706	Advanced Leadership in Innovative Practice (weeks 1-7)	3
OCT Z712	Outcomes Measurement and Assessment: Individual, Community, Society Part B (weeks 9-15)	3
OCT Z723	OTD Seminar IV: Clinical Reasoning (15 weeks with 1-week break)	1

TERM 5 — SPRING

Course Number	Course Title	Credits
OCT Z707	Teaching and Learning Theory and Practice in Occupational Therapy Classroom (weeks 1-7)	4
OCT Z724	OTD Capstone Project Dissemination (weeks 9-15)	4

Total required credits for program completion: 36

Course Descriptions

• OCT Z702 - Ethics & Analytical Reasoning

  OCT Z702: ETHICS AND ANALYTICAL REASONING This course provides students with a practical problem-solving approach to ethical dimensions of inter- professional practice. Students apply previously learned ethics foundations, approaches, and decision- making models to critically analyze ethical challenges encountered in today's professional practice environment. Active learning pedagogies prepare students for their role as moral agents, addressing inter-professional ethical considerations in delivering healthcare and formulating health policy, programs, and services. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. Weeks 1-7. 3 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z703 - Health Disparities & Equities

  OCT Z703: JUSTICE: HEALTH DISPARITIES & HEALTH EQUITIES IN THE PRACTICE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY The course will examine current models of and perspectives on disability and the influence on social policy. The course will take a careful and focused look on the history of disability policy in the US and the ways in which social, medical and universal models are manifested in current health and social service delivery systems. Implicit in the course is the examination of cultural values and assumptions about the nature of health, disability and quality of life. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. Weeks 9-15. 3 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z704 - Eval of OT Theory & Research

  OCT Z704: EVALUATION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY THEORY AND CLINICAL RESEARCH The students will learn to think critically about the ways that they use theories and models in their clinical practice to guide and to assess their interventions. The course will focus on the examination of the distinction between models of function and disablement and analyze how to effect and monitor change. There will be an effort to develop an appreciation for how theories and scientific discovery are selected to inform practice and to explain chosen interventions. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. Weeks 1-7. 3 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z705 - Health Promotion & Advocacy

  OCT Z705: HEALTH PROMOTION AND HEALTH ADVOCACY This course examines community health, wellness, and education practices for groups, communities, and populations. Key concepts in health promotion, prevention, and wellness for quality of life and population-based approaches will be emphasized. Students are prepared with interprofessional community practice skills, including needs assessment and program planning and evaluation in conjunction with an actual community site or agency. This course includes service learning in the community. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. Weeks 9-15. 3 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z706 - Advanced Leadership & Pract

  OCT Z706: ADVANCED LEADERSHIP IN INNOVATIVE PRACTICE This course will prepare the OTD student with advanced skills in leadership development. Emphasis will be on community program development, advocacy (political action), and administrative initiatives in a changing healthcare environment. In this course the student will identify their own personal leadership style, which will serve as a guide in developing a professional development and leadership plan. This course will also provide the student with an understanding of the process to set up occupational therapy services in traditional settings, community-based environments, and in non-traditional settings. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. Weeks 1-7. 3 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z707 - Teaching Theory & Practice

  OCT Z707: TEACHING AND LEARNING THEORY AND PRACTICE IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY CLASSROOM This course serves to prepare students to develop effective teaching techniques and strategies that are needed in several clinical and academic contexts. The course will address the identification of instructional settings in the students’ practice arena, the impact of ethical, legal and economic factors in the educational process along with in-depth review of the various teaching platforms now in use. Determination of effective teaching strategies informed by the principles of learning and the assessment of learner’s stages of development will be examined. Students will be taught how to write measurable learning/behavioral objectives and to problem solve how to facilitate motivation to learn and to improve upon learning compliance. Students will design and deliver a formal learning module for a specific group of learners of their choosing. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. Weeks 1-7. 4 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z710 - Evidenced-Based Practice

  OCT Z710: EVIDENCED BASED PRACTICE IN TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE This course introduces students to principles of evidence-based practice in the continuum of translational science. Students learn to evaluate clinical literature, determine the level of evidence and appraise the feasibility of applying the concepts into everyday practice. Students will have the opportunity to participate in data collection and data interpretation for levels of evidence to obtain the needed knowledge and skills for clinical effectiveness. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. Weeks 1-7. 3 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z711 - Outcomes Meas. & Assmt Part A

  OCT Z711: OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT AND ASSESSMENT: INDIVIDUAL, COMMUNITY & SOCIETY, PART A This first of a two-part course addresses the methods used to quantitatively assess outcomes with a specific focus on individual clients. The methods include client surveys, performance-based assessments, continuous performance monitoring and single-subject and case group subject designs. This course will prepare the student to identify and/or create appropriate methods to assess individual client results for the evaluation plan required in the OTD Capstone Project. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. Weeks 8-14. 3 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z712 - Outcomes Meas. & Assmt Part B

  OCT Z712: OUTCOMES MEASUREMENT AND ASSESSMENT: INDIVIDUAL, COMMUNITY & SOCIETY, PART B This second course in the two-part course series will examine literature-based examples of program evaluations addressing community and society in the students’ areas of practice to make determinations of their suitability and applicability. Both the qualitative and quantitative methods for systematic evaluation and methods of monitoring will be reviewed to provide the student with the needed foundation knowledge and skills to complete an evaluation plan required for the OTD Capstone Project. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format and who have completed OCT 711. Weeks 9-15. 3 credits Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z720 - Seminar I: Explore Capstone

  OCT Z720: OTD SEMINAR I: EXPLORE CAPSTONE PROJECT In this seminar series addressing the development of the Capstone Project, students will explore populations and contexts of interest for their potential to seek change or develop advanced practice for their OTD capstone project. Students will learn how to discover the state of the knowledge and begin to establish parameters for a literature review of the population. Discussion will focus on barriers and facilitators to the identified population such as but not limited to ethics, policies, geography, or culture. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program and is offered exclusively on-line in the synchronous format. 15 weeks with one-week break. 1 credit Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z721 - Seminar II: Create Capstone

  OCT Z721: OTD SEMINAR II: CREATE CAPSTONE PROJECT In this seminar series addressing the development of the Capstone Project In this seminar, students will identify a theory and/or conceptual practice model that will inform the reasoning along with known scientific evidence on how to address a targeted area of inquiry and population identified for their OTD Capstone Project. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format and who have completed OCT 720. 15 weeks with one-week break. 1 credit Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z722 - Seminar III: Assess Capstone

  OCT Z722: OTD SEMINAR III: ASSESS CAPSTONE PROJECT In this seminar series addressing the development of the Capstone Project, students will create an outcome-based assessment plan to document the quality or quantity of improvement of their OTD Capstone Project that is suited to the level of individual, community or society programming. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format and who have completed OCT 721. 1 credit Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z723 - Seminar IV Clinical Reasoning

  OCT Z723: OTD SEMINAR III: CLINICAL REASONING In this seminar series addressing the development of the Capstone Project, students will combine all aspects of their scholarly project into multiple modes of dissemination: written, oral/multimedia, peer- reviewed presentation or publication. Students will complete a comprehensive dissemination and implementation plan that fits with their project to address strategies to assist with practice and reasoned practice decisions that informs their presenting outcomes. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format and who have completed OCT 722. 15 weeks with one-week break. 1 credit Levels: Graduate

• OCT Z724 - Capstone Dissemination

  OCT Z724: OTD CAPSTONE PROJECT DISSEMINATION In this course students complete their culminating doctoral project and prepare a final version of their proposal that is suitable for professional dissemination about the findings from their scholarly work, relating theory to practice and demonstrating synthesis of advanced knowledge. The students present their doctoral project and discuss findings in an on campus, inter-professional forum address the impact of their Capstone Project on practice. The course is limited to students in the OTD Post-Professional program exclusively on-line in the synchronous format and who have completed OCT 701-723. Weeks 9-15. 4 credits Levels: Graduate