Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Virtual Information Session

Gannon's post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (ppOTD) program invites interested candidates to learn more about the program's enrollment requirements, curriculum, and outcomes at upcoming virtual information sessions. Dr. Blair Carsone, the ppOTD Program Director, will be giving a short presentation and answering any questions. We look forward to meeting with you!

• Tuesday, April 2nd at 7pm

Program Overview

The mission of the Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program is to enable occupational therapists in any practice area to develop roles and skills beyond that of the therapist-clinician. Our program supports their development toward practitioner scholars who can translate knowledge, including cross-disciplinary theories and research, into practice, and who are capable of serving as change agents in new and expanded arenas within and external to the field of occupational therapy.

The post-professional OTD curriculum is designed to prepare practicing occupational therapists to become advanced practitioners capable of serving as evidence-based leaders. The capstone component is an integral part of the program. It is designed to develop occupational therapists with advanced knowledge/skills in one of the following eight areas: research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, or theory development.

Quick Facts

DEGREE AWARDED: Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD)

ADMIT TERM: Summer

NUMBER OF CREDITS: 34

TUITION: $825/credit ($14,025/Year) (no additional fees)

LENGTH OF PROGRAM: 2 years; flexible options may be available upon request

MODALITY: ONLINE, no residency requirement

PLAN OF STUDY: Part-time

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis

WHERE TO APPLY:

http://apply.gannon.edu

• Flexible, online learning environment designed for the practicing clinician in today's field.
• Curriculum that allows the opportunity to develop a personalized capstone process that tailors the program to the individual goals and expectations of the clinician.

Curriculum

The Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate is a doctoral degree which is awarded upon the successful completion of the following 34 credits:

Summer I
PPOTD 900 Applied Research in Clinical Practice (3)
PPOTD 902 Advanced Occupations  (3)
Total: 6

Fall I

PPOTD-911, OT in Community Health and Wellness (2)
PPOTD-915, Capstone Project Development (3)
Total: 5

Spring I

PPOTD-920, Expanded Models of Practice for OT (3)
PPOTD-925, Capstone Project Proposal  (3)
Total: 5

Summer II

PPOTD-930, Advanced Leadership and Ethics (2)
PPOTD-935, Reasoning & Evidenced Based Practice (3)
Total: 6

Fall II
PPOTD-940, Analysis of Policy and Change in OT (3)
PPOTD-945, Teaching in Practice and Community (3)
Total: 6

Spring II

PPOTD-950, Entrepreneurship for the OT Professional (3)
PPOTD-960, Capstone Project (3)
Total: 6

Total Credits: 34

Alumni Success

Marie Johnson, OTR , Assistant Vice President of Rehabilitation Services
Erie County Medical Center

"Yesterday I attended a strategic planning session for the hospital where I work. I thought I would bring a copy of the OTPF and the WHO document we received in our first semester course. A lot of time was spent presenting the hospital’s current statistics on finances, programs and challenges. Then a speaker with a PhD from Harvard presented trends and challenges in healthcare. So much of the information presented was familiar to me from the OTD program.  Leading health indicators, population health, and health disparities were discussed. Local data was presented on the quickly growing segment of people over the age of 65, the high poverty rate, educational disparities, and how all of this impacts the future of value-based healthcare. I have to say that I was already aware of the language, and the local statistics due to a project I worked on in my second semester on Meals on Wheels of WNY.  Additionally, the Affordable Care Act was discussed at a very basic level, and I felt like I already had a baseline level of knowledge about that information too. It is not that I needed to know this information, but I felt so much better informed.  A year ago, this would have all been foreign to me. I was on the edge of my seat thinking about the big picture and a year ago I would have been more likely trying to understand the individual statistics, concepts and what they represent. It was another personal fulfilling moment in my educational journey."

Marie Johnson, OTR

State Authorization

View Gannon's State Authorization for more information on SARA and state authorization. Have a complaint about a distance education program or courses? Read the state contact information document to learn more about filing a complaint.

Student Success

Gannon's Online Engagement Coordinator facilitates our online new student orientations, implements strategies to ensure that online students are active in their online courses, and provides general online student support through a variety of high-touch methods to engage students and support student retention efforts. Gannon online students can reach out with general questions about online learning or how to remotely access Gannon's comprehensive student services.