Key Information about the OTD Program Components
Course Work
- Needs to correspond with your areas of identified immersion (education, advanced practice, leadership/management).
- Selections negotiated with your advisor.
- Includes required and elective courses.
Advanced Practicum
- Minimum of 4 credits.
- Can be done in clinical setting, leadership/management, education or applied research/evidence-based practice.
- Requires 3 -12 months of lead-time, depending on whether a UIC placement agreement is already in place.
Field exam
- Typically done when all course work and practicums are complete or anticipated completion of majority of coursework.
- Must be completed prior to the project defense.
- The exam is three questions negotiated with committee to represent advanced knowledge & skills.
- Written portion of the exam must be defended orally in front of the student’s committee.
Project
- Focus is negotiated with advisor and committee, represents 12 credits of work.
- Proposal must be defended orally in front of your committee before you formally begin implementing. Can only take a maximum of 4 credits to prepare proposal before proposal defense.; all other credits taken after proposal defense.
- Project must be defended to your committee.