Entry-level doctor of occupational therapy earns accreditation
In December 2024, the entry-level doctor of occupational therapy (E-OTD) program was granted initial accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy Association. The decision is another indicator of success for the program, which is currently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the third best occupational therapy graduate program in the nation.
“UIC’s outstanding E-OTD program is the result of a faculty-wide effort,” said Liz Peterson, E-OTD program director and clinical professor, “and the exceptional expertise of the faculty is reflected in all aspects, from the admissions process to the doctoral capstone.”
In fall 2016, OT faculty voted to establish E-OTD as a replacement for the entry-level MS in occupational therapy, responding to changes in accreditation standards, increased complexity of occupational therapy practice and better adherence to the principles of a Research 1 university. After years of work developing the program, the inaugural cohort of E-OTD students will graduate in 2025.
Though E-OTD is new, UIC has one of the country’s oldest programs for professional education in occupational therapy. The original degree, established in 1943 within the College of Medicine, was a BS that led to certification and licensure for graduates. In 1996, the department began offering a master's degree, allowing students with a bachelor’s degree in another discipline to be certified in occupational therapy. In 1999, the last class was admitted to UIC’s bachelor’s occupational therapy program.
The E-OTD curriculum is made up of 38 required courses, for a total of 110 credits at the 600 level. The curriculum features a series of professional development and leadership courses, evidence-based practice courses and innovative “block” courses, which typically meet 12 hours per week. Longer class sessions allow for a variety of active learning experiences, such as the use of standardized patients and problem-based learning to build students’ clinical reasoning skills and ability to make practice decisions in real-time.
In the third year of the E-OTD program, students devote their efforts to doctoral capstone work. The E-OTD class of 2025 began their 14-week capstone experiences in January, working in community-based, clinical and academic settings. Each project is unique, representing the intersection of a student’s interest, the needs of the capstone site and the faculty advisor’s expertise.
“It would not be possible to realize many of the curricular goals of the E-OTD program without the clinical and community-based partnerships that have been built through years of collaboration,” Peterson said. “In addition to making exciting Level I and Level II fieldwork and capstone opportunities possible, these partnerships facilitate the involvement of consumers, their advocates and health care professionals in many classroom-based courses.”
Graduates of the program will be prepared for a variety of occupational therapy careers — as direct care providers, consultants, educators, managers or researchers. In addition to helping people live better with injury, illness or disability, occupational therapists increasingly work in areas of health promotion and disability or injury prevention. Above all, E-OTD graduates will be prepared to address the physical, psychological, social and cognitive aspects of well-being in all of a patient’s environments: home, work, school or in the community.