Occupational Therapy (M.S.)

This program is offered in-person at the Durham campus.

The entry-level Master of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy (OT) degree is for students who have completed a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in any field with a 3.0 GPA or higher. The MS degree in occupational therapy prepares you for a rewarding career helping people of all ages live life to the fullest. Occupational therapists work with individuals to build or restore the skills they need for everyday living whether that means returning to work after an injury, adapting to life after a stroke, or supporting a child’s participation in school and play. Our accredited MS program combines hands-on learning, clinical experience, and strong professional mentorship to prepare you for this in-demand and growing field. You’ll learn to evaluate and treat clients using meaningful daily activities or “occupations” to promote health, independence, and well-being.

The program includes two years of coursework (including one summer and one January term) and fieldwork experiences. Most classes will be scheduled during weekdays during the day and into early evening. Some courses require experiential, off-campus learning experiences. Students are responsible for meeting the health and criminal record/background clearances established by the off-campus learning sites.

Students are eligible to take the National Board Certification Examination in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam within three years after graduation. A felony conviction may affect your ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination and/or obtain state licensure.

The Occupational Therapy Master's Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Ave. Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel. 301- 652-6611, Website: www.acoteonline.org.

Admission Requirements

Students hoping to apply to the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at UNH should complete their application through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS) website. When applying through OTCAS please use your UNH email address if you were a previous UNH student. Requirements include:

• Completion of a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in any field with a 3.0 GPA or higher
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
• Transcript(s)
• Personal Statement/Essay
• Resume
• Completion of prerequisite, credit-bearing courses

Prerequisite Courses

• Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II (2 courses, both with required labs)
• Neuroanatomy (lab preferred)
• Clinical Kinesiology (lab preferred)
• Statistics
• Abnormal Psychology
• Medical Terminology
• Human Development
• Research Methods

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores Webpage for more information.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete at least 62-63 graduate-level credits, including 19 credits of fieldwork.

In order to be awarded a MS in Occupational Therapy from UNH, students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 and earn a minimum of B- in all required occupational therapy courses, and may not earn more than 8 credits of B- in OT courses (700 level or above). Students must also pass all competency (practical) exams as part of OT courses, pass all level I fieldwork requirements and receive a passing criterion score on the American Occupational Therapy Association Fieldwork Performance Evaluation for the Occupational Therapist in both 12-week Level II fieldwork experiences.

Sample Degree Plan

This sample degree plan serves as a general guide; students collaborate with their academic advisor to develop a personalized degree plan to meet their academic goals and program requirements.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate professional attitudes and behaviors in their work and interactions with clients, and others with whom they work. Our graduates will be dedicated to ethical, client-driven, OT practice, demonstrating integrity, honesty, compassion, and fairness. They will demonstrate respect for all clients with whom they work, which is grounded in an appreciation and consideration of individual priorities and life experience. Our graduates will be life-long learners, and innovative thinkers committed to ongoing professional development, and state-of-the-art, evidence-based practices. They will be able to collaborate well with other professionals as committed team players and have a solid understanding of the many roles and expertise of other professionals with whom they commonly work, along with clarity of their roles as occupational therapists. They will aspire to and be prepared to assume leadership roles in their professional lives as practitioners, researchers, advocates, and educators.
• Understand that engagement in meaningful occupations is essential to one’s health and well-being, and be prepared and committed to promote occupation-based occupational therapy practice. Our curriculum emphasizes the idea that engagement in everyday activities to fulfill social roles and give meaning to life is essential to the development, adaptation, and well being of individuals, societies and populations. Our graduates are ready and committed to apply occupation-based evaluation and intervention techniques, and to share and expand authentic occupational therapy practices.
• Be competent entry-level OT practitioners across diverse practice settings, skilled in the delivery occupation–based evaluation and intervention techniques. Our graduates will have developed critical thinking skills, and the capacity for high-level clinical reasoning preparing them to deliver client-centered, occupation-based, services in traditional and emerging practice areas. Graduates will know a variety of evaluation methods for understanding a person’s occupational history, abilities, challenges and goals. They will apply occupation-based intervention approaches, and assistive technologies to address the needs of individuals, and populations in traditional and emerging medical, education, and other community-based practice arenas.
• Apply evidence-based practices in their work. Our graduates will be skilled in identifying and interpreting relevant research and other data sources for delivering evidence-based, clinical services for promoting occupational participation and life satisfaction. Furthermore, they will have research skills for contributing to the body of knowledge that supports and advances occupational science, and occupational therapy.
• Demonstrate skills necessary to advance occupational justice so that all persons can fully participate in desired occupations. Our graduates will apply critical thinking skills, ethics, policy, and awareness of the context in which occupational therapy may be of benefit, to help advance the OT profession’s goal of meeting the occupational needs of individuals, populations and societies. Our graduates will also be able to generate new ideas to support and promote occupational justice for individuals, populations, and societies.

Occupational Therapy (M.S.)

Location/Delivery: College of Health and Human Service, Durham Campus [In Person Program]

This program is designed to prepare graduates for professional licensure/certification as follows:

Registered Occupational Therapist

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Certification Examination

The University of New Hampshire has determined this program meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in:¹
Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Federated States of Micronesia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Additional information and related resources are available on the Office of the Registrar's website.

¹

State specific post-education requirements are subject to change. Students are responsible for confirming these requirements in their state of residence and intended practice.