I recently chose to continue my occupational therapy (OT) education and pursue my post-professional doctorate degree. For those of you who are not aware, there are a variety of different ways to become an occupational therapy practitioner (OTP). For those looking to be a certified occupational therapist assistant (COTA), two and four year entry level degrees are available. For those looking to be an occupational therapy (OTR), there are entry level masters (MSOT) and doctorate (OTD) degrees. By signing their name with OTR/L, the therapist is indicated that they are registered with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and licensed to practice in the state(s) of their choosing. Of course, you can also choose to pursue any of these degrees post-professionally as well. OTPs also often get degrees in other areas such as doctor of education degrees or other PhDs. There are degrees in things like assistive technology and other specialties that OTPs can complete outside of and in addition to the above “traditional” OT degrees.
A little bit on my background: out of high school, I enrolled in a 5 year combined bachelors/masters program at Misericordia University in northeastern Pennsylvania. After working for a few years, I enrolled in a post-professional doctorate program (PPOTD) at Elizabethtown College. I completed this degree online. My experience is detailed in the blog below!
Doctorate vs. Masters
There are many factors to consider when you are deciding between OT degrees. Here are a few that seem top of mind for me:
- Cost vs. Salary
- Time [length/format of the programs]
- Experience [outside of and within the program]
- Future goals
- Your interests [in research, academia, etc.]
Less schooling typically requires less funding. However, this is not always the case. Some employers will pay for continuing your education [like mine!], so keep that in mind. The same way, typically you will be in school for less time if you aren’t working towards the highest degree. However, with entry level programs now going all the way up to the doctorate level, this may also not be true. I completed my OTD program while working full time in a school based setting. Because of this, the program took me longer than if I would have completed more than one course at a time. If you are interested in teaching at the collegiate level on day, you almost always need to have a degree above [or the same degree as] the level of students you would be teaching. To be tenured faculty, some universities require a PhD [even beyond an OTD]. It is very institution-specific, but definitely something to keep in mind. You will [likely] be required to complete a capstone project in a doctorate program that will either consist of program development and/or research. Most masters programs also include a research project component, however, sometimes clinicians prefer to dive deeper into a specific area of their practice during their post-professional OTD program.
OT Potential has a really great summary of the difference between these two OT degrees in this blog.
Steps to getting an OTD
Programs are vastly different since PPOTD programs are not required to follow ACOTE standards, there can be quite a variety. In general you will need to:
- Research programs
- Apply to a program [may include a fee, application with an essay, etc.]
- Complete course work [number of credits varies] online or in person
- Decide on a capstone project [program development or research] with a capstone mentor
- Complete and present your capstone project
- Graduate & celebrate!
How long does it take?
While programs vary widely, I would estimate that [if you are working and looking to do a PPOTD part time], it would take 1-3 years. In my program, there were “tracks” or certificate programs that could be taken separately from the OTD [or as part of it!]. I took two certificates and applied those courses to my final OTD degree. This helped me to pace out the program to meet my schedule/needs and not feel “locked in” when I wasn’t sure about getting the OTD initially. Each program is unique and has it’s own focuses/strengths. Shop around to see what might work best for you!
Programs to Look Into
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) website is the best place to look for programs near you! Remember: there are online program options, so you may not need to live geographically near the program that you enroll in!
Best of luck as you pursue your degree!
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