Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)

Our condensed two-and-a-half-year curriculum allows you to enter the field faster, and our students typically receive several job offers before graduation. Because you graduate in December instead of the typical May date for other OT programs, you’ll have a head start on board exams, additional certifications, advanced training opportunities and the job market.

At Saint Joseph’s, you don’t have to wait to begin experiencing what it’s like to be an occupational therapist. You’ll have an opportunity to participate in clinical fieldwork experiences beginning your first semester, working with clients in community centers, schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and home care. You’ll complete two 12-week level II fieldwork experiences working with patients of all ages, from infants to the elderly.

Our curriculum allows you to take six OT intervention courses rather than the typical two or three offered by other OT programs. Courses are hands-on and cover:

• Contextual and rehabilitation approaches to interventions
• Developmental, psychosocial and cognitive issues
• Assistive technology

You’ll learn from and work with award-winning OT faculty who bring a wealth of knowledge from their own clinical practice and research spanning a variety of topics — from technology to social and occupational justice issues.

You will have the opportunity to publish research and collaborate with noted professors on grant-funded projects that align with your interests. Graduates have investigated topics such as:

• Aging and health
• Technology use by children with disabilities
• Upper extremity orthopedics
• Integrative medicine

Simulation and clinical labs housed inside Glasser/Woodland Hall — from a pediatric sensory lab to a home care lab — give you a taste of working in a professional health care setting

Our program emphasizes multiple ways of learning through experience, and interprofessional education (IPE) opportunities can be found as early as your first year of study. You’ll get to work with different healthcare professional students in the physical therapy, physician assistant and pharmacy programs at Saint Joseph’s, as well as with students in other academic institutions. You'll also have the opportunity to engage in international service learning projects with other health care professionals.

If you’ve already received a bachelor’s degree and have taken our prerequisite courses, you can complete the MOT program in just two years of continuous study plus a fieldwork component. You will attend class full time and complete 89 credits of coursework. You’re also required to complete two level II fieldwork courses for a total of 24 full-time equivalent weeks off site in the community after didactic coursework is completed.

Courses in the MOT program are primarily delivered onsite. The Professional Phase of the MOT program does not accept transfer credit, credit for experiential learning, or work experience for courses at any level of the program. All courses with an OTH prefix must be completed at Saint Joseph’s University. After graduating from the program, you’ll be qualified to sit for the National Certification Exam for Occupational Therapists.

Technology Competency Requirements

It is required that students have internet access and satisfactory computer skills to complete course requirements. Assignments may include online work, presentation formats, researching the literature and sending files electronically. Communication with instructors is done via email or internet meetings.

To assist with online learning throughout the program, all new incoming MOT students are required to complete the specified orientation course on the University’s learning management system.

View required courses for this program in the academic catalog. Please contact us if you have any questions about the program curriculum.

The tuition for MOT students entering fall 2024 is as follows.

• $46,665 - Year 1
• $46,665 - Year 2
• $31,110 - Year 3

*Pricing does not include room and board; health insurance; or any professional, clinical or transportation fees. Visit our Tuition & Fees page for a detailed cost breakdown. Please note that the Tuition and Fee page reflects the 2023-2024 costs, which will be changing for students beginning the program in Fall 2024.

Financial aid may be available to you to help offset the cost of your degree. Explore your options on our Financial Aid page.

Discount Eligibility

Have you completed a year or more of service with a recognized service organization? You may be eligible for our mission discount.

Alumni of Saint Joseph's are eligible to receive 10% off the cost of this program through our alumni discount.

Check with your employer to see if they are an Edcor or a Bright Horizons EdAssist member, which may entitle you to a discount on graduate programs. 

Note: discounts cannot be combined.

Additional Information Regarding Fieldwork and Experiential Learning Site Requirements for MOT Students: Students are expected to travel for fieldwork experiences and experiential learning. Costs incurred for travel, housing, tolls, food, parking, etc., are the responsibility of the student. In addition, students are responsible for health and safety requirements such as fingerprinting, which is required by most fieldwork and experiential sites.

Estimated costs for fieldwork and experiential learning site requirements

Other Costs

In addition to the school’s mandatory requirements, students may need to complete site-specific requirements such as drug screens and a personal protective equipment (PPE) fitting test. Some sites may also need you to redo your requirements before their expiration date. Therefore, you may have to complete the school’s mandatory requirements again before their expiration date. These additional requirements may cost the students up to an additional $200 yearly.

Students should be prepared for the possibility that their fieldwork site could be up to 45 miles from their housing or campus. This distance could incur expenses such as gas and toll money for each level I and level II fieldwork experience. The school’s mandatory requirements and other associated expenses can vary significantly depending on the location of the clinical sites. Students may also utilize federal or alternative educational loan funding to help with the miscellaneous costs related to the fieldwork experiences. For more detailed information, please reach out to the Financial Aid Office. However, the OT department is committed to helping students minimize these costs through all available methods.

The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). ACOTE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

More information can be obtained at:

ACOTE
c/o Accreditation Department
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-652-AOTA
www.acoteonline.org

All states in the United States require a license to practice occupational therapy. Each state also has specific legislation describing the process for obtaining a license to practice and specific licensure application requirements.The primary criterion for obtaining a license in any state is passing the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Examination (NBCOT). Learn more about OT licensure requirements and our NBCOT exam pass rates for the MOT program.

View our learning outcomes and graduation rates for the MOT program on the Department of Occupational Therapy website.

Requirements

You must meet the following requirements to be considered for admission to the MOT program:

• Have a bachelor’s degree in one of the sciences, sociology, psychology or other related fields from an accredited university or college
• Complete all prerequisite courses listed below by the start of the program in May
• 3.0 Cumulative and Prerequisite GPAs with at least a C or higher in all prerequisite courses
• A minimum of 10 hours of shadow experience with documentation from a licensed occupational therapist professional prior to the start of the program in May.
  • You may use the Occupational Therapy Shadowing Form to document any additional or required shadowing hours that you complete. Forms from other schools are acceptable so long as they include all of the information needed.
• Two letters of reference are required (letters from OT practitioners highly preferred)
• OTCAS essay: A statement as to why the student wants to enter the profession of occupational therapy. Within this statement applicants are expected to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of occupational therapy gained from observation, reading, and personal or family experiences.

Prerequisites

Required prerequisite courses should be completed by the end of the spring term preceding enrollment at Saint Joseph's University including:

• Anatomy & Physiology, with lab (8 credits)
• Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)
• Intro to Sociology or Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)
• Psychology of Human Growth and Development (Developmental Psychology course that covers the whole human lifespan) (3 credits)
• Statistics (3 credits)

GRE scores are not required. Candidates are also not required to interview.

Please contact us for a list of prerequisite courses that you need to complete by the end of the spring term preceding enrollment at Saint Joseph’s. This list will be available on the Academic Catalog in mid-June. You must also have internet access and satisfactory computer skills to complete course requirements.

The application deadline for admission to Saint Joseph’s MOT program is March 1.

Applications are available via the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS) each July for the incoming class the following May. No supplemental application is required. Please submit all documentation directly to OTCAS.

Admission decisions are made as applications are completed, therefore it is recommended candidates apply early. Candidates are not required to interview.

If you’re applying as an international student, you must provide proof of English Language Proficiency and Certification of Finances along with your application. Check the Graduate Admission page for additional requirements.

Analyzing a workspace for ergonomic safety. Helping a patient, post-surgery, find a way to cook dinner that doesn't cause pain. Designing a community program that gets people with developmental disabilities living independently. Occupational therapists can play a role in all this and more.

Occupational therapists assist people in getting back into the flow of life. You’re vital in providing new solutions to doing everyday tasks and to preserving people’s independence as their physical abilities change. As an occupational therapist, you may work in a hospital, community health center or in social services. You can also pursue a career as an educator, trainer or researcher.

Yes. Employment prospects for OT are projected to grow 17% from 2020 to 2030 — much faster than the average 7% for all occupations. On average, more than 10,000 openings for occupational therapists are projected each year over the decade.