Occupational Therapy (OCCT), M.O.T.

Program Overview  

To fulfill the University mission of “promoting life-long learning, scholarly inquiry, and a commitment to the service of others” the mission of the Tennessee State University Occupational Therapy Graduate Program is to provide the community with competent occupation-based, client-centered practitioners in existing and emerging practice settings.  

The Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Graduate Program is committed to  

• Recruiting and developing the talents of diverse individuals to serve individual consumers and populations to promote, maintain, and improve their health and well- being.  

• Developing professionalism, creative problem solving, and critical thinking skills for graduates to serve consumers in suburban, as well as urban, and rural underserved areas.  

• Training future practitioners to conduct evidence-based practice and scholarly inquiry.  

• Shaping the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will enable occupational therapy practitioners to collaborate with other professionals in the workplace and promote the profession.  

• Preparing successful leaders and change agents who will value and pursue life-long learning to advance practice, attain post-professional degrees, and conduct scholarship in the region and throughout the nation.  

Program Outcomes   

1. Graduating students will implement client-centered and occupation-based occupational therapy evaluations in traditional practice settings under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist.  
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to gather data using peer reviewed journal articles required to make informed decisions in occupational therapy practice.  
3. Students will develop professional skills and commit to continued professional development for use in occupational therapy practice.  

Admission Requirements 

Program admission is made through the Graduate School of Tennessee State University using OTCAS. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission due to the competitive nature of the MOT program. In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, documentation of the following is required: 

A. Completion of an undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale  

B. Completion of the following prerequisite courses within the last 10 years with a minimum grade of “C” (grades of C-minus are not accepted). Six of the nine courses must be completed at the time of application. 

1. General Psychology (3 credits) 

2. Abnormal psychology (3 credits) 

3. Developmental psychology covering the lifespan (3 credits) 

4. Anatomy and Physiology I with lab (4 credits) 

5. Anatomy and Physiology II with lab (4 credits) 

6. Statistics (3 credits) 

7. Medical Terminology (1-3 credits) 

8. Physics, Kinesiology, or Biomechanics (3 - 4 credits) 

9. An introductory course in sociology or anthropology (3 credits) 

C. Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of observation, volunteer, or work experience with an occupational therapist (OTR) in at least two different units or programs.   

D. Submission of a minimum of three (3) professional references and/or letters of recommendation. 

NOTE: A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT Certification Examination and/or to attain state licensure. 

Important Dates

Students matriculate into the program every fall semester. The application portal in OTCAS is open from July - October for admission in the following fall semester. 

Program Duration  

The TSU Occupational Therapy Program is a full-time program made up of a professional curriculum consisting of 72 credit hours. Ninety-eight weeks of instruction spread across 2.5 years are required to complete the degree. 

Transfer of Credits   

Consistent with the TSU Transfer Credit Policy, a maximum of twelve (12) semester credited hours or eighteen (18) quarter hours may be accepted from another occupational therapy ACOTE accredited program. However, the transfer courses must be equal in content and credit hours as well as within a similar schedule as the TSU MOT lock step program. Courses that will place the student outside the TSU MOT established schedule, if accepted, may delay the student’s graduation. Students requesting transfer credits must be submitted and approved through the TSU system prior to beginning the TSU MOT program.  

The TSU MOT program does not allow MOT credits for prior work experience. This also includes work experience within the profession of occupational therapy.  

Degree Requirements:  

MOT Retention Policy 

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of “B” or 3.0 on a 4.0 system in order to graduate. Any course attempts resulting in a grade of less than “C” will be allowed to be repeated once and the second grade will replace the first. A student may repeat a maximum of two (2) courses for the purposes of improving grades. The MOT program is designed as a lock step program. Therefore, any student who receives a grade of less than “C” in any course will be required to retake that course when it is offered during the next academic year. Other courses in the curriculum cannot be taken out of sequence. 

Any student who does not achieve a 3.0 overall GPA for one semester will be placed on academic probation and the student is given the opportunity to raise his or her GPA to a 3.0 the following semester. If the student does not achieve the 3.0 GPA in the identified semester, he or she will be dismissed from the MOT program. Students may file an appeal for readmission, but students are only allowed one appeal for readmission. The appeal needs to follow the established process noted in the Graduate Catalog. 

Accreditation Information 

The Master of Occupational Therapy Program at Tennessee State University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)  located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number, c/o AOTA, is (301) 652-AOTA, and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.   

Career Opportunities  

Occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent or live better with injury, illness, or disability.  

Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from an injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include: 

• individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals, 

• customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and 

• outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.  

Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment and/or task to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team. It is an evidence-based practice deeply rooted in science. More information is available on the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA) website.  

About Occupational Therapy Practitioners 

Occupational Therapy practitioners are skilled healthcare providers whose education consists of didactic coursework related to human growth and development with specific emphasis on the social, emotional, and physiological effects of illness and injury. Interactive lab experiences in the classroom followed by fieldwork experiences in clinical environments reinforce the didactic coursework. 

Currently, the occupational therapist enters the field with a master or doctoral degree. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA), OT practitioners work in a variety of areas including productive aging, rehabilitation and disability, children and youth, work and industry, and health and wellness. For more information about a career in Occupational Therapy, please refer to the AOTA’s website.  

Upon completion of all requirements, students will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination offered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this examination, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR) and will meet the educational requirements for States licensure in the United States. 

Faculty Credentials  

• Lauren Beard, Assistant Professor, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator   
• Laura Carpenter, Associate Professor, Department Chair/Program Director   
• David Eades, Assistant Professor   
• Kimberly Walker, Assistant Professor   

Program Website

https://www.tnstate.edu/ot/  

Program Coordinator/Contact Information 

Laura Carpenter, Ph.D., OTR/L, Department Chair 

Office: 440 Health Sciences Building 
(615) 963-2152 
lcarpen3@tnstate.edu 

Program of Study and Credit Hours Required

Core Courses: Professional Curriculum Seventy-Two (72) Hours