Occupational Therapy Doctorate | Hybrid
- Students are expected to engage with the courses online throughout the week.
- On-campus classes are from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
- Faculty are available to meet when students are not on campus.
The hybrid cohort represents an expansion of the campus-based Traditional OTD program currently in place at the Phoenix Bioscience Core (PBC) campus.
Delivery of Coursework
The Hybrid OTD program is 115 credits and offered over 8 semesters. The first 5.5 semesters will consist of didactic content delivered primarily online with alternate weekends on campus; the final two semesters will require full-time weekday attendance at various fieldwork and capstone experiences.
Approximately 75% of the coursework is delivered online to the student. The online courses consist of web-based text with extensive graphics, videos, and audio clips. There are opportunities for faculty-to-student and student-to-student synchronous and asynchronous interactive collaboration. Assessment of online learning outcomes includes a wide variety of evaluation tools depending on the course outcomes, such as (1) regular quizzes completed online and onsite, (2) graded assignments within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS), (3) case studies/problem-based learning, (4) group projects [including travel within the greater Phoenix area, (5) research papers, and (6) article critiques.
Students will come to campus on alternating weekends each semester. The onsite sessions provide an avenue for teaching activities not well suited for online delivery, such as the hands-on learning vital to occupational therapy education, as well as oral presentations, lab practical testing, and socialization activities. Additionally, students may have to plan for online exams or individualized meetings with an instructor at other times, which may include non-lab weekends.
Students in the Hybrid cohort complete two full-time fieldwork experiences that are 12-weeks each in length, following the completion of the didactic content. This portion of the curriculum is completed with full-time attendance. Following the successful completion of the 24-week fieldwork experience, the Hybrid OTD student will complete a 14-week Doctoral Capstone Experience, with full-time attendance. The doctoral capstone experience must be started after completion of all coursework and Level II fieldwork as well as completion of preparatory activities defined in 2018 ACOTE OTD Standard D.1.3.
For further information about our accreditation contact: Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, phone (301) 652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org
One cohort of students will be admitted per year. The inaugural cohort will have a minimum of 15 students. The maximum number of students per cohort is 30. Here is the anticipated enrollment schedule:
Fall 2023: 15 students
Fall 2024: 20-25 students
Fall 2025: 30 students