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Post Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (PPOTD) Degree
APPLICATION PROCESS
Program Director: Michele Karnes, Ed.D., M.S., OTR
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
INTRODUCTION The post-professional OTD curriculum is designed to prepare practicing occupational therapists to become advanced practitioners capable of serving as evidence-based leaders. The capstone component is an integral part of the program. It is designed to develop occupational therapists with advanced knowledge/skills in one of the following eight areas: clinical practice, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, or theory development. With a keen understanding of the responsibilities of the practicing occupational therapist that holds a master’s degree, this mission is accomplished by entering a two-year, part-time online program. It combines web-based instruction with a one-time campus visit to present the Capstone to faculty and students. Our program is unique in that post-professional OTD students have an opportunity to interact with both MSOT students at the Erie, PA campus and entry-level OTD students at the Ruskin, FL campus.
MISSION The mission of the post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (ppOTD) program is to enable occupational therapist in any practice area or other position in health, education, community practice or other arenas to develop roles and skills beyond that of the therapist-clinician; to educate them to become practitioner-scholars who can translate knowledge (including cross-disciplinary theories and research) into practice and who are capable of serving as agents of change in new and expanded arenas. This mission is accomplished with a keen understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the practicing occupational therapist that holds a master’s degree by offering a two-year, part-time online program. It combines webbased instruction with one on-campus (Erie, PA) requirement at the end of their program. Students come to campus and present their capstone work in both poster and oral presentation format.
The Office of Graduate Admissions and the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Department receives and reviews applications for the post-professional OTD program on a monthly basis. The electronic application can be located at www.apply.gannon.edu. After completion of the application, candidates are required to submit supplemental materials to the Office of Graduate Admissions. This includes, but is not limited to, the following information: academic transcripts, OT licensure, AOTA national and state membership, curriculum vitae/resume, and references.
Acceptance requirements into the Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate program will be based on the following: • Completed master’s degree • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy • Minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale • OT license (in state of practice) • AOTA and state OT organization membership Application Procedures for the Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program: • Submit online graduate application (apply.gannon.edu) and materials: • Official transcript from all prior institutions • One letter of recommendation • Copy of OT license • Curriculum vitae or professional resume • Personal statement of professional and educational goals
STUDENT SUCCESS ONLINE Gannon’s Online Engagement Coordinator facilitates our online new student orientations, implements strategies to ensure that online students are active in their online courses, and provides general online student support through a variety of high-touch methods to engage students and support student retention efforts. Gannon online students can reach out to our Office of Distance Education with general questions about online learning or how to remotely access Gannon’s comprehensive student services.
