Scholarships Available for Inaugural Occupational Therapy Doctorate Class

Applications are open for Seton Hill University’s new Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD), which is launching this fall, and those who apply now have an extra incentive.

Individuals who are admitted and deposited to the OTD program at Seton Hill by May 1 will receive a one-time $2,000 scholarship. Seton Hill’s OTD program is priced more competitively than most local options and this scholarship makes it even more attractive.

Seton Hill’s three-year, 90-credit OTD program prepares students to help individuals overcome physical, emotional, and cognitive barriers to daily living by addressing how they navigate and manage daily activities.
Students in Seton Hill’s program will benefit from relevant fieldwork experience from day one with clinical and community partners offering students the opportunity to work with patients of all ages and abilities.

“Seton Hill’s occupational therapy doctoral program is uniquely situated to prepare occupational therapy practitioners who help people overcome barriers of illness and disability to do activities they need and want to do in new ways,” said Jane Olson, Program Director and Doctoral Capstone Coordinator. “The University’s mission to prepare students for the world in which they are destined to work and its emphasis on service to the community shape our program and learning experiences. Seton Hill’s occupational therapy doctorate program is tailored for students who want to balance learning with living.”

Seton Hill’s Occupational Therapy Doctoral program will offer classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to allow flexibility for students.

The program is housed in Doran Hall, a former residence for the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, the university’s founding order. Its spacious meeting and dining room will serve as classrooms, and its living areas have been repurposed for several experiential learning labs and faculty offices. The learning space will provide its own real-world experience to the 30 students enrolled in the program in each cohort year.

“It is our hope that graduates are equipped and empowered to work with people and help them achieve their very best function,” said Rachel Popovich, the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for the OTD program. “We are confident that the next generation of the brightest occupational therapy practitioners will find the tools to succeed through Seton Hill’s occupational therapy doctorate program.”

To learn more about Seton Hill’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, visit setonhill.edu/OTD or contact Rachel Popovich at occupationaltherapy@setonhill.edu.

The Seton Hill University occupational therapy program is a developing program currently in Candidacy status 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 is (301)652-AOTA, and its web address is www.ACOTEonline.org.

Candidacy Status means that the program has demonstrated a plan for courses, faculty, and learning resources, and is approved to admit students and implement the program. The accreditation process, which takes approximately two years, is designed to start before the first class of students enters the program and complete before the first class graduates from the program. ACOTE provides substantial support during the accreditation process to assure students that the program resources are adequate to proceed through each step of program development.