Become a Skilled Occupational Therapist

When you graduate from our program, you will be a competent and ethical practitioner who supports clients in living productive and satisfying lives.

Our Professional-Entry Level (or PEL) graduate degree builds upon the foundational knowledge you earned with your bachelor’s degree in another area of study and/or at another accredited institution. The 90 credits of graduate coursework that you will complete at Ithaca College and at clinical fieldwork sites across the country will prepare you to be a competent, skilled, and ethical professional occupational therapist who can support your clients in achieving productive and satisfying lives. We specialize in helping students become occupational therapists who can work in any setting and with any population. You will have a solid foundation as a generalist with opportunities to specialize and dig deeper into practice areas and populations of interest.

We emphasize hands-on, diverse, and integrative learning experiences to develop the breadth and depth of your perspective, with occupational participation at its center. Real-world experiences in our on-campus clinic, by engaging with the local community, and in fieldwork sites across the country will be an integral part of your training. 

#1
Trans-Supportive College/University

With a 5 out of 5 rating on the Campus Pride Index, IC is deeply committed to inclusive programs, policies, and services for LGBTQ+ students — and started National Pronoun Day.

#16
Best Value

U.S. News & World Report also ranked IC highly in the value category. The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal!

#15
Best University in the North

U.S. News & World Report thinks quite highly of us. We’ve been in the top 15 of their regional university rankings for more than 30 years straight.

Semester-by-Semester Program Experiences

Read more about first- and second-year experiences in our PEL graduate program

Our PEL program begins in summer. You will learn alongside your PEL peers in our Occupational Therapy Theory course and together with rising seniors from our combined BS/MS/OTD program in the Functional Human Anatomy course.

Fall coursework applies the OT process to adult populations by integrating foundational content and concepts with adult clinical conditions, assessments, and interventions. Examples of hands-on learning opportunities in the past have included:

  • Working with participants from Longview Assisted Living community using semi-structured interviews and OT-specific assessments
  • Completing a motion analysis assignment to compare physical requirements of different household items
  • Learning about various adult practice settings and clinical conditions through case studies, simulations, and expert guests.

Psychiatry in Occupational Therapy is a hybrid winter intercession course for PELs that explores OT perspectives in mental health.

Spring coursework shifts to focus on the OT process for the pediatric population, group process, applied interventions, and research. You may:

  • Observe a child in their natural setting as part of an evaluation
  • Introduce self-made toy to children in lab and evaluate your toy for age level appeal, developmental skill practice, and use in therapeutic situations.
  • Fabricate hand and wrist orthoses that are used to support healing and participation in occupations
  • Learn how to fit a wheelchair to a client through case studies

Three Level I fieldwork experiences are embedded in the first year.  The first is for the adult population in the Fall and the two in the Spring are for the psychosocial and pediatric populations. These allow you to observe clients and gain practical experience in applicable practice settings.

Your second graduate year officially begins in summer with a 3-month Level II fieldwork.

When you return to campus for your second graduate Fall, courses become more group project based. Amongst other topics, you will:

  • Learn to integrate technology interventions with various populations
  • Continue or begin your graduate research project (individual thesis  or group research)
  • Apply your knowledge in hands-on labs for pediatric clients and in interprofessional teams for adults at Center for Life Skills (CLS)

Spring semester runs early January through mid-March to accommodate the second Level II fieldwork and culminates with the Graduate Research Colloquium in March.

  • Develop advocacy skills by participating in advocacy efforts within the profession
  • Select graduate electives to explore a new area of OT or dive deeper in an area that interests you
  • Engage in community-based projects

Three fieldwork experiences complete our program’s coursework.  Your second Level II fieldwork is scheduled between April and June and the final 2- month optional fieldwork can either be a specialty fieldwork or an elective internship at a site that is determined in collaboration with the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator.

NBCOT Exam

Provided you successfully complete all coursework and fieldwork, you will officially graduate with your master's degree in mid-October following your second graduate year. You are eligible to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) competency exam to become a registered occupational therapist.