Post-Professional Doctorate (OTD) of Occupational Therapy For Current USC Chan Master’s Students
Our master’s degree programs are set up to allow you to continue seamlessly into our Post-Professional Doctorate (OTD) program. With a master’s degree from USC Chan, you will enter the Post-Professional OTD with 24 units of additional credit from master’s degree courses and advanced standing. The program is typically completed in three semesters (one year).
Expedited Admission
If you maintained satisfactory performance during your master’s degree studies in occupational therapy at USC Chan, your admission to the OTD will follow the expedited admission procedures. If you do not meet these requirements, you will follow the standard admission process and you will still be eligible to receive advanced standing for your OTD.
The Post-Professional OTD for USC Chan master’s graduates requires the completion of 36 units, including:
Required coursework to continue developing your leadership and professional skills
Elective coursework either in the Division or in a different school at USC to broaden your scope of knowledge
Residency experience to build/enhance your hands-on skills
Completion of a portfolio to demonstrate what you achieved over the course of study
Residency
The doctoral residency is a crucial element of our OTD program. We believe that immersion in specific practice contexts (whether they be clinical, policy-related, educational or research focused) gives you the skills and expertise to move occupational therapy forward. As a result, our OTD program involves 24 units taken over three semesters. You will work in carefully selected settings (which may be the one in which you have had experience) with the guidance of a mentor.
An OTD residency placement may be paid or voluntary, depending on the resources of the site. You may choose to complete your residency requirements at an international location. The same requirements apply to residency, regardless of location.
Residency Site Preceptor
Many of the residency contexts that are selected tend to be emerging areas of practice, therefore an occupational therapist is not required to serve as your preceptor. The preceptor should be knowledgeable and experienced within the particular context chosen and will provide on-site consultation and mentorship to you as needed. The residency site preceptor does not need to have a doctorate degree.
USC Faculty Mentor
Your USC faculty mentor will support you in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to: providing consultation as you begin your evidence-based review, reviewing your academic work, offering feedback and guidance as you consider your leadership development and career trajectory, and supporting you through various challenges that may arise. If you are confirmed for an internal Chan division residency, then a USC Chan faculty mentor will be assigned to you. If you are confirmed for an external residency, in some cases the faculty mentor is also already assigned, based upon established partnerships and/or the given specialty. In other cases, you may have the opportunity to choose your faculty mentor. In this case, you and the potential faculty mentor should accept this upon mutual agreement. Your USC faculty mentor does not need to possess similar experience to the focus of your residency.
Portfolio
In the final semester of enrollment, you will submit a portfolio demonstrating competence in your chosen leadership concentration. The final portfolio will include documentation of both written and oral presentation skills and expertise as designated in the residency plan.
Most students begin the OTD experience in the Fall and progress through to the Summer of the following year. There are some circumstances which require the coursework to be taken beginning in the Spring semester or for it to be front loaded.
Fall Semester
Fall semester generally begins in late August and continues for 16 weeks.
OT 620 (4 units): Current Issues in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
OT 686 (6 units/20 hours): Part-time Residency
If you are coming from the USC MA program, you are required to pass your NBCOT exam and be fully licensed and registered by the end of this semester.
Spring Semester
Spring semester begins in January and continues for 16 weeks.
OT 621 (4 units): Occupational Therapy Leadership: Contemporary Issues
OT 686 (6 units/20 hours): Part-time Residency
Elective Course(s) (4 units)
Summer Session
Summer session begins in mid-May and continues for 12 weeks.
OT 686 (12 units/40 hours): Full-time Residency
Spring Start
If you are starting the OTD in the Spring, the order of your courses will look different.
Spring Semester
Spring semester begins in January and continues for 16 weeks.
OT 620 (4 units): Current Issues in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
OT 686 (6 units/20 hours): Part-time Residency
If you are coming from the USC MA program, you are required to pass your NBCOT exam and be fully registered by the end of this semester.
Summer Session
Summer session begins in mid-May and continues for 12 weeks.
OT 686 (12 units/40 hours): Full-time Residency
Fall Semester
Fall semester generally begins in late August and continues for 16 weeks.
OT 621 (4 units): Occupational Therapy Leadership: Contemporary Issues
OT 686 (6 units/20 hours): Part-time Residency
Elective Course(s) (4 units)
Front Loading
Students with unique residency needs may choose to front-load their coursework. This can be started in either Fall or Spring. Please be sure to discuss this option with program director Dr. Sarah Bream.
Semester 1
OT 620 (4 units): Current Issues in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
OT 621 (4 units): Occupational Therapy Leadership: Contemporary Issues
Elective Course (4 units)
If you are coming from the USC MA program, you are required to pass your NBCOT exam and be fully registered by the end of this semester.
Semester 2
OT 686 (12 units/40 hours): Full-time Residency
Semester 3
OT 686 (12 units/40 hours): Full-time Residency
Elective Coursework (4 units)
Most students are required to take 4 units of elective coursework, which is anything at the 500-level or higher offered at any USC school. The coursework must clearly relate to your professional goals and remain consistent with the objectives of the OTD program.
For example, a student who developed a Lifestyle Redesign® program to support environmentally sustainable habits took coursework in the USC Marshall School of Business to refine her business presentation and communication skills.
Another student, completing his residency in a violence prevention program, took a course on nonprofit organization management.
A third student, completing her residency in a Lifestyle Redesign® weight loss program, selected a course from the Keck School of Medicine of USC on health promotion.
A fourth, who secured a leadership position in a residential aging-in-place program, took her elective courses in the USC Davis School of Gerontology.
If you wish to pursue more intensive study in occupational science, you may be granted permission to use your elective units to concentrate in Division-based 600-level occupational science courses associated with the PhD program.
Please note that if you took additional elective units in a USC Chan Master’s Degree Program above the required electives for that program, you may have fulfilled all or part of the elective requirement for the OTD program.
Completing the OTD on a Part-Time Basis
There are many pathways through the OTD program. The Program Director will work with you to customize an ideal trajectory that aligns with your specific needs and is tailored to your overall life plan.
A Day in the Life of a Post-Professional OTD Student
Jodie, a student in the Post-Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program, shares about daily life as an OTD resident at the University of Southern California.
Please note The Chan Division has initiated the process to transition our entry-level master’s degree program to an accredited Entry-Level Doctorate (OTD) program. This process requires review and approval by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®), and ACOTE has granted Candidacy Status to our Entry-Level OTD degree program. We are currently offering admissions information sessions for this entry-level OTD program, but please note that, because this program is still in review, only limited information can be provided. Please review the Entry-Level OTD Degree Program Frequently Asked Questions for additional information. Our website will provide the latest updates throughout the transition process as they become available.
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