Academic Program Proposal

Date Proposal Activated	Institution and Proposal	Degree Awarded	Academic Program Name	Objection Deadline	MHEC Final Action	Final Decision Date
	Towson University Proposal	Occupational Therapy Doctorate	Post Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate	2/23/2018	Approved	3/5/2018
Post Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program Description
The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), which has independent authority to set standards for professional education programs, recently took action to mandate the move for the entry-level degree for the occupational therapist to the doctoral level by 2027 (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2017). Given the recent accreditation action and the industry move toward doctoral level preparation for occupational therapists, Towson University is proposing a post-professional occupational therapy doctoral program (PPOTD). <br> <br>Towson University (TU) has the only entry level program in the state that leads to the practice of occupational therapy as a registered occupational therapist. In our obligation to current practitioners who will be tasked with supervising fieldwork and hiring the entry-level OTD (ELOTD) practitioners, we propose to first move forward with implementing the post- professional OTD (PPOTD) program. This is proposed first because aspects of our current doctoral program (the Doctor of Science [ScD] in Occupational Science [OSC]) will be incorporated into the PPOTD, and the proposed PPOTD will not require adherence to external accreditation standards, which will be required of the ELOTD. <br> <br>The PPOTD is an advanced clinical doctoral degree in which the graduate will develop knowledge translation skills and leadership, and will complete a capstone research project relative to advanced clinical skills rather than a traditional research dissertation. Examples of a post- professional capstone project might be a comprehensive program evaluation of a new occupational therapy service that is presented at a national conference or a systematic review of an emerging practice area with article submission to a professional periodical. The PPOTD also provides in-depth educational experiences in the systems, funding, and mechanisms of influence in healthcare to address a diversity of complexities such as health care disparity, wellness, and chronic illness management across the lifespan from an occupational therapy perspective. <br>