Occupational Therapy
UW-Madison School of Education
Book Titled Occupational Therapy for Children and Adolescents

Curriculum

  1. (PRACTICE) Occupation-Centered Practice (44 credits)
  2. (RESEARCH) Research Skills Supporting Evidence-based Practice (23 credits)
  3. (LEADERSHIP) Leadership and Professional Skills (20 credits)
  4. (WELLNESS) Wellness and Health Promotion (10 credits)

Try our FREE online Occupational Therapy observational experience course

Learn more

Red, white, gray, and black rope

All threads will be present to some degree in all courses. It is our hope that students will understand the braiding of all these content areas into an excellent occupational therapist. Although some courses will emphasize a particular thread (see credits assigned to each thread below) we anticipate an increasing interweaving of the threads in the final courses, field work experience and capstone project and experience.

The OT program’s belief about learning is clearly a process of growing complexity so that knowledge acquisition builds on previous knowledge and experience, with appropriate supports and scaffolding provided as needed until students are able to function independently. Courses were sequenced so that each thread has introductory courses which then build on to more complex learning expectations and more individual and independent functioning.

Three Year Curriculum (97 credits)

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Year 1

Summer 1 (9 credits)

  • ANAT 622 Human Anatomy (6 credits)
  • OCC THER 650 – Enabling Occupations: Introduction (2 credits)
  • OCC THER 731 – Living Well: Wellness Promotion for Graduate Students (1 credit)

Fall 1 (15 credits)

  • OCC THER 640 –Applied Neuroanatomy for Allied Health Professionals (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 651 – Clinical Conditions I (1 credit) (online)
  • OCC THER 710 – Professional and Leadership Skills 1: Foundations (2 credits)
  • OCC THER 722 – Enabling Occupations 1: Adult Focus (4 credits)
  • OCC THER 771 – Evidence Based Practice I: Basics (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 770 – Evidence Based Practice Lab Practicum (2 credits)

Spring 1 (14 credits)

  • OCC THER 711 – Professional and Leadership Skills 2: Effective Inter-professional Relationships (2 credits)
  • OCC THER 723 – Enabling Occupations 2: Adult Focus (4 credits)
  • OCC THER 726 – Level 1 Fieldwork A: Adult Physical Disabilities (1 credit)
  • OCC THER 732 – Living Well: Designing Occupation-Based Wellness Promotion(2 credits) (online)
  • OCC THER 770 – Evidence Based Practice Lab Practicum (2 credits)
  • OCC THER 772 – Evidence Based Practice 2 Research Design, Methods and Analysis (3 credits)

Year 2

Summer 2 (10 credits)

  • OCC THER 652 – Clinical Conditions II – (1 credit) (online)
  • OCC THER 724 – Enabling Occupations 3: Mental Health Across the Life Span (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 727 – Level 1 Fieldwork B: Community Based Mental Health (1 credit)
  • OCC THER 733 – Promoting Health and Wellness for Populations (2 credits)
  • OCC THER 814 – Communicating Occupational Therapy to Inter-professional Audiences (3 credits) (online)

Fall 2 (15 credits)

  • OCC THER 725 – Enabling Occupations 4: Pediatrics (5 credits)
  • OCC THER 728 – Level 1 Fieldwork C: Pediatrics (1 credit)
  • OCC THER 770 – Evidence Based Practice Lab Practicum (2 credits)
  • OCC THER 773 – Evidence Based Practice 3: Research Translation (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 811 – Applied Leadership and Management in Occupational Therapy Practice (3 credits) (online)
  • OCC THER 821– Case Synthesis 1 (1 credit)

Spring 2 (7 credits)

  • OCC THER 662 – Level II Fieldwork A (6 credits)
  • OCC THER 880 – Introduction to Capstone (1 credit) (online)

Year 3

Summer 3 (6 credits)

  • OCC THER 664 – Level II Fieldwork B (6 credits)

Fall 3 (12 credits)

  • OCC THER 712 – Professional and Leadership Skills 3: Management (2 credits) (online)
  • OCC THER 734– Living Well: Occupational-Based Interventions Promoting Health & Wellness (2 credits) (online)
  • OCC THER 812 – Trends Influencing OT Practice (3 credits) (online)
  • OCC THER 822 – Case Synthesis 2 (2 credits) (online)
  • OCC THER 881 – Capstone Project 1 (3 credits) (online)

Spring 3 (9 credits)

  • OCC THER 883 – Doctoral Experiential Component (6 credits)
  • OCC THER882 – Capstone Project 2 (3 credits) (online)

Curriculum by Threads

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Occupational -Centered Practice Thread

Summer 1

  • ANAT 622 Human Anatomy (6 credits)
  • OCC THER 650 – Enabling Occupations: Introduction (2 credits)

Fall 1

  • OCC THER 640 –Applied Neuroanatomy for Allied Health Professionals (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 651 – Clinical Conditions I (1 credit) (online)
  • OCC THER 722 – Enabling Occupations 1: Adult Focus (4 credits)

Spring 1

  • OCC THER 723 – Enabling Occupations 2: Adult Focus (4 credits)
  • OCC THER 726 – Level 1 Fieldwork A: Adult Physical Disabilities (1 credit)

Summer 2

  • OCC THER 724 – Enabling Occupations 3: Mental Health Across the Life Span (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 727 – Level 1 Fieldwork B: Community Based Mental Health (1 credit)
  • OCC THER 652 – Clinical Conditions II – (1 credit) (online)

Fall 2

  • OCC THER 725 – Enabling Occupations 4: Pediatrics (5 credits)
  • OCC THER 728 – Level 1 Fieldwork C: Pediatrics (1 credit)
  • OCC THER 821– Case Synthesis 1 (1 credit)

Spring 2 

  • OCC THER 662 – Level II Fieldwork A (6 credits)

Summer 3 

  • OCC THER 664 – Level II Fieldwork B (6 credits)

Evidence-Based Research Thread

Fall 1

  • OCC THER 771 – Evidence Based Practice I: Basics (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 770 – Evidence Based Practice Lab Practicum (2 credits)

Spring 1

  • OCC THER 772 – Evidence Based Practice 2 Research Design, Methods and Analysis (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 770 – Evidence Based Practice Lab Practicum (2 credits)

Fall 2

  • OCC THER 773 – Evidence Based Practice 3: Research Translation (3 credits)
  • OCC THER 770 – Evidence Based Practice Lab Practicum (2 credit)

Spring 2

  • OCC THER 662 – Level II Fieldwork A (6 credits)
  • OCC THER 880 – Introduction to Capstone (1 credit) (online)

Summer 3

  • OCC THER 812 – Trends Influencing OT Practice (3 credits) (online)

Fall 3

  • OCC THER 881 – Capstone Project 1 (3 credits) (online)

Spring 3

  • OCC THER882 – Capstone Project 2 (3 credits) (online)

Leadership and Professional Skills Thread

Fall 1

  • OCC THER 710 – Professional and Leadership Skills 1: Foundations (2 credits)

Spring 1

  • OCC THER 711 – Professional and Leadership Skills 2: Effective Inter-professional Relationships (2 credits)

Summer 2

  • OCC THER 814 – Communicating Occupational Therapy to Inter-professional Audiences (3 credits) (online)

Fall 2

  • OCC THER 811 – Applied Leadership and Management in Occupational Therapy Practice (3 credits) (online)

Fall 3

  • OCC THER 712 – Professional and Leadership Skills 3: Management (2 credits)
  • OCC THER 822 – Case Synthesis 2 (2 credits) (online)

Spring 3

  • OCC THER 883 – Doctoral Experiential Component (6 credits)

Wellness Thread

Summer 1

  • OCC THER 731 – Living Well: Wellness Promotion for Graduate Students (1 credit)

Spring 1

  • OCC THER 732 – Living Well: Designing Occupation-Based Wellness Promotion(2 credits) (online)

Summer 2

  • OCC THER 733 – Promoting Health and Wellness for Populations (2 credits)

Summer 3

  • OCC THER 812 – Trends Influencing OT Practice (3 credits) (online)

Fall 3

  • OCC THER 734 – Living Well: Occupational-Based Interventions Promoting Health & Wellness (2 credits) (online)

The threads are representative of the type of graduate we plan to produce. Our curriculum was designed first and foremost to produce excellent, evidence-based, occupation-centered practitioners who are coveted generalist clinical employees in all settings. Distinctives of our program will include a well-honed ability to apply evidence to practice as well as contribute to the creation of knowledge that further informs practice. We hope some of our graduates will go on to pursue PhDs and become researchers and educators who help strengthen the profession. We anticipate all of our graduates will be exemplary ethical professionals who initiate and collaborate with all team members to the benefit of their clients and many of our graduates will go on to be leaders, formally and informally in their work place, community and professional organizations. Finally we want all graduates to leave their time at UW-Madison with their own health and well-being intact and with culturally sensitive intervention and advocacy skills to support clients at all levels (individual, community and populations), to achieve health and well-being as well.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Articulate and apply underlying occupation-based theories, concepts and techniques of occupation therapy intervention for a variety of contexts.
  2. Formulate systems to gather, analyze and interpret data and present to a professional audience.
  3. Demonstrate active involvement in professional development, leadership, and advocacy for the benefit of constituents and the profession.
  4. Synthesize current knowledge, available evidence and responses to interventions to inform new approaches to practice problems.
  5. Demonstrate commitment to healthy long-term professional growth through the creation, implementation, and monitoring of a career  development plan including application of wellness and prevention strategies.

Questions about our program? Check out our FAQ page and/or meet with our Admissions Coordinator on Mondays for open (virtual) office hours (zoom link in FAQ page).