March 26, 2020
Starting fall semester 2020, Shawnee State University is proud to introduce its very first Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctoral program (PP-OTD).
“The HLC (Higher Learning Commission) approval of the new PP-OTD program is the dawning of a new opportunity for the university,” Becky Thiel, Provost and VP for Academic Affairs at SSU, said. “This program ushers us into doctoral education and serves the community members who wish to pursue greater leadership and occupational skills in their chosen areas of study. We look forward to our first cohort starting fall 2020.”
This fully online, 16-month program will offer students the opportunity to further their education and abilities in their field with clinical-based research and a capstone project all while working in their organization. This will be the first of its kind in the state of Ohio.
“The OT faculty are very excited to be able to offer the post-professional OTD educational opportunity for not only our past graduates, but also for many other practicing occupational therapists,” Mikel Stone, Program Director, OTD, OTR/L, said. “The fully online program is designed to be flexible for working individuals wishing to expand their area of practice, employment and leadership opportunities at a very affordable rate.”
Shawnee State has had a long history of success within its Occupational Therapy programs. It started with the Occupational Therapy Assistant program in the late 1980’s, and even with the limited available seats in the program, the program receives more than 400 applications at a time! Over the next couple of decades, the OT program expanded and introduced a bachelor’s program, a master’s program, and a 3+2 program, which allows students to enter an accelerated path and complete their bachelor’s and master’s degree in only five years.
The programs currently serve over 200 students and continue to rank as one of SSU’s most in-demand programs. With a successful completion rate, students see a 100% passage of their boards and job placement rate after graduation.
The PP-OTD program will start accepting applications starting late spring/early summer for Fall 2020 enrollment. There will be 15 seats available for the first cohort.
To learn more about SSU’s Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, go to online.shawnee.edu, or contact Mikel Stone at mstone@shawnee.edu, or Bobbie Massie at bmassie@shawnee.edu.