Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - PP (Post-Professional)
Offered by: College of Health Professions
Program Coordinator, Post-Professional OTD: DeAn Sellman, ppOTD, OT
Program Overview
The College of Health Professions offers the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - PP (Post-Professional) degree, an online program designed for licensed Occupational Therapists to complete their Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree.
This post-professional (PP) program is earned as 30 credits taken online at SCU and 77 credits awarded as advanced standing for the prior Occupational Therapy degree/license, for a total of 107 credits for the OTD. These 30 credits obtained at SCU are taken as 20 credits of core courses and 10 credits of electives in a certification track, allowing students to tailor their OTD education to their specific interests and career goals. The program is designed for part-time enrollment over four terms, with a typical time-to-degree completion of 16 months.
The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - PP (Post-Professional) program emphasizes contemporary, evidence-based knowledge and aims to enhance clinical expertise, preparing graduates to become dynamic clinical scholars in the field of occupational therapy.
Terms 1 and 2: Focus on core courses, including research and doctoral mentorship courses. These courses are delivered in sequential 5-week blocks within each 15-week academic term, providing a structured and interactive learning experience.
Terms 3 and 4: Concentrate on elective certification tracks and the Doctoral Capstone Project. Elective courses vary in length depending on the credit hours and run concurrently with the Capstone Project, which spans 15 weeks each term.
This program is offered online, providing essential flexibility to students regardless of their geographic location. The curriculum includes a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning formats, ensuring a balanced and accessible educational experience. Embedded elective certification tracks incorporate virtual lab experiences designed to enhance essential psychomotor and clinical reasoning skills.
This program is a fully online program. All courses are online; no in-person residency is required. See State Authorization information in the University Catalog.
Our mission is to educate licensed occupational therapy practitioner students with a strong foundation in professionalism, professional reasoning, ethics, and practice skills to grow in competence as practitioners and leaders in the field of occupational therapy. Through integrative whole person health education we prioritize health equity and are grounded in evidence and occupation-based practice to provide client-centered care that enhances occupational performance.
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Professional Reasoning: The graduate will demonstrate effective professional reasoning (evaluation & treatment) skills in occupational therapy practice to be an effective practitioner.
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Evidence-Based Practice: The graduate will apply current research and evidence for the efficacy of occupational therapy practice and dissemination of research to include the capstone experience and project.
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Integrative Healthcare: The graduate will demonstrate effective interprofessional collaboration, professional communication, and patient advocacy with other healthcare disciplines to provide the highest quality of care to clients.
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Client-Centered Care: The graduate will effectively communicate with clients and families about their needs through effective therapeutic use of self.
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Professionalism and Leadership: The graduate will demonstrate ethical, professional behaviors, and leadership skills throughout the OT process with clients, families, other professionals, and the community.
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Occupation-Based Practice: The graduate will articulate and apply the connection between meaningful occupation, whole health, and wellbeing throughout the lifespan.
The Program Learning Outcomes are identical to those of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - AZ (Phoenix Metro) program, as are total program credits. Courses and outcomes are mapped between the programs so that all students awarded the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree have been assessed against the same required Learning Outcomes at this professional doctoral (OTD) level.
Applicants for the post-professional OTD degree must submit the following:
Applicants for the post-professional OTD degree must meet the following admissions requirements. Exceptions may be made individually with program coordinator approval.
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A completed master’s degree from an accredited institution (accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or an equivalent foreign agency).
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An active license to practice as an occupational therapist (OT/L)
*Bachelors to Doctorate Pathway:
To enter the Bachelors to Doctorate Pathway, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy AND provide documentation of at least one (1) of the criteria below:
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Completion of an approved military or civilian post-professional OT residency or fellowship
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Completion of an approved medical specialty graduate certificate program (e.g., public health certificate, healthcare administration certificate)
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AOTA Advanced Board Certification (BCG, BCMH, BCP, BCPR); other specialty OT certifications may be accepted if they represent at least 2,000 hours of work in a field and have evidence of ongoing continuing education to maintain the certification/expertise
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At least 15 credit hours of post-secondary education toward a master’s degree
Currently licensed and registered, with a minimum of at least ten years of continuous licensure and registration maintenance (OTR/L)
Upon acceptance, students must declare their intended elective concentration. Requests to change concentration after beginning the program will be considered individually.
The post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree may be conferred upon those who have fulfilled the following requirements:
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Received 77 credits by advanced standing towards the degree through occupational therapy (OT) licensure and all other admissions and application requirements.
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Completed 30 additional credits within the required categories of post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy coursework:
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10 credits in Clinical and Professional Skills
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10 credits in Doctoral Mentorship and Doctoral Capstone Project
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10 credits in an Elective Certification Track
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Completed all degree requirements within 12 trimesters or 4 years of matriculation
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Earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75
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Submitted a Petition to Graduate
The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - AZ (Phoenix Metro) program does not award advanced standing or accept transfer credits.
There is an exception for students who meet the admissions requirements for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - PP (Post-Professional) program. Those students receive 77 credits by advanced standing towards the 107-credit Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree.
The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - AZ (Phoenix Metro) program requires that students complete all credits at Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) to qualify for degree completion.
There is an exception to this requirement for students accepted to the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - PP (Post-Professional) program. Those students must complete a minimum of 30 credits at SCU.
[This is in the Admissions Section of the general University Catalog] Advanced Standing/Transfer Credit: Eligibility and Approval Process, Additional Requirements for Graduate Degree and Certificate Programs
The program recognizes the demands on post-professional learners who work full-time as practicing occupational therapists. While punctuality and active participation in all required activities are essential for success, the program also acknowledges the need for flexibility.
General Expectations: All learners are expected to engage fully in program activities, demonstrating respect for course instructors and fellow learners. While required activities may sometimes occur outside of regular hours, such as nights and weekends, the program encourages learners to plan their schedules accordingly.
Participation: Learners must be present for at least 90% of scheduled class sessions for each course, though some courses may have higher attendance standards as specified in the syllabi.
Online Courses: Learners in online courses who do not respond after one attempt to reach them will be marked absent. Flexibility in response time may be provided considering work commitments, but regular engagement is still required.
Tardiness and Early Departure: Learners who arrive after the scheduled start time or leave before the scheduled end time are considered tardy or early departure, respectively. Faculty will monitor these instances and may initiate a discussion after the second occurrence. A third occurrence may result in an absence being recorded.
Make-up Work and Assessments: Learners who need to request make-up work due to professional commitments must contact the instructor within 48 hours of the absence. If make-up work is authorized, it should be completed within five school days of the original date, with some flexibility provided based on individual circumstances. In cases where make-up assessments are allowed, learners can earn up to the full credit based on performance, rather than a capped grade, to better reflect their understanding and skills.
Special Considerations: The program encourages open communication between learners and faculty. Post-professional learners are invited to discuss any conflicts or challenges with their instructors as soon as they arise, so that reasonable accommodations can be explored.
The Doctoral Mentorship (OTAZ 650) course is completed within the first two academic terms of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - PP (Post-Professional) program. This course guides learners in developing their scholarly doctoral capstone projects. Emphasis is placed on reviewing evidence-based practice methodologies, initiating literature reviews, conducting needs assessments, and formulating research questions. The process is collaborative and reflective, involving close interaction between learners and faculty on occupational therapy practice or research related to the learners’ chosen advanced certification. The course culminates in a proposal for implementing and evaluating the doctoral capstone project, which is reviewed by peers and faculty.
The Doctoral Capstone Project courses (OTPP 664 and OTPP 665) are completed during the 3rd and 4th terms, taken alongside the elective certificate coursework. These courses guide learners in implementing a scholarly doctoral capstone project, building on knowledge gained from the Doctoral Mentorship courses and the advanced certification courses. The primary focus of these courses includes data collection, data analysis, program evaluation, discussion, and presentation of results. The capstone project will demonstrate advanced knowledge in the chosen certification area, such as clinical practice skills, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, or education.
The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) - PP (Post-Professional) program may allow students to remediate F grades immediately after completion of the course; students that remediate courses in the Occupational Therapy program are awarded an RC or RF grade.
An RC (Remediation - Minimum Pass) grade indicates that a course was failed and then successfully remediated to a minimum pass grade. The original F grade is replaced on the transcript with the RC grade; both the original F and the RC grade count towards Academic Warning, Probation, and Dismissal.
An RF (Remediation - Fail) grade indicates that a course was failed and then unsuccessfully remediated. The original F grade is replaced on the transcript with the RF grade; both the original F and the RF grade count towards Academic Probation or Dismissal.
Courses identified as *IPE are either taken with students from other programs, cover topics relevant to integrative healthcare, or are clinical courses offered in integrative healthcare settings.
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