Undergraduate Catalog 2008-2009

Combined: BS/MS in Occupational Science/Occupational Therapy
Graduate: MS in Occupational Therapy, Graduate Certificate in Assistive/Rehabilitation Technology

Students are awarded the combined BS/MS degree in occupational science/occupational therapy upon completion of all program and university requirements. Students who do not progress to the MS component of the program will be awarded a BS in occupational science after the successful completion of the 129 credits in the BS portion of the program. Only students who are awarded the combined BS/MS are eligible to take the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT. Contact information: NBCOT, located at 12 South Summit Avenue, Suite 100, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150. Phone: 301-990-7979; Fax: 301-869-8492 The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220, (301) 652-AOTA. NOTE: A felony conviction may affect a graduate's eligibility to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

During the pre-professional phase of the program (years 1 and 2), UB occupational therapy students should contact Diane Gayles at (716) 829-3434, ext. 287 or Cassandra Walker-Whiteside at (716) 829-3434, ext. 410 for academic advisement; transfer students should contact Douglas Frye at (716) 829-3141, ext. 190 or MaryAnn Venezia at (716) 829-3141, ext. 184. Upon promotion to the professional sequence of the program, each student is assigned a faculty advisor from the Occupational Therapy program.

The Occupational Therapy program has a Freshman Admission Policy. Students who declare occupational therapy as their major on the UB application are provisionally accepted into the Occupational Therapy program. Courses in the first two years of the BS program meet the general education requirements and occupational science prerequisite courses. To be guaranteed promotion to the professional component of the program (starting in year 3), students must complete the prerequisite courses with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a grade of C or better in each prerequisite course. Promotion to the professional sequence is competitive for those students whose prerequisite GPA is between 2.80 and 2.99. Acceptance to the professional sequence is limited to approximately forty students.

By January 15 of the second year (sophomore) of the program, students accepted into the Occupational Therapy program under the Freshman Admission or Transfer Student Admission Policy (see below), must complete a Promotion to Professional Sequence form and submit evidence of a minimum of seventy hours of volunteer/work experience in a United States occupational therapy setting providing direct patient/client care under the supervision of an occupational therapist. This experience must be undertaken within two years prior to application in a maximum of two (2) settings. Verification/Evaluation forms are available online; only ratings of "Excellent" or "Good" will receive credit toward this requirement.

Promotion to the professional sequence is competitive for students other than those admitted as freshman or transfer students. Students not accepted through the freshman or transfer admission policies must (1) have a minimum grade of C in all prerequisite courses; (2) complete, by January 15 of the sophomore year, a minimum of seventy hours of recent (within the past two years) volunteer or work experience in a direct patient care environment, under the supervision of an occupational therapist; and (3) submit an application by January 15 of the sophomore year.

Students can enter the Occupational Therapy program as transfer students from other institutions. Students who declare occupational therapy as their major on the UB application are provisionally accepted into the Occupational Therapy program. To be guaranteed promotion to the professional component of the program (starting in year 3), students must complete the prerequisite courses with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a grade of C or better in each prerequisite course. Promotion to the professional sequence is competitive for those students whose prerequisite GPA is between 2.80 and 2.99. Acceptance to the professional sequence is limited to approximately forty students.

Courses completed at other colleges or universities are not automatically accepted by the program as fulfilling the prerequisite requirements. Determination is made by an evaluation of the student's transcripts, descriptions of courses that he/she has taken, and credit hours completed. It is recommended that prospective transfer students contact the department to determine the suitability of prior coursework.