Occupational Therapy Doctorate Curriculum Making the World Smarter, Safer and Healthier Attend an Info Session Contact Us Artificial Intelligence Biotechnology Computer Science Cybersecurity Data Analytics and Visualization Digital Marketing and Media Mathematics Occupational Therapy Physician Assistant Physics Speech-Language Pathology OverviewProgrammatic themes set the foundational knowledge for the program's courses: occupational performance across the lifespan; client-centered evaluation and occupation-based interventions; wellness and prevention; technological advancements to support occupational performance; leadership and advocacy; and scholarship and research.Occupations as a means and endProfessional developmentThe healing power of occupationAdaptation as a means toward performance and engagementClient-centerednessEvidence-based practiceCritical thinking, analysis and synthesisClinical reasoningInterprofessional collaborationOur instructional design reflects the commitment of YU to five core Torah values: truth, life, infinite human worth, compassion and redemption, as well as the Katz School of Science and Health vision: “We take an interdisciplinary approach to research and education, fostering the creativity, collaborative thinking and builder mindset required to take on today’s toughest problems. Faculty, students and alumni are change-makers and entrepreneurs who bring science, technology and health innovations to market.” Constructivism, humanism and transformative learning theory constitute the program’s pedagogical approach to education. Our students are engaged in experiential learning as they work collaboratively with the faculty who facilitate learning by extracting the student's preexisting knowledge to connect with new knowledge.Degree RequirementsYU’s entry-level doctorate is a full-time program and can be completed in under three years (8 semesters). Students must complete the following courses. Course descriptions are available here.Semester OneOccupational Therapy Profession and Practice (3 credits)Introduction to Doctoral Fieldwork I (1 credit)Assessment and Screening I (3 credits)Introduction to Scholarship and Research (2 credits)Clinical Skills and Procedures (2 credits)Anatomy and Human Movement (5 credits)Semester TwoOccupational Performance in the Older Adult Population (5 credits)Skills Lab: Older Adult (2 credits)Fieldwork I: Older Adult (1 credits)Assessment and Screening II (2 credits)Brain, Behavior and Occupation (3 credits)Scholarship and Evidence-based Practice I (3 credits)Occupations in Practice Through the Lifespan (2 credits)Introduction to Doctoral Studies (1 credit)Semester ThreeOccupational Performance in the Adult Population (5 credits)Skills Lab: Adult (2 credits)Fieldwork I: Adults (1 credit)Scholarship and Evidence-based Practice II (3 credits)Preparatory Methods I (3 credits)Assistive Technology (4 credits)Semester FourOccupational Performance in the Child and Adolescent Population (5 credits)Skills Lab: Children and Adolescents (2 credits)Fieldwork I: Children and Adolescents (1 credit)Doctoral Fieldwork II (1 credit)Preparatory Methods II (4 credits)Occupational Wellness (4 credits)Leadership and Advancement in Practice (4 credits)Semester FivePreparation for Doctoral Professional Practice (1 credit)Fieldwork II-A (12 credits)Semester SixCapstone Project I (1 credit)Fieldwork II-B (12 credits)Semester SevenCapstone Project II (2 credits)Capstone Experience I (5 credits)Semester EightCapstone Experience II (6 credits)Capstone Experience III (2 credits)