Ithaca College to launch occupational therapy doctoral degree program

ITHACA, N.Y. — Ithaca College says it is accepting applications for a new six-year, undergraduate-plus-doctoral degree program in occupational therapy.

It will be the school’s second doctoral program, joining the doctor of physical therapy degree offering in Ithaca College’s School of Health Sciences and Human Performance.

The inaugural undergraduate cohort will take its first classes in the fall of 2023, Ithaca College said. Students will earn a bachelor’s degree in occupational science after four years and a doctor of occupational therapy degree (OTD) at the end of their sixth year. Ithaca plans to replace its current stand-alone master’s degree program with a three-year stand-alone OTD, with the first admission cycle beginning in the summer of 2025.

A candidate is required to have either a master’s or doctorate in occupational therapy to take the national occupational-therapy certification exam and qualify for employment.

“We recognize the importance of preparing our graduates with the highest entry-level degree possible to ensure they’re competitive, and we’re pleased we can offer it in a really efficient way,” Julie Dorsey, professor and chair of Ithaca College’s department of occupational therapy, said in a statement. “The industry is moving in this direction, and the strength of our master’s program gives us a solid foundation that eased our transition. We’re really just taking it to the next level.”

Ithaca College calls the field’s future “bright,” citing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that indicates a projection of 17 percent job growth between 2020 and 2030 and a current average annual salary of more than $85,000.