Puget Sound offers graduate programs in Education, Counseling, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy.
Education
Master of Arts in Teaching
The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree offers professional preparation in teaching to students who hold baccalaureate degrees in the arts or sciences. Students completing the program will meet all requirements for Washington state teacher certification.
Master of Education in Counseling
The Master of Education Degree (M.Ed.) in Counseling is designed for those wishing to enter the counseling profession in one or more settings. The school-counseling track leads to the K-12 certificate in Washington State. Coursework in the mental health counseling track can be used to pursue licensure as a mental health counselor in Washington state.
Applying to the School of Education
Occupational Therapy
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (M.S.O.T.) emphasizes hands on clinical practice, clinical reasoning and research. Students in the M.S.O.T. program must successfully pass the community-based clinical experience in mental health and the onsite adult and pediatric clinical experiences. Additionally, they complete a three-course sequence in research methods with an emphasis on translational research and a paper of publishable quality. It is anticipated that the class entering Fall 2019 will be the last M.S.O.T. class.
Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy
Effective Fall 2020 the School of Occupational Therapy will transition to an entry level Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (O.T.D.). The University of Puget Sound is currently seeking this new accreditation. Pending approval of the accreditation process, candidates who apply for and are accepted into the class starting Fall 2020 will graduate with an O.T.D. The next application cycle will be for the anticipated O.T.D. program.
As we transition to the entry-level Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, many of the unique factors of our Program will remain, such as the onsite clinic, experiential learning in context, and community engagement. The new entry-level O.T.D. degree will allow our graduates to be better prepared to address the changing milieu of occupational therapy practice across context including population-based services.
Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy
The Post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (Dr.O.T.) program is designed to fit all levels of experience, whether you are a new entry-level occupational therapist or a seasoned one. The twelve month curriculum is designed to be student-centered and to support students’ development of advanced practice skills that support their career goals. To that end, students in the program are required to articulate an area of concentration and related learning outcomes that will guide them in developing a doctoral thesis project, shaping course assignments, and selecting authentic learning experiences. Students will enter the Dr.O.T. program with a range of professional experience and interests, which will enhance the learning of all.
Applying to the School of Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Doctor of Physical Therapy
The mission of the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Puget Sound is to prepare students at the clinical doctoral level for entry into the physical therapy profession. Our presence on a liberal arts campus underscores our belief that the development of clinician scholars is a natural extension of the values of critical analysis, sound judgment, active inquiry, community participation, and apt expression. The curriculum is designed to teach the evaluation and intervention skills that are unique to the practice of physical therapy. Students also learn to identify professional boundaries, gain an appreciation of coalition building with other health care providers in order to optimize patient care, and become discerning consumers of the professional literature. Similarly, students develop the capacity for autonomous decision-making in preparation for a professional environment in which information is continually evolving. All courses provide opportunities to develop articulate written and oral communication skills. Through a careful blending of rigorous academic work and mentored clinical practice, our program seeks to prepare clinician scholars for informed, ethical, and efficacious practice.