Combined Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Studies and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy*

*Please note: The new BS program in Behavior and Health has replaced the undergraduate program in Therapeutic Studies (BS/MSOT). Contact us for updated information about this program.

Program Director:
Wendy Coster, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Email: ot@bu.edu
Phone: 617-353-2729

If you’re a prospective freshman or a current undergraduate considering a career in occupational therapy, congratulations! Not only have you discovered one of the world’s most rewarding career fields—you’ve found it early enough to enter a program for undergraduates. As you learn more about the Sargent College combined BS/MSOT, you’ll find it’s one of the best occupational therapy education programs available anywhere.

For one thing, it gives you a head start on your career. In five and a half years instead of six and a half, you can earn both an undergraduate degree and a professional, two-year graduate degree. Not just any undergraduate degree but a Bachelor of Science from a world-class liberal arts institution. Not just any professional degree but an MSOT from Boston University which ranks # 2 in the nation for graduate programs in occupational therapy.

What makes BU’s program a standout? It starts with a strong foundation in anatomy, physiology, psychology, health and health care. You’ll also take courses that will help develop your ability to think critically and communicate clearly. In your senior year, you’ll start learning the concepts, theory and practice of OT with some of the nation’s top professors and practitioners. You’ll also acquire an extraordinary range of clinical experience through course-integrated fieldwork and full-time clinical placements, chosen from BU’s large network of clinical sites.

BU’s outstanding study abroad programs are open to you; we encourage you to work with your advisor to include travel in your study plan. But whether or not you travel, you’ll be living in an exciting urban center of international culture, science and the arts.

Throughout the Master of Science program, you’ll have close interaction and personal attention from your instructors. Many classes have fewer than 20 students, and even your largest lecture will have less than 50.

Five years of coursework and about six months of supervised full-time fieldwork will prepare you to take the NBCOT National Certification Examination. Having passed the exam (our pass rate is 97-100 percent), you’ll be ready to enter clinical practice with confidence.

If you’re wondering whether occupational therapy and Sargent College are right for you, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I flexible? Dynamic? A creative problem-solver?
• Can I communicate and collaborate effectively with people from diverse communities?
• Do I find the biological sciences and psychology equally fascinating?
• Will I enjoy the challenge of learning and applying complex knowledge about human occupation?
• Am I ready to assume responsibility for my own personal and professional development?