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The American Occupational Therapy Association's requirements for program accreditation, in addition to health-care trends resulting in new models of service delivery, mandate that entry into the occupational therapy profession is at the master's degree level. The MAOT program at St. Catherine focuses on giving you an excellent foundation for entry-level practice and prepares you for advanced clinical practice and leadership roles including consultation, program development, research, client education and advancement of the profession. The MAOT program at St. Catherine is one of the top rated occupational therapy graduate programs by U.S.News & World Report (2000).

The entry-level master's program requires 72 graduate credits in occupational science and occupational therapy, including particiipation in fieldwork experiences (100 hours of level I, 6 months of level II) and completion of a thesis project. This program is offered in both the traditional day and weekend formats (Friday afternoon, Friday evening, all day Saturday for 8 weekends every 3 months).


Prerequisite course work (required regardless of admission option)
Three of the following courses must be completed before you petition to the major. All of the following courses must be completed prior to starting the major. Prerequisite coursework completed at other accredited colleges will be evaluated on a course by course basis by the MAOT Program Director.

NOTE: All courses are 4 semester credits, unless otherwise indicated.

• 2 Semesters of Anatomy and Physiology (one of these courses needs to have a lab) -Anatomical structure of the human body. Fundamentals of cell structure and function. Major tissues of the body and their organization to form the organ system. Physiologic function of the human body. Primary areas of study include muscle physiology; neurophysiology; and cardiovascular, respiratory, renal and reproductive physiology.


• Medical Terminology -Basic core of medical terminology.


• General Psychology -Orientation to contemporary scientific psychology, including the study of learning and memory, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, biology and behavior, personality, individual differences, abnormal psychology, and developmental and social psychology.


• Lifespan Developmental Psychology -Scientific study of development from prenatal life through late adulthood, with emphasis on the interplay of psychological processes, heredity and environment.


• Abnormal Psychology -Discussion of ideas about the attitudes toward mental illness; description of anxiety disorders, psychoses, organic mental disorders and character problems; theories and research related to etiology and pathology; and treatment methods.


• Statistical Methods -Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis including chi-square, correlation, regression, and concepts of normal curve, probability and hypothesis testing.

Completion of similar prerequisite course work at another institution is no guarantee that these requirements have been completed. Before taking prerequisite course work at another institution, call St. Catherine Office of Admission to see if the class will be accepted in transfer.

Undergraduate core occupational science courses
• Life Occupations
• Occupational Adaptations
• Group Dynamics
• Leadership and Inquiry: Human Occupation
• Policy and Politics in Human Service Systems
• Seminar
• Internship
Undergraduate occupational therapy concentration courses

• Foundations of Occupational Therapy
• Clinical Conditions I and II
• Clinical Kinesiology
• Psychosocial Assessment and Intervention
• Motor: Assessment and Intervention
• Sensation, Perception and Cognition: Assessment and Intervention

Graduate occupational therapy courses

• Management and Ethics
• Program Development and Evaluation
• Clinical Studies I and II
• Theoretical Basis of Occupational Therapy
• Client Education
• Thesis Seminar
• Thesis
• Level II Fieldwork
• Advanced Topics