Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT)

External applicants apply by April 15 through OTCAS. Internal applicants (SHU students) apply through SHU application by September 15 for 3+2 students (following sophomore year) and September 15 for 4+2 students (following junior year).

At Sacred Heart University, we offer a values-based educational approach to occupational therapy that is dynamic, engaging and transformative, led by exceptional faculty in state-of-the-art learning environments.

Why Occupational Therapy?  

Occupational therapy is a vibrant, growing profession that makes it possible for people to participate fully in their lives.  Occupational therapists change lives. Occupational therapy improves the ability of individuals, groups, and populations to access and participate in the everyday activities and occupations they want, need, and are expected to do each day. When a person is challenged with a physical or mental health difficulty, occupational therapists ask “What matters to you? What is important to you?”. Occupational therapy is a client centered, evidenced-based profession that supports people of all ages, individuals, groups or populations participate in everyday activities and occupations that are meaningful and valuable to the client.   

Why Earn Your Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy at Sacred Heart?

When you earn your Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at SHU, you will learn to address the spiritual, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs of your clients, and to design occupation-based interventions that enable clients to meaningfully participate in their own work, school, play, home, society, and community lives.

The OT curriculum combines active learning with clinical application utilizing a problem-based learning approach that is designed to bridge course content with practice by having students engage in the clinical reasoning process in small group tutorials led by expert faculty members.

Our superb faculty include authors, recognized scholars, advocates, and expert practitioners. Year after year, program evaluation results identify faculty excellence, availability, and relationships with students as our most outstanding outcome. Sacred Heart University graduates perform extremely well on the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy exam. Also visit Outcomes and Assessments.

Through the MS in Occupational Therapy program, you will also:

• Benefit from a unique curriculum design that emphasizes occupational justice aligned with our program and University mission and reflects a philosophy of humanism, service to others and community-based practice
• Experience an intimate and engaged program culture, with low faculty-student ratios, regular student advisement, mentored small group work, an open door office hour’s policy, and a highly accessible faculty
• Study in state-of-the-art laboratories such as occupational therapy sensory integration and pediatric laboratory, human cadaver laboratory, simulation laboratories replicating hospital and ambulatory care settings, a fully-equipped home suite with a room-to-room lift tracking system, and a Drive Safety driving simulator
• Participate in interprofessional education activities and collaborate with SHU’s other College of Health Professions programs such as Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, Athletic Training and Exercise Science.
• Have opportunities to participate in supervised fieldwork education and global service learning trips that provide real-world experience and interprofessional collaboration
• Be eligible to sit for the NBCOT (National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy) exam upon graduation. After successful completion of the exam, you will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). View the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) program data results.

Dual Degree Program

Students apply to the Bachelor’s-Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) Dual Degree Program  as an incoming freshman. Students applying for the Bachelor’s-MSOT dual degree program progress on a defined pathway of study to move seamlessly from their undergraduate degree to a graduate degree. Students may pursue one of two pathways to the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program:

• Accelerated 3+2 Bachelor’s-MSOT
  Complete three years of undergraduate coursework and two years of graduate coursework, earning both a bachelor’s degree and an MSOT degree within five years.
• 4+2 Bachelor’s-MSOT
  Complete the bachelor’s degree in the traditional four-year time frame and complete two years of graduate study in the MSOT program, earning both the bachelor’s degree and an MSOT degree within six years.

Top 10 reasons to get your MSOT at Sacred Heart

1. Strong and compassionate relationships with renowned faculty
2. Ongoing connections with our graduates who support and contribute to the education of our current students 
3. Mission-driven curriculum interwoven with passion for social and occupational justice
4. Modern, high-tech facilities and state-of-the-art equipment
5. Long-term relationships with local and global community partners, and many opportunities for community-engagement through service learning  
6. Expert and renowned faculty in every practice area  
7. Student-centered, innovative and transformative learning practices
8. Curricular flexibility and continuous improvement based on student feedback
9. Focus on the mental health of our students and our clients
10. Multiple opportunities for onsite interprofessional education

Accreditation

Sacred Heart University’s Graduate Occupational Therapy Program, leading to the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT), is accredited through 2026/2027. Accreditation is under “The Standards for an Accredited Educational Therapy Program for the Occupational Therapist - 2018” by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. (ACOTE telephone c/o AOTA is 301-652-6611; ACOTE website)

Visit our accreditation page for more information.

Graduates are prepared to help people thrive

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the field of occupational therapy will grow much faster than average until at least 2033. The median salary is $96,370.

As an occupational therapist, you’ll help people return to an independent lifestyle, performing the tasks or activities that are most meaningful to them. Visit our Career Outlook for more information.

MSOT Tuition & Fees | 2025-2026

*Mandatory

See Graduate Tuition & Fees on the Student Accounts website. Fees are subject to change.

More Information