Occupational therapy helps people participate in the everyday activities that give life meaning after injury, illness, disability, or changes in function.
Occupational therapy (OT) professionals apply clinical expertise, evidence-based reasoning, and therapeutic use of self to evaluate challenges, strengthen skills, adapt environments, modify tasks, and design individualized solutions that support daily living, roles, routines, and community participation. OT blends science with skilled human interaction to enable independence, promote inclusion, and support well-being through practical, occupation-centered care.
Occupational Therapy Department Mission
The mission of New York Institute of Technology’s (NYIT) Occupational Therapy Programs is to prepare students to become self-directed professionals, innovative problem-solvers, and critical thinkers who base the practice of occupational therapy on evidence and science. Our students have the skills necessary to facilitate inclusive participation in meaningful occupations across diverse populations, communities, and global societies.
Occupational Therapy Department Vision
Our vision is to become a widely recognized institution that prepares students to be influential leaders within the field of occupational therapy. Our graduates will effectively utilize evidence, technology, and science to translate knowledge into clinical practice to meet the continually changing occupational needs of local, national, and global societies. Our graduates will be the next generation of interdisciplinary, intradisciplinary, and multidisciplinary practitioners, research leaders, and inspirational educators in the profession.
Preparing for Practice with Professional Guidance
New York Tech’s Occupational Therapy programs are built on accredited curricula supported by consistent guidance from experienced OT faculty and clinical educators. Learning includes supervised lab practice, adaptive design using 3-D printing when aligned to coursework, patient and vendor demonstrations when available, peer learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical reasoning development, professional communication modeling, and ethical, occupation-centered preparation for practice in diverse healthcare and community settings.
Graduate Degrees & Dual Degree Programs
Deepen your knowledge and master additional technologies and applied skills with a graduate degree from New York Tech’s Department of Occupational Therapy.
For all the health professions areas I could have chosen, I gravitated toward occupational therapy as I love the restorative opportunities it grants those being treated.
Our faculty excel as teachers, researchers, and practitioners who mentor students for professional success. Review their bios and read about their areas of research.
Occupational therapy student Nihar Gediya developed a rehabilitative device during a fieldwork placement, fueling his passion for arm and hand therapy treatment.
The School of Health Professions hosted its annual Aletheia Research Symposium, where students presented their scholarly work and learned more about their peers’ academic efforts.
The School of Health Professions hosted its annual Aletheia Research Symposium, where more than 100 students presented their scholarly work and defended their capstone projects.
Accreditation
Both New York Institute of Technology’s master’s and doctorate programs in occupational therapy are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814-6519 or at acoteonline.org or by phone at 301.652.2682. Graduates of either program are eligible to sit for the NBCOT certification exam and pursue state licensure as Occupational Therapists professional certification.
If you are interested in transforming your life and the lives of others through occupational therapy, find out more about kickstarting your career at New York Tech.
