Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Degree Program

In UNE’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program, you’ll gain the knowledge, skills, and relationships to become an innovative OT who can support the health and wellness of your clients through the transformative power of everyday activities.

Earn Your Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Maine’s Leading Health University

As an M.S.O.T. student at UNE, you will be part of a community of scholars and students who take pride in mobilizing the power of occupation to improve lives. UNE’s Occupational Therapy degree program, located in Maine, will prepare you for a rewarding career helping patients experience independence in performing the daily activities that give them purpose.

Facilitating a culture of service to all populations is at the heart of what you learn while enrolled in UNE’s OT degree program. Above all, our program helps you develop a lifelong passion and purpose for a rewarding career as an occupational therapist.

U N E occupational therapy students work with a patient
Title
Best Occupational Therapy Programs
Source
U.S. News & World Report
Year
2024

Why UNE for Your Master of Science in Occupational Therapy

  • You will experience all areas of OT practice to help you meet the needs of pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients and communities and to develop diverse career options.
  • You will learn in state-of-the-art facilities on our Portland, Maine, campus.
  • You will have the opportunity to do fieldwork in locations across the country, from Atlanta to Honolulu.
  • You will be taught by leading faculty who are performing important occupational therapy research and shaping the way occupational therapy is conceived, taught, and practiced.
  • You will learn how to collaborate in today’s team-based health care by training alongside UNE students who are future physicians, nurses, and other health professionals.

Request info about the UNE Occupational Therapy master’s

98.5%

of our students pass the NBCOT exam within one year of graduation

2020-2023
30+

states where you can do clinicals

Three Occupational Therapy students standing together looking at various wrist braces
An Occupational Therapy student practices applying a wrist brace to another student
A group of students share a sensory texture board with a young girl at an Autism Expo
A student assists an elderly person move from their wheelchair to their walker
A student presents their poster as part of the 5th Annual Conference of the Occupational Therapy Association of Morocco

What will you study? Occupational Therapy Program Curriculum Overview

During UNE's 24-month Master in OT program, you start with a foundation of theory, therapeutic use of self, functional movement analysis, and occupational analysis. As you progress toward your occupational therapy degree, emphasis is placed on mental health practice; practice with children; rehabilitation, disability, and participation (RDP) with adults and older adults; practice skills; and exploration of context, research, and leadership.

To learn more see the Occupational Therapy Student Handbook (PDF) or view the Academic Catalog.

Fieldwork

You will also complete Level I Fieldwork in the areas of mental health, children and youth, and adults and older adults. After completion of your didactic coursework, you will complete two 12-week Level II Fieldwork rotations, during which you will work alongside OT practitioners addressing clients’ specific occupational needs. You will then complete one rotation in the area of RDP and one in either mental health, children and youth, or another RDP setting.

Then you return to our Portland, Maine campus for a one-week immersion of synthesis, exploration, and exam prep. Upon successful completion of coursework and fieldwork, you may take the national OT certification examination.

Fieldwork Placement

We maintain relationships with a diverse range of clinical sites in Maine, New England, and across the country. Our sites have included level I trauma centers, prestigious rehab hospitals, private clinics, mental health settings, schools, nature and farm-based settings, OT practice in community, and beyond.

Career Paths for Occupational Therapy Grads

As an occupational therapist, you design creative client-centered interventions and then work closely with clients to implement them. You must be adept at working with others and have a keen mind for problem-solving. You must have the underlying knowledge to diagnose the physical, psychological, and social aspects of your clients’ deficits, and the patience to guide them through their transformation.

This is an extremely rewarding profession through which you improve the lives of your clients in clearly tangible ways. It is immensely satisfying to help a client assess and then overcome the challenges that were preventing him or her from fully participating in life’s daily tasks and leisure activities. You have the ability to impact your clients’ ability to succeed at home, at school, at work, and in the community.

Your work might help a:

  • Newborn learn to suck and swallow
  • Toddler learn to play with toys
  • Child keep up with friends on the playground
  • Teen develop positive regard for self
  • Veteran return to life at home
  • Athlete explore adapted sports
  • Individual recovering from a stroke relearn life skills

Hear How UNE Alumni Have Used Their OT Degrees

Matthew Capaldo ’13: Director of Rehabilitation

Heather Shields ’97: Helping People Drive Again

Occupational Therapy Facilities

Occupational Therapy Lab

UNE’s Occupational Therapy Lab is a dynamic space on the Portland Campus for the Health Sciences that facilitates integrated learning throughout the OT curriculum. Many OT courses are designed holistically so that faculty and students participate in multiple learning formats within the timespan of one class. Groups may flow between a lecture, small group discussions, clinical practice activities, and reflection. The new lab is designed for such integrated learning. Large and full of natural light, the lab has a classroom for lectures and hands-on lab training sessions, as well as functional fixtures to support skills exercises for key occupations, such as meal preparation (in a full kitchen), sleep and rest, bathing and grooming, and play.

Pediatric Labs

You develop occupation-based practice with infants, children, youth, and families including skill development, theoretical application, and clinical reasoning. You learn hands-on skills and develop occupation-based practice in preparation for work in schools, early intervention settings, community agencies, and medical settings.

Transdisciplinary Playgroup

The Transdisciplinary Playgroup is a hands-on Interprofessional Education program of the Westbrook College of Health Professions. The playgroup services children ages 18 months to 3 years and their families while providing valuable real-world education for occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, and nursing students. As a first-year occupational therapy student, you document therapeutic observations, in your second year, you participate in the playgroup.

Tour Our Facilities

Occupational Therapy: Team-Based Learning

When students from different health professions disciplines learn with, from, and about each other to better understand different professional roles and expertise, great things can happen. In UNE’s M.S.O.T. program, you will be studying alongside students from other programs, including the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Doctor of Dental Medicine program, gaining the skills to collaborate and lead in today’s team-based care. UNE is proud to be the only institution in New England that is part of the National Center for Interprofessional Education and Practice’s prestigious Innovation Network.

You also have the opportunity to apply this collaborative participation toward your Interprofessional Honors Distinction.

Whether you are coming from physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, pharmacy, or any other health professions, you all have something to bring to the table.” — Morgan Mitchell, M.S.O.T. ’19

Occupational Studies/M.S.O.T. 3+2

Now earning your Master of Science in Occupational Therapy is faster than ever before. Our accelerated program will allow you to earn credits toward a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree during your coursework for a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Studies. By combining the two programs, you can become a working occupational therapist in as little as five years.

A Health Care Education Campus in Portland, Maine

UNE M.S.O.T. students study on the Portland Campus for the Health Sciences, a quintessential New England quad that has been welcoming students for more than a century. Lined with lush trees and brick buildings, the campus sits in a quiet neighborhood just a short drive from the downtown waterfront. Portland, named “America’s Most Livable City” by Forbes and “Foodiest Small Town in America” by Bon Appetit, is about 100 miles from downtown Boston.

Global Opportunities

UNE strives to empower students to become global citizens, and in our occupational therapy program, you’ll have unique, fascinating opportunities to travel internationally and gain a wider perspective of OT. This might be on UNE's Morocco campus or on short-term, faculty-led experiences in Guatemala, Ghana, and more.

Who can apply to our Occupational Therapy Degree Program?

To apply to our OT degree program, you must hold a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. regionally accredited institution, or international equivalent.

The University of New England Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program participates in the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). All applicants are required to apply online through this service.

Current Application Deadline

  • For Program Starting: Summer 2025
  • OTCAS Application Portal Opens: July 2024
  • Application Deadline: Rolling

Attend an M.S.O.T. Admissions Event

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Financial Aid at UNE

Finance your education through loans, grants, and scholarships. We are committed to making our occupational therapy degree program as affordable as possible.

M.S.O.T. tuition and financial aid

Accreditation

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at UNE was initially accredited in 1985 and has been continuously accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) since that time. Our next accreditation visit will occur in the 2024/2025 academic year. ACOTE is located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, North Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number, C/O AOTA is (301) 652-6611 and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

NBCOT Exam Pass Rates

M.S. program graduates are eligible to take the certification examination administered by the National Board Certification in Occupational Therapy. 

Learn more about the exam and UNE pass rates

View program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy

Apply Today

Ready to begin your future in UNE’s accredited OT program?

Occupational Therapy Degree FAQ