Milestones & Progression
Milestones
To earn an OTD degree at UTRGV, students are expected to reach each program’s milestone within the specified time to make satisfactory progress through the program. Faculty advisors will work with each student to customize the responsibilities included in the Agreement. Students who are not making satisfactory progress may lose funding, be placed on academic probation, or be dismissed from the program. If a student has ongoing concerns or grievances related to their Milestones Agreement, they should follow the institution's academic grievances policy and procedures as outlined in the institution's graduate catalog (or Handbook of Operating Procedures).
Requirements for all Students in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program
Milestone |
Expected Time (DATE) of Achievement |
Successful completion and submission of pre-matriculation activities, health documents, and orientation items |
Beginning of semester One |
Review of student’s progress with the faculty advisor. |
Annually or as determined by the program |
Research protocols and IRB approval |
Semester Four |
Capstone proposal completed and approved |
End of Semester Seven/Eight |
Coursework successfully completed |
End of Semester Nine |
Research study completed and presented |
Semester Nine |
Student completes and files all paperwork required for graduation |
End of Semester Ten |
Capstone project completed and accepted by the faculty |
Semester Eleven |
Exit interview completed |
Semester Eleven |
Maximal Length of Time to Completion
The maximum time to complete the OTD Occupational Therapy program is five (5) years. This includes successfully completing all academic coursework and requirements, Fieldwork Level II, and the capstone experience.
Students have 24 months after completing the academic coursework to complete Level II fieldwork requirements as declared by ACOTE. Students must complete and pass the equivalent of a minimum of 24 weeks of full-time Level II fieldwork before proceeding to the doctoral capstone experience.
Progression in the Program
Graduate students in Occupational Therapy are expected to maintain an overall 3.5 GPA in all OT coursework. A graduate OT student is ineligible to continue and will be dismissed from the Program if:
- A student receives a failing grade "F" in any course.
- A student receives a grade of "C" in three courses in the Program. (Even if the course is repeated and a higher grade is received, the higher grade does not alter the "C" rule.)
- A student receives a grade of "C" in Applied Clinical Kinesiology & Biomechanics (ODTE 8401), Applied Clinical Neuroscience (OTDE 8305), or any of the OT intervention & treatment courses (OTDE 8402, 8309, 8403, and 8310) and does not make a grade of "B" or better on the repeated class. Even though the student has no prior grades of "C," the student must repeat that course and earn a grade of "B" or better. If the student is not successful in getting a grade of "B" or better on the repeated course, the student will be dismissed from the Program.
- A student fails two Level II Fieldwork (OTDE 8601/8602 or 8312/8313) or Capstone Experiences (OTDE 8603/8604 or 8316/8317). If a student fails one Level II Fieldwork or Capstone Experience, the course must be repeated and scheduled at the discretion of the Program.
If a student gives evidence of unsafe or ineffective health care practice, the faculty of the Occupational Therapy Department reserves the right to refuse the opportunity to the student to care for patients or perform evaluation/testing procedures. A student may not render care, tests, or evaluations when under the influence of prescribed or over-the-counter medication, which may affect judgment or if the student imbibes or is under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs. A student who is deemed to demonstrate unsafe practice will fail the course and be dropped from all clinical rotations in which they are enrolled at that time. The student may be dismissed from the Program.
Any student whose overall OT GPA falls below 3.25 or placed on academic probation by the Graduate College must meet with their academic advisor to develop a remedial action plan. This plan must be submitted to the program chair for final approval. If the student does not restore their OT GPA to 3.25 by the end of the next semester, they will be terminated from the OT program.