The purpose of this degree is to allow students who know they want a career in occupational therapy to finish their bachelors degree during the first two semesters of the Masters of Occupational Therapy program. Admission to the program is on a competitive basis. Fulfillment of the bachelors degree requires completion of all prerequisite courses required by the Division, completion of the courses outlined for the first two semesters of the MOT program and all University of Utah graduation requirements. The student then continues on with an additional 6 semesters of the Masters program. Completion of the Masters degree allows a student to sit for the National Certification Examination in Occupational Therapy. We are in the process of discontinuing this program and no new students will be enrolling in the future.

RT uses activity-based interventions as a part of the systematic therapeutic recreation process that targets specific evidence-based outcomes. Recreational therapists use individual and group counseling techniques that are implemented through prescribed play, recreation, experiential activity and psycho education processes to improve the physical, social, emotional, cognitive and spiritual functioning and well-being of individuals with injury, illness and/or disability to enable a greater quality of life. A Recreational Therapist, assists clients/participants in developing knowledge, skills, and behaviors to improve functioning for greater health and community engagement. The therapist also works with the individual and his/her support systems to develop specific leisure skills and the necessary resources to promote overall well-being and life satisfaction.

Qualified professionals must have both academic and applied training in recreational therapy. In the State of Utah, to practice as a recreational therapist one must be licensed by the Department of Professional and Occupational Licensing (DOPL). National certification by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) is also required for most positions in Utah and across the United States and Canada.

Learning Outcomes

• The student will complete their undergraduate education within the Division of Occupational Therapy as designated by the University of Utah.
• The student will understand how the human being functions both physically and psychosocially as occupational beings.
• The student will have a basic knowledge of research and how it applies to occupational therapy.
• The student will understand the historical and foundational underpinnings of occupational therapy as a profession and how it views the human as an occupational being.