DEPARTMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE STUDENT
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL

Revised 6/96

Introduction

The Master of Science in occupational therapy requires 36 graduate credits (including 6 credits of thesis). There are two ways to enter the program:

1. Students who are registered occupational therapists and have a bachelor's degree. These students may attend on a part time or full time basis.

2. Students who are not registered occupational therapists, and have a bachelor's degree in another field. These students must attend on a full time basis while completing the professional level coursework.

Section 1: Admissions

1.1 Admissions Criteria

Admission to the graduate program in occupational therapy is competitive. Applicants must meet the minimum standards set forth by the University in addition to the following departmental requirements:

1. Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Students who have a bachelor's degree in a field other than occupational therapy will have to complete the professional certificate program in occupational therapy as part of their or in conjunction with their graduate coursework. (see professional certificate program, section 2.3).

2. A combined score of 1000 on the GRE (verbal and quantitative sections) or an upper division GPA of 3.0 or better. The University requires that all applicants take the GRE (no matter what their GPA) and have the scores submitted directly to FIU by the Educational Testing Service.

3. Two official copies of all college/university transcripts, and a completed University application, submitted to the Office of Admissions.

4. Submission of current resume.

5. Submission of a statement of professional and educational goals.

6. Three letters of recommendation.

7. Approval from the graduate admissions committee.

8. Foreign applicants whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and obtain a score of 550 or better. TOEFL scores must be submitted directly to FIU by the Educational Testing Service.

9. Successful completion of all prerequisites.

An applicant who fails to meet the regular admission requirements may apply to be considered under the BOR 10% waiver policy.

1.2 Prerequisite Coursework

Applicants who hold a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy must complete the following prerequisite course:

Statistics (students may substitute STA 6166, Statistical Methods in Research).

Applicants who hold a bachelor's degree in a field other than occupational therapy must complete the following prerequisite courses:

Statistics (students may substitute STA 6166, Statistical methods in Research I) Abnormal Psychology Theories of Personality Human Growth and Development Biology and lab Human Anatomy and lab* Neuroscience* Physiology

* Must be taken at the junior level (3000 level) or above. If not take as prerequisite, they may be taken after admission to the program.

All prerequisites, with the exception of those noted, must be completed prior to entering the program.

1.3 Transfer of credits

A maximum of 6 credit hours of graduate credit earned from another accredited institution may be considered for transfer credit. The departmental admissions committee must approve all transfer credit. Acceptance of transfer credit is dependent upon the following provisions:

A. The student earned a minimum grade of B. B. The course is judged relevant by the departmental graduate committee. C. The course is listed on official transcripts received by the Office of Admissions. D. The course was completed within 7 years preceding admission to the program.

1.4 Transfer of graduate credit hours earned at FIU as non-degree seeking students

A student may transfer a maximum of 12 semester credits earned at FIU as a non-degree-seeking student (special student), provided they were earned within the 7 years preceding admission to the degree program.

Enrollment as a non-degree seeking student does not imply a right to future admission as a regular degree seeking student.

1.5 Academic Dismissal

Failure to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all graduate coursework and C (73%) in all courses including professional certificate coursework (where applicable) will result in academic warning, probation, or dismissal according to University rules. A regularly admitted graduate student who has not been registered for three consecutive semesters (including the summer semester) is deemed dismissed unless a leave of absence has been approved.

A student who earns a grade less that a C in any required graduate course will be required to re-take that course.

A student who earns a grade less than a C in any professional certificate course will be required to re-take that course. The student's performance will be reviewed by the faculty before the student can continue in the program.

1.6 Re-Admission

A student who has been academically dismissed from the graduate program may apply for re-admission to the same or any other graduate programs at FIU under the regulations in force at the time of reapplication. A period of at least one calendar year must elapse after the date of dismissal before an application for readmission will be accepted for consideration. When the application for readmission is to occupational therapy, admissions criteria shall include consideration of previous performance in the graduate program in addition to the normal admission requirements.

Section 2: Program Requirements

2.1 Graduate Degree Requirements

The Master's degree program of study consists of 36 credits (including 6 credits of thesis). Students also enrolled in the professional certificate program must complete the professional level courses (see section 2.3).

2.2 Program of Study

All students are required to take:

OTH 5760 Current Research in Occupational Therapy OTH 6009 Current Issues and Theories of Occupational Therapy OTH 6265 Measurement and Assessment in Occupational Therapy OTH 6215 Advanced Occupational Therapy Intervention Strategies OTH 6948 Continuing Clinical Competence for Occupational Therapists STA 6167 Statistical Methods in Research II OTH 6970 Master's Thesis (in area of clinical concentration)

12 credits of clinical core: These course must consist of at least 6 credits in a clinical concentration area. Three credits of Research in Clinical Specialty are taken after the first year of study and the other 3 credits can also be in that same clinical concentration area, or may be more general in nature. All clinical core courses must be approved by the faculty advisor.

2.3 Professional Certificate Program

The professional certificate in occupational therapy is only available to students enrolled in the graduate program. Students who have a Bachelor's degree in a field other than occupational therapy must successfully complete the professional certificate program in addition to the coursework listed in section 2.2.

The following courses comprise the professional certificate program:

OTH 3351/3351L Treatment Techniques in OT and lab OTH 3413/3413L Applied Kinesiology and lab OTH 3520L Developmental Theory I Lab OTH 4170L Therapeutic Techniques OTH 4210 Developmental Theory II OTH 4315 Theory and Dysfunction in Psychiatric OT OTH 4325/4325L Evaluation and Treatment in Psychiatric OT and lab OTH 4411 Pathology and Medical Surgical Disorders OTH 4421/4421l Biomechanics and lab OTH 4422/4422L Eval & Treatment of CNS Dysfunction and Lab OTH 4761 Professional Issues OTH 4850 Fieldwork Level II OTH 4851 Fieldwork Level II OTH 5011 Theories and Practice of OT OTH 5162 Adaptation of Human Occupation OTH 5760 Current Research in OT

Section 3: Thesis

A written thesis and oral defense is mandatory to complete the Master's Degree requirements in occupational therapy.

To assist you in the thesis process, obtain a copy of Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation, available at the book store. The student is responsible for adhering to all guidelines and deadline dates.

3.1 Definition

A thesis is a formal and systematic discourse or treatise advancing an original point of view as a result of research. The study may be experimental, quasi-experimental, qualitative, or descriptive in nature.

3.2 Overview of the thesis process

1. Identify problem areas that you are interested in studying.

2. Do a brief review of literature in each area to see what has already been done. This review of literature will help you to delineate the problem areas, and will assist you in determining if a specific study will be feasible and appropriate.

3. After you have identified a topic, speak with your advisor about the composition of your committee. You need to have a committee chairperson who is interested in and knowledgeable about your subject area. You will also need two more committee members, one inside the O.T. department, and one outside the O.T. department. One committee member may be outside the University (subject to approval by your chairperson).

4. Approach each person and ask if they will serve on your committee. It is helpful at this time to have a clear, concise statement about your intended thesis research. Committee members must formally agree to serve and sign the Committee Member form. (Form C, Thesis/Dissertation Committee Appointments, must be signed and filed with the appropriate offices). A publication agreement (see Appendix A) must be completed at this time.

5. Submit an informal thesis topic proposal to each committee member and obtain necessary feedback. In some instances a committee meeting may be scheduled at this point, at the discretion of your committee chairperson. 6. When your topic proposal is approved by your committee, proceed with your full proposal. Guidelines for this proposal can be found in this manual under Outline for Thesis Proposal. (see Appendix B) At this point you also need to file the necessary human subjects forms and obtain approval for the University and also the facility human subject committees.

7. Work with your committee members to develop your full proposal. Your proposal is basically the first three chapters of your thesis. After completion of the proposal, and when your chairperson agrees that you are ready, you need to schedule a proposal meeting. At this meeting, committee members make comments and obtain clarifications about your proposed study. *A copy of your proposal needs to be to each committee member at least one week prior to this meeting.

8. After your committee approves your proposal in the proposal meeting, you may begin to collect your data, write your results and complete your thesis. Outlines for thesis format can be found in Appendix C. Meet frequently with your committee chairperson during this process and keep other committee members informed of your progress.

9. After your thesis is completed to the satisfaction of your committee members, you will need to schedule your defense. Application for Thesis Defense (form D) must be completed and signed. The abstract of your study must also be completed and sent to the Office of Graduate Studies (along with form D). This must be done at least 2 weeks prior to the defense date.

10. After successfully passing your defense, you will be given authorization to submit the thesis to the Office of Graduate Studies, with two additional copies submitted to the library. The department also requires that one bound copy be given to your committee chairperson.

Publication Policy:

It is expected that research that is completed and deemed publishable by a student's Thesis Committee will be submitted for publication in a suitable professional journal.

It is the student's right to have first authorship on all papers published from his/her thesis with the advisor as second author. If the student has not submitted a paper for publication within one year following binding, and the work is considered significantly publishable, a manuscript may be drafted by the students advisor to be submitted for publication. The student would remain as first author with the advisor as second author. (Publication Agreement, Appendix A). Any other order of authorship should be clarified in writing prior to thesis development.

Appendix D is provided to help the student avoid common pitfalls!!! Read it and save it!

3.3 Enrollment and Credit Hours

A student engaged in thesis preparation must be registered for at least one hour of thesis credit in every consecutive semester after the identification of committee, including the summer semester. The student must be enrolled for thesis credit during the semester in which the degree is awarded. Since students are required to take six thesis credits (but may take more), it is important to plan ahead and avoid using up all six credits before the thesis is completed. In the event that all six credits have been used before thesis completion, the student will be required to register for additional thesis credits.

3.4 Style

All theses submitted in fulfillment of requirements for graduate degrees must conform to University Guidelines. The Office of Graduate Studies publishes a handbook entitled Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation. Students are required to obtain this handbook when they begin thesis preparation. The Office of Graduate Studies has final authority on the preparation of the thesis (for example: placement of page numbers, size of margins) and students should abide by these requirements.

3.5 Deadlines

Each semester the Office of Graduate Studies publishes a list of deadlines related to thesis submission and defense. The student should obtain this list for the semester in which he or she intends to defend. The student is responsible for adhering to all deadline requirements.

Section 4: Award of Degree

4.1 Application for Graduation

The student is responsible for making certain that all requirements have been met and that every deadline is observed.

Every student who plans to graduate is required to submit to the Office of Registration and Records an Application for Graduation form. This form, supplied by the Office of Registration and Records, must be submitted by the deadline published in the academic catalogue which is during the semester prior to which graduation is expected. A student turning in the application after the deadline will graduate the following semester. No charge is made for applying for graduation. The Application for Graduation must be signed by the academic advisor prior to being submitted to the Office of Registration and Records.

A student denied graduation must complete the requirements for graduation and reapply for graduation.

A student must be registered for the term in which the degree is received.

4.2 Conditions

The University will confer the masters degree when the following minimum conditions have been met:

. submission of the required application for graduation

. recommendation of the faculty of the College of Health

. certification by the academic dean that all requirements of the degree being sought have been completed.

. achievement of the grade requirements

. satisfactory completion and defense of a thesis

. receipt by the library of two final, approved copies of the thesis.

No student shall be approved for graduation before the academic dean and the Dean of Graduate Studies have certified to the Registrar that all academic requirements have been met. The Registrar must promptly notify the candidate and the College if graduation is not approved for any reason.

Section 5: Educational Support Services

5.1 Financial Aid

Various forms of financial aid are available to students in graduate programs at the University. Information can be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid and from the Graduate Coordinator.

A limited number of assistantships or traineeships are sometimes available. When these forms of aid are available, students will be given the opportunity to apply for them. Some forms of financial aid require that the student assist in teaching a class (usually as a lab assistant), or that the student be assigned to work with a faculty member on a research project.

Students must complete and submit a Financial Aid Form (FAF) in order to be considered for any type of financial aid. This form is available from the Office of Financial Aid.

5.1.1 Award Criteria

The academic unit is responsible for developing and publishing criteria for awarding graduate assistantships and traineeships. Full awards are made only to full-time students. Academic units may prorate awards to meet their particular needs.

Those students awarded financial assistance from external sources must meet criteria established by the sponsoring agency.

5.1.2 Financial Aid Administration

Normal allocation decisions must be made early in the spring semester. Once the allocation decisions are made, the awarding agency (department, university, or external source) is respons-ible for notifying the Financial Aid Office of the award. The Financial Aid Office is then responsible for authorizing dis-bursement of financial aid according to the terms and conditions specified by the authorizing agency.

5.1.3 Computer Services

Graduate students are entitled to computer services and time. Students should contact computer services for more information on how to obtain a graduate account.

Computers for word processing are available in the library and in the student center.

5.1.4 Student's Rights and Responsibilities

The University has developed policies and procedures on the rights and responsibilities of students and a code of conduct assuring that there rights can be freely exercised without interference or infringement by others. The code of conduct, academic misconduct policies, student grievance procedures and policies on student records are reported in detail in the University publication Rights and Responsibilities of Students.

Section 6: Faculty Eligibility Requirements

6.1 Teaching Graduate Level Courses

All graduate level courses (courses at the 5000 level or above) shall be taught by faculty members who hold the highest earned degree in their disciplines. Exceptions to this rule (in cases where experience and/or scholarly or creative activity may substitute for this requirement) will be made only with the approval of the degree granting program, the appropriate academic dean and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Such exceptions shall be reported to the Graduate Council. Individual who do not hold regular faculty appointments must have such exceptions renewed each semester. Each graduate level course shall be taught by faculty with a degree appropriate to the subject field.

6.2 Minimum Number of Faculty for a Graduate Program

A graduate program offering a masters degree shall have a minimum of four full-time faculty members who are qualified to teach graduate-level courses in the subject field or discipline. To meet this requirement, faculty members in related disciplines may be included.

6.3 Research Committee Members

To be eligible to serve on a research committee, a faculty member must be eligible to teach graduate-level courses, be experienced in directing independent study, and have a recent record of creative, artistic and/or professional achievement or other evidence of scholarship.

To be eligible to serve as committee chairperson, a faculty member must have previously served as a committee member.

Clinical Education

Clinical education is an integral part of your learning and is considered a strength of this curriculum. During the first year each student will meet with the Clinical Coordinator (the faculty member that schedules your clinicals) to determine the criteria he or she thinks are most important for clinical placement. Criteria may include: timing of experience, location, size of department, and disabilities treated. Students who are not restricted by time or location have a wider range of experiences to choose from.

Each student will be participating in the following clinical experiences:

Year 1, Spring term: One week in a mental health setting (Level I) Year 2, Fall term: One week in a physical disabilities setting (Level I) Year 2, Summer term: 8-10 hours/week in a clinical research setting (Level I) Year 3, Summer term: Three months in a clinical setting (480 hours) (Level II) Year 3, Spring term: Three months in a clinical setting (480 hours) (Level II)

Appendix E contains forms and information related to clinical education: dress code, objectives, and evaluation forms.

Most facilities require that students have current health insurance, up to date immunizations, and CPR certification. The University provides malpractice insurance for students.

Certification Examination/Florida Licensure

The OTR national certification examination is given twice a year (March & September) at numerous locations around the country. Although a student can work as an OT after completing the last Level II fieldwork, the OTR exam must be taken the next time it is given. If the exam is not passed, that individual may no longer work as a therapist, and must re-take the exam until it is passed.

Most states require a license in order to work as an OT. Letters are automatically sent from our department to the State of Florida Board of Professional Regulation once a student is eligible to obtain a license (generally after the student has completed the second Level II experience AND our department has received written notification -the FWPR- from the fieldwork supervisor). It is then the student's responsibility to contact the Board of Professional Regulation, obtain the necessary forms for the license, and follow through on obtaining the license. The student will then receive a temporary license until he or she passes the certification exam, at which time a permanent license is issued. Students should be aware that they may not practice as an OT until receiving the temporary license. This process takes several weeks, so it is unlikely that a student can finish their fieldwork and then begin working within the next couple of weeks. Once our department has sent the necessary letter for the Board of Professional Regulation, we can do nothing to expedite the licensure process-so plan accordingly.

Students should be aware that it is difficult (or impossible) to obtain a license if they have ever been convicted of a felony. Any student who is in this unfortunate circumstance should investigate further before attending OT school.

Students who plan to work outside of Florida need to follow the procedures for the state in which they intend to practice.

Appendix A

Publication Agreement

(To be signed at the time that a faculty member agrees to be Advisor).

I understand that upon completion of my thesis, I am expected to submit a publishable paper based on my thesis within one year of final approval of the thesis. I understand that authorship will be shared with my major advisor. Other committee members may share authorship as appropriate to the amount of time, effort, and expertise contributed to the thesis. Otherwise, committee members will be appropriately acknowledged. If I have not submitted a paper for publication within the one year time period, I understand that a paper may be drafted by my advisor to be submitted for publication. I understand that I will retain first authorship with my advisor as second author.

Signed:

Date:

Appendix B

Outline for Thesis Proposal

I. Title Page

II. Table of Contents

III. Chapter I

IV. Chapter II

Review of the Literature: Review the background information bearing on the problem. Include theory and/or conceptual frame of reference literature. Critique research studies or papers that both agree and disagree with your assumptions. Describe findings, including methodology. Summarize literature.

V. Chapter III

VI. Appendices: Include copies of letters, survey forms, tests, etc.

VII. References: Use APA style format.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 3rd edition is to be used as a reference. This is usually available in the campus bookstore, or can be easily ordered through the bookstore, Waldenbooks, or Daltons.

Items I through VII will also be part of your thesis. It is advantageous to use a word processor so that you can easily make changes as you need to. For example, the proposal is written in the future tense ("Subjects will be selected on the basis of...") and your thesis will be written in the past tense (" Subjects were selected on the basis of..."). These corrections are easily made if you have used a word processing program instead of a typewriter. The following items are included as part of the proposal only. They are not included in the thesis:

VIII. Time Schedule: Project a time schedule for each part of the study. For example: completed literature review, securing subjects, data collection, completion date for data collection, completion date for writing each section of the thesis, etc. You may not actually stick to all of these times, but it helps you to keep things in perspective.

IX. Budget: Estimate the required budget. Include: personnel (secretarial services, data collection by students, statistical consultation, etc.) Equipment Supplies Other expenses (travel, printing, etc.) Total estimated budget

Appendix C

Outline for Thesis Format

Your thesis will generally follow the order below:

Blank Page

Title Page

Signature Page

Abstract (on a separate page)

Acknowledgments (on a separate page)

Table of Contents

List of Tables

List of Figures

Chapter I: Introduction Purpose of the Study Statement of the Problem Objectives, Questions, Hypotheses Definitions Significance of the Study Assumptions

Chapter II: Review of the Literature

Chapter III: Research Procedures/Methodology Limitations of the Study Chapter IV: Results

Chapter V: Discussion and Implications Recommendations Summary

Appendices

References

Use the University publication on preparation of theses or dissertations (available from Office of Graduate Studies, PC 520) to review specific requirements. The Publication Manual of the APA should be used for general formatting that has not been specified by the University publication.

Appendix D

Thesis Hints

1. Start to get ideas EARLY. Keep a small notebook and write down every idea you think of (even if it seems incomplete). A reasonable time to start doing this is during the summer between your first and second years. You will be in a clinical setting and will have time to think about research ideas.

2. Most students try to come up with their proposal during the semester in which they take OTH 5760 (Current Research)-usually taken year 2, spring semester. Since the proposal requires that you also have a committee, you will need to be thinking about your idea before that semester.

3. It is the student's responsibility for finding committee members and a committee chairperson. Since there are many graduate students (all trying to get a thesis done), many of the faculty are already on a lot of committees and may turn you down. In order to get a faculty member to agree to chair the committee, you will need to really have your idea formulated and look like you are trying to take charge of the situation. No faculty member is OBLIGATED to be on your committee.

4. When you have a committee member or chair that agrees to serve on your committee, be sure to ask if that person is planning to take time off during the next year: sabbatical, leave of absence, taking summer off (many faculty do not work summer and therefore are not available to you during those three months).

5. Although you can have a 4th person on your committee, it is not generally recommended. Keep in mind that it is hard enough to deal with three committee members, let alone four.

6. DEADLINES-DEADLINES-DEADLINES Know what you are dealing with. Find out the last day to defend during the semester in which you plan to finish. Work backward from there. Your chairperson can help you with this.

7. EVERYTHING TAKES LONGER THAN YOU THINK IT WILL ** Faculty need at least one week turn around time on all documents. Some may need longer-so ask them!

8. You are responsible for obtaining and completing all forms. Your committee chair might ask about them, but probably won't-so you need to keep track. The Office of Graduate Studies is a big help in this area-they will give you the forms and other information you might need (PC 520).

9. Almost all projects need human subjects committee approval. Obtain these forms early (ask your chairperson) and go through the necessary procedures. The committee only meets once a month and you cannot collect data until they have approved your project. You might also need to go through a human subjects committee in the facility from which you are obtaining data (if applicable).

10. When you are actually writing the thesis, pay close attention to format. Graduate Studies requires certain formatting and will not deviate from that requirement. You will need to obtain the APA Publication Manual and the Handbook on Thesis Preparation from Graduate Studies. The Graduate Studies manual pulls rank over the APA manual -- that means that if there is a discrepancy, go with the Graduate Studies requirement over the APA requirement.

11. Follow all University procedures for completing and filing forms. Faculty are not able to file your forms for you.

12. If you leave town, and plan to finish your thesis long distance, plan for several trips back here to meet with your advisor. Also, plan to stay here at least five working days past your defense. There are always last minute corrections or changes, and you have to get the final copies, on the appropriate paper, and get them submitted to the library. Faculty will not do this for you. It is best to stay here until it is done-try not to move away.

13. You need to register for at least one thesis credit each semester, beginning during the semester in which you get a committee chairperson. You always register under that person's name. You have to register for thesis each semester-even during the summer. However, it is recommended that you register for only one thesis credit each semester, and then finish up with the bulk of the six credits during your last semester. If you mistakenly use up your six credits and aren't done yet, then you will still have to take one more credit each semester, until you finish. This is a University rule-not ours.

14. Keep in mind that your clinical core courses need to apply to your research area. For example, if you take two clinical core courses in pediatrics, then it is expected that your research will be in the area of pediatrics.

15. Finally, a list of student/faculty responsibilities:

Student Responsibilities                                                                                      

Come up with research ideas                                                     

Fill out forms and ask for  appropriate signatures                                                       

Get the forms to the appropriate offices

Schedule the proposal meeting and the defense

Schedule the conference room (through the Dean's office)

Give copies of your work to the committee at least one week prior to any meeting

Pay attention to timeliness and deadlines

Faculty Responsibilities:

Give advice about ideas

Sign forms when appropriate

Show up at the meetings and the defense

Read the manuscript and assist in revisions

Read manuscript in timely manner and make revisions. Turn around time is a minimum of one week

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