Occupational Science (Ph.D.)

Program Overview

This Ph.D. program in Occupational Science is designed for working professionals, offering part-time and full-time options in traditional, onsite, or online formats. It equips students to conduct research on the complexity of human participation in everyday life, focusing on well-being across individuals, communities, and society. The program is one of a few worldwide dedicated to occupational science, a discipline that provides the foundation for informed clinical practices in occupational therapy.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• This is a Ph.D. program in Occupational Science.
• It is designed for occupational therapists with a master's degree or select non-occupational therapists with a master's degree in a social science-related field.
• The program is designed for the working professional and offers part-time or full-time course offerings, ability to take classes in a traditional, onsite or online format, and a community of scholars engaged in occupation-based research across the lifespan.
• The program prepares you to engage in the creation of knowledge regarding the complexity of humans as they participate in their daily lives.
• It focuses on the depth and breadth of participation across contexts and in relation to well-being of individuals, communities, and society.

Other:

• The field of occupational science was founded in the late 1980s to provide the profession of occupational therapy with its own scientific and research base for informing clinical practices.
• Towson's program is among a small number of academic programs in occupational science worldwide.
• The Society of the Study of Occupation: USA is a research society that strives to build a body of knowledge in occupational science to benefit humanity.
• You can join this national community of scholars to exchange ideas and support the global discipline of occupational science.