COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Programs in Occupational Therapy
710 West 168th Street – 8th Floor
New York, NY 10032

http://www.columbiaOT.org

Overview
Columbia University’s Programs in Occupational Therapy pride themselves in being among the oldest yet exceptionally progressive programs to prepare occupational therapists. Our long tradition of excellence began in 1941, when the first students were admitted to a two-year diploma course. Since that time, thousands of graduates have enriched the lives of consumers all over the world.

Columbia University's Programs in Occupational Therapy are committed to educating and preparing therapists to impact health care as superior clinicians, administrators, educators, and researchers. Our professional program prepares individuals to become certified and licensed occupational therapists; our post-professional program offers certified occupational therapists the skills and knowledge they seek in order to become educators and administrators; and our dual degree program with the School of Public Health prepares therapists at either level for an exciting career that combines therapeutic excellence with public health leadership.

The Community
The College is located in northern Manhattan, in the world’s first academic medical center. The medical center comprises about twenty acres, extending from West 165th Street to West 173rd Street, and from Audubon Avenue to Riverside Drive; it encompasses the Health Sciences Division of Columbia University, the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and its subdivisions, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The Health Sciences Division includes the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, the School of Nursing, the Mailman School of Public Health, and the Centers for Arteriosclerosis Research, Geriatrics and Gerontology, Medical Infomatics, Neurobiology and Behavior, Alternative/Complementary Medicine, and the Study of Society and Medicine, among many others.

Programs of study and degree requirements
The Programs in Occupational Therapy has three types of Degree Programs: The entry-level M.S. Degree; the dual M.S./M.P.H. Degree and the Post-professional M.S. Please feel free to visit our website at www.columbiaOT.org for further information and specific degree requirements for each of the respective programs. It should be noted that we hold the distinct honor of having the country’s first dual degree M.S./M.P.H. program (Master of Science/Master of Public Health).

For both the entry-level professional program, and the post-professional program, students whose native language is not English and whose undergraduate degree is from a school outside of the United States, are required to take the TOEFL

Facilities & Resources
The Programs in Occupational Therapy are located at the Neurological Institute, on the 8th floor. We use two on-site classrooms for seminars, lectures, and labs, as well as classrooms throughout the health science campus. All learning spaces are equipped with state of the art audiovisual resources. Students have access to an onsite student commons equipped for lounge, study, or discussion. It also contains vending machine units and a microwave.

Columbia University’s Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library prides itself on the vast array of printed and electronic materials. The library is located at 168th Street and Fort Washington Avenue, directly across from our main office. Among the resources is CLIO (Columbia Libraries Information Online) that is available through Telnet or on the worldwide web. Other classes are held in the Hammer Health Sciences Center (same location as the library); the Presbyterian Hospital Learning Center, on the 17th floor of 622 West 168th Street. Among the facilities there are medical labs, computer labs and larger classroom space.

Students and alumni have access to our computer based career services, and our on-site job file.

Expenses and Aid
The estimated tuition charges for matriculation are at $980.00 per point. Tuition and fees for a full time student are $35,675. On- campus living costs, including room, board, and personal expenses are estimated to be $1,958.00 per month. Living expenses during summer fieldwork are usually lower, depending on the student’s clinical assignment. Tuition charges and living expenses may increase slightly in the future.

Financial Assistance
Various financial assistance options are available: loans, grants and/or Federal Work-Study through the Program; scholarship awards through outside agencies; service scholarships in amounts up to the full cost of tuition by city agencies and private hospitals. Our Financial Aid Office strives to provide assistance to all students who demonstrate financial need and to award the most favorable program dollars to students with the highest need. A financial aid application is sent to all accepted students.

How to Apply
An application packet may be obtained by telephone or by returning the request form sent with the initial information packet. Applicants may also log onto our website, www.columbiaOT.org for information on admissions and for access to our application.

Applications for the entry-level professional program are encouraged from persons who hold a baccalaureate degree from an approved college or university. Specific application instructions are included in the application packet.

Applications for the post-professional program are encouraged from persons who are certified occupational therapists, with one year of clinical experience. In addition to the application, we require and interview and the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Record number of Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)

Recipients of the AOTA’s highest honors:

The Merit Award

Eleanor Clark Slagle Lectureship

Elected positions to national organizations, including AOTA’s Board of Directors

National and State Recognition Awards

Grant recipients, including major awards from the National Institute of Health

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