Facts and History

An international leader in education, research, and clinical practice, the Division is devoted to understanding the fundamental nature and importance of purposeful activities (occupations) to humans, and the role of balanced occupation in promoting health and wellness in all people. Occupations are used therapeutically with persons facing physical or psychosocial challenges to restore skills or promote rehabilitation.

Facts
History
Timeline: The Twentieth Century (PDF)

Facts

USC OT Program

• Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
• Ranked #1 in the nation by US News & World Report since 1998
• Founded in 1942 (over 60 years old)
• Initiated first Post-Professional Master's program in the nation in 1947
• Inaugurated world's first PhD Program in Occupational Science in 1989
• Offers BS, MA, OTD (clinical doctorate), and PhD programs
• Has contracts with over 500 clinical fieldwork sites in 35 states
• Provides specialization in pediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, and lifestyle redesign
• Prepares students for traditional and nontraditional OT career paths
• Utilizes a problem-based learning / clinical-based reasoning approach
• Has departmental TAships and scholarships available

Faculty

• Total number of faculty: 19 full-time, 7 part-time
• Faculty backgrounds: Occupational Therapy, Occupational Science, psychology, anthropology, business, education, drama, research biometry, linguistics, English, medicine, and music
• Emeritus Professors: 2 (Elizabeth June Yerxa and Mary Reilly)
• Internationally recognized adjunct faculty: Jane Goodall, Lela Llorens, and J. Seward Johnson
• Faculty Awards: 2 Eleanor Clarke Slagle lecturers
• Faculty student ratio: 10:1
• Federal grant funds received in the past 3 years: $2,735,656.00

Students

• Total number of students enrolled: 240
• Students from out of state: 101 (42 % of student body)
• Students receiving financial aid (loans and scholarships): 170 (68% of student body)
• Has one of the most ethnically diverse OT student populations in the nation

Alumni

• Total number: 2,858 OT Alumni in 47 states
• AOTA Presidents: 2 (Florence Cromwell and Mary Foto)
• Alumni Awards: 12 Eleanor Clarke Slagle lecturers
• Have best attended alumni parties at state and national conferences - by far!

University

• USC founded in 1880
• Named college of the year 2000 by Time and The Princeton Review
• USC Fact Book

History

Established in 1942 as a baccalaureate program, the Division initiated the nation's first Occupational Therapy Post Professional degree program in 1947. It inaugurated the world's first doctoral program in Occupational Science in 1989. In the first national ranking of Occupational Therapy graduate programs in 1998, U.S. News and World Report ranked USC's OT graduate program as #1 in the nation.