University of Southern California
Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science
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Occupational Therapy > Current Students > Announcements > Fall 2005 elective info

University of Southern California
Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Fall 2005 Pathway Registration Information

Fall 2005 ELECTIVE OPTIONS:

  • Pathways to Excellence
    • 4 unit Pathway Courses enable graduate students to broaden and deepen their knowledge and expertise in contemporary practice areas.
    • 2 unit Pathway Courses enable graduate students to further broaden their knowledge and expertise in contemporary practice areas. NOTE: These courses are offered only in Spring Semester.
  • Clinical Experiences (OT 500; A, B, C) include participation in various clinical/health settings in the community. 2 - 4 units.
  • Research Experiences (OT 590) include participation in research projects with USC community partners. 2 - 6 units.
  • Independent Study (OT 590) enables students to research a topic of their choice, supervised by a USC faculty member. 1 - 6 units.
  • Other Options You may take 4 units outside the OT Division provided they are at the 400 level or higher.


ELECTIVE REMINDER FOR THOSE TAKING THE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM:

  • 12 units of electives are required for graduation
  • At least 8 of these units must be OT electives, but all 12 units may be OT electives
  • 4 units of electives may be taken outside of the Division provided they are at the 400 level or higher.


HOW DO I REGISTER FOR MY FALL 2005 ELECTIVES?

Select 4 units of your choice. If the course has limited enrollment (see below), pre-approval is necessary. If the course has open enrollment, register as you would any other course; no pre-approval is necessary.


WHICH COURSES NEED PRE-APPROVAL?

  • Advanced Group Dynamics (OT 500; A, B, C)
  • Enhancing Motor Control for Occupation (OT 574)
  • University Hospital Clinical Course (OT 500; A, B, C)
  • All OT 590 Research Options Cedar Sinai Clinical Courses and Rancho Los Amigos course (OT 590; A, B, C) Essay required to register
  • Other OT 590 Research Options Essay and instructor approval required to register


HOW DO I GET PRE-APPROVAL FOR A COURSE?

  • For courses that require pre-approval, fill out an OT 500/590 Request Form (MS Word file). An essay is required for some of the OT 500 courses.
  • Return the form to Peter Wittrock in the OT Office, via email at wittrock@usc.edu, or by fax to (323) 442-1540 by Noon on March 24th.
  • By the close of business on March 30, students will be cleared to register for courses and notified via email. OT 500 courses requiring an essay will require approval by the community partner sponsoring the course.
  • If the requests for the courses exceed the enrollment capacity for those courses not requiring an essay, a lottery will be held. For courses requiring an essay the community partner sponsoring the course may require interviews prior to selecting the students.
  • If there are still spaces available in courses not requiring an essay after the March 30th deadline, students can continue to enroll in the course on a first-come-first-serve basis. No pre-enrollment form is necessary after March 31st for classes that are not filled, however, students will still need to contact Peter Wittrock to be cleared to enroll.


IF I WANT TO REGISTER FOR A CLINICAL EXPERIENCE, HOW DO I KNOW IF I SHOULD REGISTER FOR 500; A, B, or C?

The 500 - A, B, C series refers not to particular courses, but to the sequence in which you take them. For example, if you are taking your first elective with course number 500, you will register for 500 A with the instructor who teaches that elective. If you have already registered for 500 A, you will register for 500 B with the instructor who teaches the that elective and, if you have taken 500 B prior to this semester, then you will register for 500C. You may only register for 500 A once, 500 B once, and 500 C once. Therefore, you may only take three 500 level courses while at USC.


WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS?

  • If you don’t know which courses to take and want advisement, contact Dr. Diane Kellegrew at (323) 442-2882, or at kellegre@usc.edu (email preferred).
  • If you have registration or scheduling questions or need further information contact Peter Wittrock at (323) 442-1861, or at wittrock@usc.edu.
  • If you have other scheduling problems , contact Dr. John Wolcott at (323) 442-1539, or at wolcott@usc.edu.