Welcome from the Program Director

Hello, and welcome to the University of Central Arkansas Department of Occupational Therapy website!  I am very pleased of your interest in our program, and hope that you will find ample information here to help you make wise educational and career choices.

The Occupational Therapy Program at UCA has a long and distinguished history.  Continually accredited since 1974 by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, this program is the only professional-level occupational therapy educational program in the State of Arkansas.  As such, we are committed to assisting and advising not only UCA students, but residents of the entire State and region.  Our department is housed in the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; other health-related departments in our college include dietetics, health education, nursing, physical therapy, psychology, speech-language pathology, and athletic training.  In Arkansas, UCA is second only to the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences campus in the number of majors in health-related fields.

The beautiful campus of the University of Central Arkansas is located in Conway, a community of nearly 55,000, just 30 miles west of Arkansas’ capitol, Little Rock.  With an enrollment of approximately 12,000 students, UCA is a Master’s College/University (Larger Programs) under the Carnegie Classification of Colleges and Universities.  In addition to a broad range of baccalaureate and master’s degree programs, doctoral degrees in selected fields are also offered.

As an Occupational Therapy student at UCA, you will be instructed by highly qualified and experienced full time faculty, 80% of whom hold earned doctoral degrees.  On average, each faculty member also has more than 20 years of practice experience, and continues to be an actively engaged provider of occupational therapy services.  Faculty members are also active in research, studying in topic areas such as:  occupational therapy in secondary education transition planning, obesity among minority women, aging in place, effective pedagogical methods in occupational therapy education, and the use of authentic occupation in therapy environments.  Moreover, they are recognized for their leadership contributions to the profession.  Three current faculty are named on the Roster of Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); faculty have also held national offices in the AOTA Commission on Education, the Roster of Accreditation Evaluators, the Professional Program Directors Education Council, and have served on the AOTA Representative Assembly.

The program is infused with many opportunities for student engagement with occupational therapy clients, community and professional service, and participation in faculty and independent research projects.  The curriculum and accompanying educational experiences will prepare you to become an independent practitioner, capable of competently assessing and addressing the occupational needs of individuals, groups and society.

As a graduate of UCA you will join a highly regarded and sought after cadre of occupational therapy practitioners and leaders, eligible for certification and practice virtually anywhere in the nation.   In 2007, 95% of our program graduates reported successful job searches resulting in employment within one to two months of graduation; most were employed by graduation day.

I urge you to carefully review the information on this website; I am certain that you will agree that UCA has much to offer you as a future occupational therapy practitioner!

Linda Musselman, PhD, OTR, FAOTA
Occupational Therapy Department Chairperson