School of Health Sciences

Established in 1941, Eastern Michigan University's occupational therapy program has a long-standing tradition of excellence. The EMU OT program provides competent and caring professionals to the local community as well as throughout the State of Michigan and across the nation.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook predicts that employment of occupational therapists is projected to grow 29 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. This is based on the general population growth and the increasing demand for services for those aged 75 years and older who are requiring occupational therapy services to improve their quality of life. In addition, emerging practice areas for occupational therapists, for example, in such areas as driver rehabilitation and fall prevention, continue to develop. Occupational therapists are employed in diverse settings including but not limited to: hospitals, schools, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care facilities, home health care, and in areas of prevention and wellness. Occupational Therapy was rated the 13th best job overall by US News and World Report (2019) 100 Best Jobs and Glassdoor’s 50 Best Jobs in America 2019 identified occupational therapy as #4.

• Vision 

  We draw upon our legacy in occupation-based practice and scholarship to enrich our communities and advance the profession through graduates who will create the practice of tomorrow.

• Mission

  The mission of the EMU OT program is to educate occupational therapists to value occupation and strive to understand its complexity and depth. Through this understanding of the power of occupation, graduates of our program are armed with the tools to lead creative practice while enhancing meaningful occupation and participation at individual, community and system levels. We meet this mission by:

  • Empowering students to be active participants in their own learning
  • Grounding education in authentic learning experiences
  • Creating and facilitating partnerships with community stakeholders
  • Engaging in scholarship that reflects our mission

• Program Philosophy

  The faculty of the OT program believe that occupation is central to the human experience. We celebrate occupation for its complexity and depth. We prepare our students to harness the power of occupation in order to maximize health and well-being, and transform individuals, communities and systems. Our students will use evidence and creativity to determine problems of everyday life and solve them. They will be change agents that will shape the landscape of current and future practice in local and global communities to maximize participation in meaningful occupations. Our program strives to foster an entrepreneurial mindset to create the leaders of future practice who can act, think and behave innovatively to add value to society.

  The faculty of the OT program believe that learning is rooted in the questions that arise through authentic interactions within the classroom, the community and the world. We believe that by engaging with our students as equal partners in a dynamic learning process students will become life-long learners. We create learning opportunities where students ponder, play and practice as they actively engage in constructing new knowledge. Our students will transform and are transformed through identification and examination of real world problems in order to generate solutions. Our students will put theoretical knowledge into practice in a meaningful way that sparks interest, joy, engagement and creativity.