General Admissions & OTCAS OTD vs MSOT

[ReadytobeOT]

Are y'all applying to more OTD programs or more MSOT programs & why? I have applied to a mix of both and honestly I am torn between the two. Nearly every OT that I have shadowed tells me that a doctorate isn't worth the cost, but I also enjoy research and want to be a competitive applicant when it comes to applying for jobs in the future. What are your personal opinions?

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[kevOT]

I’m in the same position as you. I applied to both OTD and MSOT programs and got accepted to both. Yes, everyone will be grandfathered in regardless of what degree you earn, but like yourself I don’t want to limit my opportunities. I know I don’t want to be in a clinical setting my whole life so I’m more geared towards a OTD as I can have more teaching or research opportunities. I’d rather knock it out then having to go back to a bridge program.

 

[OTish20]

From everything I have read and heard, you can do research with a Master's degree. An OT I shadowed had conducted research, published articles, and even written a manual in her specialty and she had a Bachelor's of OT but has over 20 years of experience. Also, doing a post-professional OTD is a completely viable option and would probably be more financially manageable as well, since you'd take on less debt all at once and programs may be part-time allowing you to work simultaneously, you'd have real-world experience and thus can really understand and focus what you want your research to be about, and some have even mentioned that if you are interested in only doing research/academia one day, getting your PhD is more useful than a clinical doctorate like the OTD. I think experience will be the primary factor that decides if you are a good candidate for a certain OT job, not necessarily the extra year of school. And hey, even after being grandfathered in, if I feel I am being edged out by OTDs, I can always go back and do a post-professional degree. Anyway, I'm an incoming student, so these are just my own thoughts. This is something I really considered for a long time and I am happy to have chosen a Master's! Either way, you will be an OT and it'll all be personal choice for what is best for you. Good luck with your decision

 

[cb31]

From everything I have read and heard, you can do research with a Master's degree. An OT I shadowed had conducted research, published articles, and even written a manual in her specialty and she had a Bachelor's of OT but has over 20 years of experience. Also, doing a post-professional OTD is a completely viable option and would probably be more financially manageable as well, since you'd take on less debt all at once and programs may be part-time allowing you to work simultaneously, you'd have real-world experience and thus can really understand and focus what you want your research to be about, and some have even mentioned that if you are interested in only doing research/academia one day, getting your PhD is more useful than a clinical doctorate like the OTD. I think experience will be the primary factor that decides if you are a good candidate for a certain OT job, not necessarily the extra year of school. And hey, even after being grandfathered in, if I feel I am being edged out by OTDs, I can always go back and do a post-professional degree. Anyway, I'm an incoming student, so these are just my own thoughts. This is something I really considered for a long time and I am happy to have chosen a Master's! Either way, you will be an OT and it'll all be personal choice for what is best for you. Good luck with your decision

I 120% agree with everything you said... an entry level OTD is a debt life sentence. Everyone says what's an extra 30-50k. IT IS A LOT esp when adding in interest. If you want that degree go the post professional route after you had a job (still will only be an extra 12-18 months). Find a job that will help pay if possible or you can save a little then go back. I would never chose an entry level OTD over a MOT. It's not worth it financially. Now if you can pay for it without loans cause you or ur family is rich rich then go ahead... but otherwise you will just be drowning in more debt. Our debt to income ratio is already not too hot so when choosing a program that should be the first thing you look at... Go with cheaper. Always, always!!! Just my opinion.

 

[cocowilk18]

I'm a current OTD student at UTMB. I decided on the doctorate program because I would like to go into leadership one day and the "OTD" makes you more competitive. Think about it this way you're investing now for the long run. You will have credits to apply to a PHD program, look more competitive for leadership positions, and have more research based education setting you apart from your MOT peers. Also by 2025 everyone not already grandfathered in will have to convert to an OTD program so have your graduation date in mind. New grads with an OTD graduating in 2024 will probably be more likely to get the job over an MOT student.

 

[OTish20]

I'm a current OTD student at UTMB. I decided on the doctorate program because I would like to go into leadership one day and the "OTD" makes you more competitive. Think about it this way you're investing now for the long run. You will have credits to apply to a PHD program, look more competitive for leadership positions, and have more research based education setting you apart from your MOT peers. Also by 2025 everyone not already grandfathered in will have to convert to an OTD program so have your graduation date in mind. New grads with an OTD graduating in 2024 will probably be more likely to get the job over an MOT student.

The OTD mandate was put into abeyance back in 2019 specifically due to push back from the OT practitioner community itself. I think there are valid reasons to pursue the OTD, but getting a MSOT degree in no way precludes you from pursuing research and academia in the future, as post-professional degrees are always available to pursue. As for credits applied towards a PhD program, I think that would largely depend on the school itself, but most importantly, an OTD is a clinical degree, whereas a PhD is a research degree and gears you more towards becoming a researcher and professor. As for an OTD being a more research-based education, that's true purely due to the fact that you have an extra year dedicated to a capstone project, but there are different types of programs, community-based programs, clinical-based programs, and research-based programs. If you attend a research-based program, there's a good chance you'll spend your entire degree also doing research, just as the OTD students do but save some time and money (30k for me). As for new grad OTDs getting the job over new grad MSOTs, that is complete conjecture.
@ReadytobeOT if you're still contemplating which degree to pursue, I would highly, highly suggest speaking with people practicing in the field. They know better than @cocowilk18 and I, two people who have not actually worked in the field and likely have our own biases, which will be more beneficial for you.

 

[ReadytobeOT]

The OTD mandate was put into abeyance back in 2019 specifically due to push back from the OT practitioner community itself. I think there are valid reasons to pursue the OTD, but getting a MSOT degree in no way precludes you from pursuing research and academia in the future, as post-professional degrees are always available to pursue. As for credits applied towards a PhD program, I think that would largely depend on the school itself, but most importantly, an OTD is a clinical degree, whereas a PhD is a research degree and gears you more towards becoming a researcher and professor. As for an OTD being a more research-based education, that's true purely do to the fact that you have an extra year dedicated to a capstone project, but there are different types of programs, community-based programs, clinical-based programs, and research-based programs. If you attend a research-based program, there's a good chance you'll spend your entire degree also doing research, just as the OTD students do but save some time and money (30k for me). As for new grad OTDs getting the job over new grad MSOTs, that is complete conjecture.
@ReadytobeOT if you're still contemplating which degree to pursue, I would highly, highly suggest speaking with people practicing in the field. They know better than @cocowilk18 and I, two people who have not actually worked in the field and likely have our own biases, which will be more beneficial for you.

I forgot that I even made this post! I totally agree with you! Settled on masters. I decided it would be best to go back and pursue a PhD in the future if I wanted a doctorate degree. OTD didn't make sense for me at this time (or at all lol)

 

[OTish20]

I forgot that I even made this post! I totally agree with you! Settled on masters. I decided it would be best to go back and pursue a PhD in the future if I wanted a doctorate degree. OTD didn't make sense for me at this time (or at all lol)

Congrats! Where will you be attending?