Health Sciences Degree (B.S.), Occupational Therapy Assistant Concentration

The Health Sciences Program offers inter/multidisciplinary coursework and clinical experiences leading to a major on the undergraduate transcript. 

The mission of the Health Sciences program is to prepare students for entry into professional healthcare careers or graduate programs through a rigorous course of study grounded in patient-centered, team-based problem-solving and pre-requisite sciences. Interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement are fundamental processes, as faculty and students collaborate with other campus departments and clinical and community care centers to address public health problems in Western Massachusetts and beyond. 

In addition to aligning with the University’s mission, the Health Sciences program is well-positioned to prepare students for the new healthcare environment. A shift from an illness to a wellness model emphasizes prevention as a key component in optimizing health. An essential goal of this department initiative is to connect clinical care (hospitals, clinics, etc.) and community care (schools, senior centers, individual community members, etc.) teams. 

The program’s intentional addition of wellness theory, its application for disease prevention and treatment, along with the pedagogy of interprofessional education make it unique to similar programs. The pedagogical approach utilized throughout the core curriculum is grounded in interprofessional education values—teamwork, conflict resolution, and effective use of informatics. All program core courses involve group work with case-based, problem-based pedagogy and simulation. The integration of information literacy and multiple disciplinary perspectives is emphasized. 

After successfully completing the program, our graduates may accept positions in a wide variety of graduate programs: exercise science, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, athletic training, public health, nursing, health education, and epidemiology, to name a few. Our graduates may also work in numerous settings: cardiac rehabilitation, echocardiogram technology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, biotechnology, health informatics, healthcare management, community health, and nursing. 

The Westfield State University Health Sciences program intends to educate a diverse student body of highly motivated and culturally aware undergraduate students who wish to continue their careers in healthcare or continued academics to pursue graduate programs within the healthcare field. With a strong emphasis on academic excellence and diversity, Westfield State University’s Health Science Program reflects the mission of the University.

1. Increase student flexibility to explore a variety of aspects of healthcare.

• Provide academic and clinical experiences to all HS students.
• Didactic and Clinical partnerships in a variety of health professions.

2. Utilize a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving and patient care.

• Provide instruction and clinical experiences in team based care.
• Didactic and benchmarked clinical partnerships in a variety of health professions.

3. Prepare students to be leaders in the new model of healthcare.

• Leadership project opportunities for each student.
• Leadership projects embedded in course assignments.

4. Provide education and experience in communicating and managing widely diverse patients.

• Educational content in coursework and clinical experiential learning in diverse settings.
• Assignment to clinical settings with diverse patients.

5. Increase relevance of university curriculum.

• Provide prerequisite coursework for admission to graduate HS programs.
• Graduate survey and acceptance outcomes data collection and analysis.

6. Increase accessibility of graduate school prerequisites.

• Provide prerequisite coursework for admission to graduate HS programs within the students academic major and timeline.
• Student survey and progression data collection and analysis.

7. Increase marketability of students as they apply to graduate schools and professional positions.

• Provide adequate UG experiences to allow an 80% acceptance rate to graduate HS programs.
• Monitor student and graduate data for admissions and student success in graduate HS programs.

8. Broaden teaching service and scholarship opportunities for faculty members.

• Increase faculty research and scholarship opportunities by 25%.
• Include research and scholarship projects for HS students with faculty mentorship.

9. Promote interdepartmental collaboration.

• 80% of the curriculum will be taught by interdepartmental faculty and departments.
• Monitor faculty workload and assignments to HS courses.

Westfield State University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The OTA program currently holds Candidacy Status from ACOTE.

Westfield State University does not require an application essay, SAT and/or ACT scores, or letters of recommendation (except for special program admissions).   

All first-year applicants are reviewed for admission based on their high school record. First-year applicants must meet the minimum eligibility requirements established by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) in order to qualify for admission to a state university. 

Learn more about the application process and admissions here.

Westfield State University offers a comprehensive university experience at an affordable cost — with many options for financial aid. Visit our Cost and Aid page to learn more. 

We’re invested in your success. Whether you need a little help adjusting to college, study strategies, tutoring, or disability services, the team at the Academic Achievement Department is ready to help. Our mission is to provide you with the tools to explore academic opportunities as well as to plot strategies for continued growth. 

Learn more about our student support services here.