About the Program

The MUSC online Post Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (PPOTD) is for occupational therapists who see a challenge or problem and have innovative ideas for how to fix it. At MUSC, “changing what’s possible” is more than a tagline. It’s our culture.

Our faculty will challenge you to dream, think bigger, push boundaries, and be a change agent in your community. Whether your goal is to grow as a clinician, enhance your teaching abilities, move into a leadership role, or put your innovative idea to address an unmet community need into practice, MUSC can help you achieve it.

Program Format

The PPOTD program was designed with you in mind. Our part-time, 100% online format is ideal for working OTRs who may be juggling family, volunteerism, or other commitments in addition to their jobs. Students and alumni of the program consistently share that the program is not only manageable with a busy schedule but also that our faculty is flexible and accommodating when life happens.

Students complete the 30-credit program in 5 semesters or 1.5 years, taking two online courses each semester. While students complete most of their coursework asynchronously and at their own pace, they still experience collaboration and support from peers.

Through our cohort model, students build relationships with classmates from all over the country, fostering collaboration, support, and encouragement. Students also have the opportunity to meet with classmates in person during optional on-campus visits for orientation and graduation.

Over 3 semesters, students meet weekly with a faculty mentor to plan, propose, and implement an OT doctoral capstone project. With guidance from their mentor, students select a project that fits their passion, goals, and life. Whether you come with a project (or several) in mind or need some inspiration, our faculty will be with you every step of the way to help you develop and complete a project that’s meaningful to you and empowers you to “change what’s possible” in your clinic, community, or career.

The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Adult Autism Post-Professional Doctoral Capstone Project for Direct Care Service Providers

The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Adult Autism Post-Professional Doctoral Capstone Project for Direct Care Service Providers was established in 2024 for students in the Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (PPOTD) at MUSC. Each year, a Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Direct Care Service Provider Fellow will be selected by PPOTD program leadership team, from a qualified pool of PPOTD candidates with existing expertise in adult autism and a professional interest in advancing the field of direct care service for the diverse population of autistic adults. Their project will define issues and challenges relating to direct care service for adults with autism and will propose implementable occupational therapy solutions to address those challenges.

The fellow will receive funds to support their capstone project. Funds may be used for travel to consult with The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation experts to receive in-depth content-specific mentorship during the capstone implementation, resources needed during the implementation of the capstone project such as printing costs for materials, travel to/from professional conferences to present the work, printing of a scientific poster for a conference presentation, and dissemination costs such as professional journal fees.

For more information about the fellowship or how to apply, please contact Dr. Michelle Woodbury.

The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Direct Care Service Provider Fellows

2024
Matthew Husband, MS, OTR/L
Capstone Project: “Teaching Self-Determination Skills in Conjunction with Early Exposure to Work Experiences.”