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The Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy is one of seven divisions within the Department of Health Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The division offers a Master of Science program in Occupational Therapy as well as a PhD in Occupational Science. The division also conducts multiple research, clinical, and service projects through our faculty collaborations. The faculty-student ratio is approximately 1:7, and students in both the MS and PhD programs encounter faculty on a routine basis in classroom, professional, and social settings.

At a place steeped in both tradition and innovation, in a program designed to educate progressive scholar-practitioners, we boldly face the future with a vision of excellence.

  • Nationally and internationally recognized faculty on the cutting edge of research, practice, and community service. Faculty described by students as collegial, challenging, and welcoming of their contributions to learning.
  • Doctoral students actively shaping our understanding of the science of occupation.
  • Master’s students engaged in an entry-level occupational therapy curriculum grounded in an appreciation for cultural awareness, the complexity of human transactions, and the power of occupation.
  • Professional colleagues and supporters who contribute enthusiastically to the learning process and the ongoing development of occupation-based practice.
  • A university community rich with opportunities to engage in cross-disciplinary research and scholarship, collaborative education, and service to the local, national, and global communities.

Classroom information

Our division resources include a 1,100-square-foot model apartment, used as lab and meeting space for student coursework, and a 300-square-foot assistive technology and materials lab. Classrooms include state-of-the-art teaching technologies and are shared with students from other allied health disciplines and the medical school. The Health Sciences Library is situated next door to Bondurant Hall and contains over 290,000 texts, 4,000 current serial titles, and more than 8,900 audiovisual and microcomputer software programs. A large computer lab and media design labs are available for student use. In addition, Davis Library, the main campus library, houses invaluable text, media, and archival resources.

Our division is committed to a future in which the humanitarian values of occupational therapy are embraced by society at large such that every person – of any age, rich or poor, fully well or with a disabling condition of any type – has the opportunity to lead a life that is complete, full, and contributory to others: a life of meaningful occupations.