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Occupational and Recreational Therapies

Improving the day-to-day — every day

Our degrees in Recreational Therapy (RT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) are designed to help you, not just with certification, but with preparation for a rewarding career. A degree is a necessary step to become an RT or OT. A degree can also lead to other opportunities like research, the foundation for additional medical studies or advanced careers.

We provide both in-class and hands-on education that will prepare you for a rewarding career. You'll learn how to empower children and adults learn new skills or recover lost skills through everyday activities like gardening, art, and even play. Through hard work you'll see people recover and develop ways to accomplish meaningful activities that most take for granted. The results can be physical, mental, and emotional.

About OTRT

The Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies provides opportunities for collaboration in education, research, and clinical practice.

Our programs

We offer a Bachelors degree in Recreational Therapy, a  Master of Science in Recreational Therapy, a Master of Occupational Therapy, and an entry level clinical  Doctorate of Occupational Therapy.

There are some exciting curriculum changes happening within the department. We received candidacy to offer an entry MOT/OTD (clinical doctorate) in occupational therapy. The class starting in fall 2023 will have the option to choose MOT or OTD. 

See What Our Students Are Saying

A short video highlighting our recreational therapy bachelors degree.

RT students talking about program

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Department of Occupational and Recreational Therapies is committed to providing a brave and inclusive space for a diverse group of students, staff, and faculty. Consistent with the University of Utah Nondiscrimination Policy, we do not tolerate any forms of discrimination, including racism and genderism, in our learning communities due to their harmful impacts. We support open communication from any member of our community about incidences of bias and discrimination, and commit to gather information to understand and address concerns with transparency to the best of our abilities. Our goal is to broaden the perspectives of all students by providing a high quality, transformative educational experience to prepare our graduates to best work with our diverse local and global populations. This includes understanding historic and contemporary inequities and how they contribute to barriers to health, well-being, and participation in meaningful life activities. We assert that it is our role as occupational and recreational therapy professionals to advocate for justice and equity in our workplaces and communities.

If any member of our community experiences bias or discrimination, we ask that these incidences be reported to the University (through the Bias Reporting System). We also invite concerns related to equity, diversity, and inclusion to be shared with a member of the faculty or staff, such as:
Kelly Brown—OTRT Student Advisor
Yda Smith (OT), Steve Bell (RT), Anne Kirby (OT)—OTRT Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee