Mizzou Occupational Therapy ranked in top 18 percent by U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News and World Report released occupational therapy graduate program rankings this month, and the University of Missouri jumped 22 spots to No. 36.

This puts Mizzou Occupational Therapy in the top 18 percent of all occupational therapy programs in the country, and makes it the second-highest rated occupational therapy graduate program in Missouri.

“The improvement in rankings is a nice recognition for the program as they reflect the overall strength of our program as rated by our peers,” says Tim Wolf, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy in the MU School of Health Professions. “This was a significant increase for us over the last 4-5 years, and we are proud of the work we have done to get to this point.”

Since the last rankings were released, Mizzou OT has worked to ramp up its research, with more than 200 local, state, national and international research presentations conducted between 2018 and 2019. In addition, the program was awarded $5 million in federal research grants during that same time.

Read more about the recent occupational therapy research grants awarded to solve problems related to stroke recovery.

Mizzou OT has also worked to add a breadth of program offerings that include more than the entry-level master’s program. Over the next two years, the master’s program will convert to a doctorate program, the department will add an entry-level bachelor’s degree for occupational therapy assistants, and the department will be adding a 100% online post-professional doctorate for currently practicing OTs. The department also participates in the PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences program, and will continue to do so.

The department has also increased visibility by maintaining strong clinical education partnerships, hosting events such as the OT Scholar Summit, and having faculty members in leadership positions in state and national organizations.

“As a state school, we have to rely on the reputation we earn from our graduates, from our research, from our service, and from our people to help increase our visibility,” Wolf says. “In 2015, when we wrote our current vision statement, we said we wanted to be seen as a global leader in our profession.  I truly believe we are well on our way to reaching this vision in all aspects of our mission — teaching, service and scholarship.”