Our History
Bachelor of Science
CSU first offered undergraduate education in occupational therapy in 1945. We were part of the Home Economics Department in what was then known as Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. The first student graduated from our program in 1947. The first class of four graduated in 1948.
The American Medical Association Council on Medical Education and Hospitals approved our program in 1951. Until 1954 students’ degrees stated double designations– for women: Occupational Therapy and Home Economics; for men: Occupational Therapy and Industrial Arts. In 1954, the Governing Board approved a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and students could then declare a single major in occupational therapy.
Master of Science
In 1969, CSU first offered a Master of Science degree for therapists holding a baccalaureate degree in occupational therapy. We first offered a Master of Science for persons with a baccalaureate degree in a discipline other than occupational therapy in 1985. Our final Master’s cohort graduated in 2023, making way for the OTD program.
Occupational Therapy Doctorate
The first cohort of Occupational Therapy Doctorate students began classes in 2022, replacing the Master of Science degree.
Ph.D. in Occupation and Rehabilitation Science
In the fall of 2012, the Ph.D. in Occupation and Rehabilitation Science program began at Colorado State University. The graduate program in occupation and rehabilitation science offers training in research and its application to helping people gain access to positive occupational opportunities, surmount daily living challenges, and participate in occupations that promote health and well-being at individual, group, and population levels.
Department Location
Our department offices were first located in the Home Economics Annex with laboratories in the Industrial Science Complex. During the 1960s, our department office, laboratories, and classrooms were moved to the Humanities Building. In 1986 our department moved to the Occupational Therapy Building on the east side of the oval. In 1995 the historic building to the east of our department was designated for one of the research grant projects and officially named the Occupational Therapy Annex.
Course Offerings
From 1962 to 1975, our Department included an off-campus component at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center or Denver General Hospital. Students spent one quarter in Denver where they did much of their application classwork. Since 1976, we have offered all courses on CSU’s main campus. Students complete fieldwork requirements at a variety of settings throughout the nation and internationally.
Accreditation
Our department’s first on-site accreditation visit occurred in 1966 and the program was accredited in 1967 by the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. Re-accreditation was granted in 1975, 1982, 1987, 1995, 2002, and 2012.
College Names
In 1962 the Department of Occupational Therapy officially became a department within the College of Home Economics.
In 1983 the name of the College of Home Economics was changed to the College of Human Resource Sciences to better reflect its departments including occupational therapy.
In 1986 the Colleges of Human Resource Sciences and Professional Studies merged to form the College of Applied Human Sciences.
In 2013 the College of Applied Human Sciences changed its name to College of Health and Human Sciences. The decision to add the word “health” to the college was based on the term’s holistic meaning of physical, mental, and social well-being and the alignment of those factors with the college’s disciplines.