OTD Capstone

Bridging Evidence and Practice

The Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone is a signature, culminating experience that empowers students to develop advanced expertise in a focused area of practice aligned with the program's curricular vision and professional competencies (ACOTE, 2023). Through the integration of an individualized capstone project and a mentored experiential component, students engage in meaningful, real-world learning that bridges theory, evidence and practice. Guided by both a faculty mentor and a content expert, students design, implement and evaluate innovative initiatives that foster leadership, scholarship, critical thinking and professional growth. The capstone experience provides a unique opportunity for students to create measurable impact while advancing their specialized knowledge and contributing to the occupational therapy profession.

Capstone in the U of A/UAMS OTD Program

Capstone development begins upon entry into the U of A/UAMS Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program. Throughout the OTD curriculum, students engage in coursework focused on research methods, evidence-based practice, and scholarly inquiry while exploring faculty expertise, research agendas and areas of practice. These foundational experiences prepare students for the advanced learning and professional development that occur during the doctoral capstone.

Formal capstone preparation begins in the spring semester of the second year when students identify a focused area of interest and are matched with a faculty mentor. During Capstone Seminar I, students develop a preliminary capstone plan that aligns with their professional goals, interests and anticipated area of specialization. Students also identify a capstone site and/or content expert who will support the implementation of their individualized capstone experience.

The doctoral capstone begins following the completion of the second Level II Fieldwork experience. Working collaboratively with their faculty mentor and content expert, students design, implement and evaluate a capstone project and an in-depth experiential component. The capstone culminates in the dissemination of outcomes through scholarly presentations, publications, educational materials, program development initiatives, or other forms of professional knowledge translation.