Baccalaureate Programs

Practitioner level programs require two full years to complete. They are designed to produce professional level graduates with a baccalaureate degree, and clinical preparation in both orthotics and prosthetics. A minimum 500-hour clinical affiliation is required for graduation.

Admission to an O&P baccalaureate program involves two steps: First, an applicant must meet the admission standards of the university, and second, the applicant must meet the special criteria for admission to the O&P program. Most programs start every year in the Fall semester, concluding two years later in the Spring of the student's senior year.

Several prerequisites are necessary for admission. They are the same as the Certificate level of education, and are listed below in the NCOPE Prerequisite section. In addition, each university has some general education or other requirements that are unique to that institution, so you must check with that university's published information or website to find out the specifics. It is generally recommended that the prerequisite requirements be fulfilled during the first two years of college.

NOTE: There is a national agenda to transition the O&P entry-level education to a professional master’s level program by 2010 for new programs and 2012 for existing CAAHEP-accredited programs. This agenda is currently undergoing assessment and a formal expectation for this may be publicized in the near future.