Certificate Programs

Practitioner level programs require one academic year per discipline to complete. They are designed to train a practitioner in either orthotics or prosthetics. These programs offer comprehensive clinical and didactic post-baccalaureate education. Often a student completes one Certificate, and returns one or more years later to complete the coursework for the second discipline. A minimum 250-hour clinical affiliation is required in each discipline. These hours enable students to practice clinical patient management skills in an O&P facility.

Admission to a Certificate program is made in one step. A successful applicant must possess a U.S. bachelor's degree or equivalent, as determined by World Educational Services (www.wes.org). Applicants must also possess the prerequisites as listed below under NCOPE prerequisites, and must meet the special criteria for admission to that particular O&P program. Most programs start every year in the fall semester and conclude the following spring. Others are highly concentrated (Northwestern University), concluding approximately every five months.

Distance and blended learning programs are tailored to those who will be holding a job while going to school. Students may be required in some instances, to combine online work and home studies with focused clinical experiences on campus. Please visit the “O&P Education Programs” section of www.opcareers.org for the latest information on online education options.

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.