O&P Practitioner Programs
Beginning in January 2013, a master's degree in O&P will become the minimum educational standard to become a certified practitioner. Currently, there are nine active master's degree programs. Four more are set to start in 2013, according to the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE). To learn more about the transition to the entry-level master's degree, view the complete November 2012 special O&P education issue of the Academy TODAY.
O&P education programs throughout the U.S. prepare practitioners to become certified by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC), the Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC), or both. Each program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Allied Health Education (CAAHEP), the national healthcare education accreditation agency.
- VA Long Beach and California State University Dominguez Hills Center for Orthotics and Prosthetics—Long Beach, CA
- Century College—White Bear Lake, MN
- Eastern Michigan University—Ypsilanti, MI
- Georgia Institute of Technology—Atlanta, GA
- Newington Certificate Program in Orthotics & Prosthetics—Newington, CT*
- Northwestern University—Chicago, IL
- St. Petersburg College—St. Petersburg, FL
- University of Hartford—West Hartford, CT
- University of Pittsburgh—Pittsburgh, PA
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center—Dallas, TX
- University of Washington—Seattle, WA
Candidates for Accreditation
* As part of the O&P profession's transition to an entry-level master's degree, certificate programs will only be available to individuals who have obtained a single certificate and want to obtain a second certificate (e.g., if a student has already obtained his or her prosthetics certificate, he or she may continue in a certificate program to obtain the orthotics certificate). This transition period will last for a limited amount of time and would only be available for those individuals pursuing a second credential.
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