BEAVERCREEK — Kettering College formally opened its expansion both geographically into Greene County and programmatically into the doctoral program space at a ceremony Tuesday in Beavercreek.
The college’s first occupational therapy doctoral cohort, which studies at Kettering College’s Ollie Davis Center just off Indian Ripple Road, began class work in August and is set to graduate in 2018. The class is made up of 20 students. The class’s educational space is on the newly renovated second floor of the center.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” Kettering College President Nate Brandstater said Tuesday. “It is the future for Kettering College, and it’s the future for health care education. We’re excited.”
According to information from the college, its doctoral occupational therapy program is one of only 21 such programs in the U.S.
“We’re on the cutting edge,” program director Terrance Anderson said. “We’re doing the doctoral entry level versus the master’s entry level. Most of the programs in the U.S. – about 90 percent – are the master’s to get your [occupational therapy] license.
“What we’re doing is they’re doing a doctoral degree to get their license, so that they’ve got added training in leadership and evidence-based practice, and a capstone experience where they have to do high-end scholarly work. That puts them at the cutting edge ready to hit the ground in the clinic giving some high-end, quality care.”
The new program is the college’s first foray into doctoral-level programs and, according to Brandstater, more such programs are likely to follow.
“We’re responding to a need in health care for advanced levels of education for clinical practitioners,” he said. “For us, this is just the first of several doctoral-level programs we’ll be introducing over the next couple of years.”
Kettering College and Kettering Health Network officials cut the ribbon for the Kettering College Ollie Davis Center and the college’s new occupational therapy doctoral program.
The Kettering College Ollie Davis Center is located in Beavercreek.
Kettering College President Nate Brandstater speaks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.