In keeping with the College's mission and vision, the Department of Health Education, Physical Education, and Gerontological Studies and Services is dedicated to providing high quality education and career preparation, responding to the needs and interests of our student body and to the surrounding community it serves. It is committed to academic excellence, with a focus on the dignity and worth of each individual.

The Department, through its community of scholars and practitioners, working in an atmosphere of support and concern, provides educational opportunities via excellence in teaching, professional advisement and counseling, development and support of innovative curricula, and independent study and research.

The Department accomplishes its mission by utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach that ensures a well-rounded education. The curriculum's emphasis is to provide student-centered instruction, experiential learning, and internships at nationally recognized institutions, public and community environments.

The curriculum for each of these  majors is designed to blend liberal arts and professional education.  In addition, the design of the professional curriculum is based on  prerequisite education in the basic sciences and a conceptual core of  knowledge in the health sciences.

Admission to Health Professions Programs

Admission to each program takes place at the freshman, upper sophomore or lower junior level. Acceptance is based on matriculation at York College, completion of a minimum number of credits, specific prerequisite coursework and attainment of a minimum grade point average, and approval of the discipline Admissions Committee (see each discipline for details). Applicants are not considered “accepted” until they receive a letter from the respective department stating acceptance in a particular program.

Clinical Internships

Each of the programs of study at York includes a prescribed sequence of courses at the college and may include a prescribed period of clinical fieldwork. Refer to specific discipline for further information.

When you graduate, you will be eligible to take the National Board Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam, and become state licensed to practice as a registered occupational therapist.

This dual degree BS/MS professional program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).  The professional phase of the program starts in the fall of each year, with full-time day classes for three years, and one semester of full-time clinical rotations.  Our graduates are employed in several states and various settings: hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools, community settings, and private practice.  They work in public, local, state, and federal institutions as staff therapists, managers, consultants and supervisors.  The job market is excellent, and our graduates often have a choice of jobs.

The Profession

Simply stated, occupational therapy enables people to do the “day-to-day activities that are important to them” despite impairments, activity limitations, or participation restrictions or despite risks for these problems (Neistadt & Crepeau, 1998, p.5). Occupations are another name for these day-to-day activities. Occupations are goal-directed activities that typically extend over time, have meaning, and involve multiple tasks.

Occupational therapy is the art and science of directing human participation in selected tasks to restore, reinforce, and enhance performance, to facilitate learning those skills and functions essential for adaptation and productivity, to diminish or correct pathology, and to promote and maintain health.

The Nature of the Work

Occupational therapists use selected activities to help individuals become self-reliant, and build a balanced life style of work and leisure. In a partnership with clients, occupational therapists may work individually, or in conjunction with members of healthcare teams (which may include physicians, vocational counselors, nurses, social workers, speech pathologists, physical therapists, teachers, and others).

Occupational therapists work in hospitals, clinics, schools, rehabilitation centers, home care programs, private practice, community health centers, nursing homes, and day care centers. Occupational therapists are licensed by New York State through the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Occupational therapists are registered by NBCOT. This licensure and registration (OTR/L) allows occupational therapists to carry professional and administrative responsibilities for occupational therapy clinical programs and services. They are responsible for evaluating clients, deciding upon program goals, working with clients to implement goals, and evaluating progress. In addition, OTR’s educate practitioners entering the field and are involved in research.

Additional Information

The Department has a strong research orientation, with many faculties actively involved in funded research programs where students are hired as research assistants or given specific training in research.

Discipline Coordinators:

• African American Studies: Mark Schuller
• Anthropology: William Divale
• Social Work: Vadim Moldovan
• Sociology: Gregory, Michele

The Department Also Houses:

• The African American Resource Center (Dr. Mark Schuller, Director)  
• Survey Research Laboratory (Dr. William Divale, Director).

Conceptual Framework

The mission of the teacher education  unit at York College is to promote Excellence through Diversity of Knowledge, Diversity of Culture, and Diversity of Communication.

Towards this end, York College seeks to provide prospective teachers with the following knowledge, skills, and dispositions:

Diversity of Knowledge

• Broad and deep knowledge of academic content
• Broad and deep knowledge of pedagogy
• Ability to be reflective practitioners with a strong conviction that learning is a lifelong process achievable by all
• Openness to examining the power and biases of knowledge and knowledge construction

Diversity of Culture

• Ability to be caring and ethical persons in order to build teaching and learning environments that draw on the strengths of students' diverse cultures and learning styles
• Ability to prepare students to be active and effective participants in a political and social democracy

Diversity of Communication

• Strong communication skills
• Strong technological literacy skills
• Ability to collaborate with parents and leaders/agencies in the local community
• Ability to collaborate with the professional educational community

Candidate Assessment: 

Candidates are assessed throughout the teacher education program to ensure that graduates of the program possess the knowledge, skills and dispositions to help all students learn in P-12 schools. Candidates are assessed at each program benchmark reflecting the underlying themes of Excellence through Diversity of Knowledge, Diversity of Culture, and Diversity of Communication. Some of the ways in which candidates are assessed include: grade point average, proficiency exams, writing samples, field experience logs, student teaching evaluation, reflective journals, and portfolios. Follow-up studies of graduates and employers are also conducted.

For additional information about the teacher education program at York College, please contact the Department of Teacher Education.