Bay Path Welcomes Largest-ever Master of Occupational Therapy Class

LONGMEADOW — Bay Path University’s master’s program in occupational therapy welcomed 160 students to campus on Monday, July 27, for a ceremony signaling the start of the semester. The class of 2017 is the largest in the program’s history.

Students range in age from 22 to 40 and have come to Bay Path from 20 states nationwide, as far west as California and as far south as Texas. About 30 of the students are enrolled in the university’s five-year occupational therapy program that matriculates students into graduate studies after successful completion of three years at the baccalaureate level.

Bay Path President Carol Leary addressed the group at the University’s Philip H. Ryan Health Science Center, highlighting the opening of the building in January. The science center provides state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms, and study areas to students. The university’s occupational therapy program has seen tremendous growth during Leary’s 20-year tenure, originally offered only as a two-year course of study.

“You will be part of a very prestigious program,” Leary told the incoming class. “I say that with great confidence because I know this faculty and the passion and experience that they bring to the program. You have not only a faculty that is so prestigious with their own credentials, but they are so committed to your success.”

Many members of the class of 2017 already have career experience in the healthcare field, and have held titles such as rehabilitation aide, rehabilitation technician, certified nursing assistant, and physical therapist.