The mission of the Masters of Health Science in Occupational Therapy program at the University of Ottawa, which is offered in French, is to train competent health care professionals able to respond to the needs of the francophone population in Ontario and, more generally, to the needs of francophone communities in the bilingual and multilingual Canadian context.

Occupational therapy is both an art and a science whose aim is to prevent handicap situations, re-establish or promote occupation (everyday activities that people do), health, and well-being of individuals. Occupational therapists work in collaboration with individuals or groups of individuals to prevent or address occupational performance difficulties. Occupational performance difficulties may arise from a health condition, developmental issue, environmental obstacle or a consequence of aging. Difficulties may occur in areas of self-care, productivity, or leisure. Occupational therapists enable their clients to reconstruct their life and develop a renewed sense of self-identity and independence.

The program

Consortium National de Formation en Santé (CNFS)

The Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS) is a national association of post-secondary institutions that offer educational programs in French for various health-care professions. 

The CNFS aims to improve access to health-care services in French in minority language communities by training Francophone health-care professionals and by supporting research related to this training and to the needs of these communities. 

The University of Ottawa is one of 16 CNFS member institutions. 

Its role is to support the health-care sector students, professors, researchers, professionals and supervisors who are involved in its targetted programs in three faculties, namely the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Faculty of Social Sciences. 

Program accreditation

The University of Ottawa Master of Health Sciences in Occupational Therapy program has completed the Academic Credentialing Council (ACC) assessment process and received accreditation status until October 2029 from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapist (CAOT).

Accredited status

  • The program meets the ACCs standards.
  • Accreditation status has been awarded for seven years; the full accreditation period specified by the ACC.

For students

Students must be considered graduates from an accredited occupational therapy education program in Canada to be eligible to write the National Occupational Therapy Certification Examination in Canada (required to be licensed to practise occupational therapy in most provinces).
In Canada, occupational therapists must be members in good standing of the professional association of the province in which they are practising. Graduates of accredited programs are automatically eligible for registration with provincial regulatory bodies.

Learn more about academic accreditation for Canadian Occupational Therapy education programs.

Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT)
103-2685 Queensview Drive
Ottawa, ON K2B 8K2 Canada