McDaniel College announces plans to develop master's degree in Occupational Therapy

McDaniel College announces the development of a new Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program in response to growing workforce need. The program has received approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC).

McDaniel is actively pursuing accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) and has named Cathy Felmlee Shanholtz, OTD, M.Ed., OTR/L, CLA, as the inaugural program director.  

Felmlee Shanholtz began her career as a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA/L) in school-based practice before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy and Master of Education from Pennsylvania State University. She transitioned into academia as an adjunct faculty member and earned a Doctor in Occupational Therapy (OTD) from George Washington University.

Currently, she is working on a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Shenandoah University, where she was program director for the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy programs at the Winchester and Leesburg, Virginia, campuses and served as the division director of Occupational Therapy. She led the expansion of Shenandoah’s Occupational Therapy program, including offering entry-level Doctorate and Post-Professional Doctorate degrees. She was also an associate professor and academic fieldwork coordinator.

She serves as a U.S. delegate for the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) and is associate editor for AAIDD’s quarterly peer-reviewed journal “Inclusion.” Additionally, she is an American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) credential leader in academics and a roster of accreditation evaluator (RAE) for ACOTE.

“Cathy will be a wonderful addition to the McDaniel community as we move forward with developing and finalizing the M.S. in Occupational Therapy, which is expected to launch in the summer of 2026,” said Vickie Mazer, dean of Graduate and Professional Studies.

“Occupational therapists are in high demand and this new graduate program aligns with the college’s current strategic plan by continuing to offer programs that fill a community need and are of interest to our students.”

While McDaniel introduced a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences in 2020, which includes an Occupational Therapy specialization, and a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) which begins at the college this fall 2024, the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy is the second graduate program in health professions to be offered at McDaniel (McDaniel offers a Master of Science in Counseling - Clinical Mental Health Counseling).

The Occupational Therapy program will be campus-based for the first year with classes available to be completed in an online or hybrid format in the second year to allow for flexible scheduling during the required clinical fieldwork experience.

Felmlee Shanholtz said, “I am excited to lead this inaugural program at McDaniel. I was particularly drawn to this position to build a new program that will meet current and future healthcare needs of the region and across the state.”