Admission Information for the Doctorate in Occupational Therapy Program

To Lead... To Heal... To Serve...

To be eligible for admission, the applicant must have earned a master's degree in occupational therapy or another related field with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Applicants in the United States must be certified by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Applicants from other countries must submit verification of licensure and certification in occupational therapy. The applicant’s recommendations, phone interview, essay, and work experience are considered in the admissions screening process.

Program Goals

Graduate occupational therapists who are leaders in the profession in serving the greater community and promoting health and participation.
Graduate educators and researchers who contribute to the profession’s body of knowledge through leadership roles, publications, professional presentations, and advocacy.

Requirements

Master’s degree in occupational therapy or a related field from an accredited institution and six months of professional practice
Minimum GPA of 3.0 in graduate studies
Six months of professional experience
Certified in occupational therapy in the United States or an occupational therapy degree from a World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) approved program outside of the United States. Please submit a copy with your application.
Application form
$60 nonrefundable application fee
Official transcripts for all college coursework
Copy of current state license/certification in a US jurisdiction as a registered occupational therapist and NBCOT certification if US applicant
Copy of current state/country licensure and education verification if a foreign applicant (Please refer to University policy on foreign applicants.)
Official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score with a minimum of 550 (213 if computer generated). All international applicants or for those who speak English as a second language should refer to the School of Allied Health Catalog for specific admission procedures.
Resume
Three letters of reference
Two- to three-page essay describing your personal interests, career goals, and how the OTD will help you achieve this. The essay should also describe your professional skills, professional accomplishments, and research interests/experience.
Phone interview (to be scheduled after application has been submitted)

International Students

International applicants must submit the following prior to acceptance into the program:

Official university transcripts verifying degree
Copy of current state/country licensure and education verification (Please refer to University policy on foreign applicants.)
Official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score with a minimum of 550 for paper-based test, 213 for computer-based, and 80 for Internet-based. All international applicants or those who speak English as a second language should refer to the School of Allied Health Catalog for specific admission procedures.
Official Foreign Evaluations – Evaluations from only these two agencies will be accepted: Association of American College Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and the Education Credentials Evaluators (ECE)
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores

Research Requirements

Each student will complete 10 units of research in which they will develop an independent research project, obtain IRB approval, implement the project, and submit the results for publication prior to completion of the program. Four credits of the research curriculum will include an on-site intensive.

Students will be introduced to Research I in the summer quarter. The pre-intensive coursework for the summer research intensive involves a review of the elements of a research proposal, APA style, IRB training, and reflective discussion of research interests and experiences via Blackboard discussions. After the on-site intensive, students will appropriately modify their project, begin their research proposal, and submit to the IRB.

In Research II, students will begin their data collection. This will be the focus of this course. Students will be expected to participate in weekly discussion modules on their progress and obstacles that they have identified during data collection. In addition, students will begin to identify a journal that is appropriate to submit their final manuscript to.

In Research III, students will analyze their data and complete their manuscript.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding admissions information.