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Occupational Therapy Doctorate

A Growing Field — A Way to Improve Lives

The occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) program at College of Saint Mary prepares you to deliver services that help people improve their lives. As an occupational therapist, you will be able to help patients develop and maintain vital living and working skills. Occupational therapists evaluate physical and mental abilities, track progress and design therapy programs.

CSM’s new doctoral degree focuses on the development of clinical practice skills, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education and theory development. In addition, students must complete two 12-week field work experiences along with a 14-week doctoral experience that culminates in a scholarly project.

Choose from 2 Admissions Pathways

Accelerated Entry (Undergraduate)

Click here if you need to complete your undergraduate degree.

  • 6 years – receive your bachelors and doctoral degrees.
  • You can choose any undergraduate major - such as Psychology or Kinesiology.
  • While meeting progression benchmarks after each year at CSM, you’ll be able to earn and retain your spot into the OTD program.  
  • A professional academic advisor will guide you in meeting yearly benchmarks.
     

Apply

Graduate Entry

Click here if you have completed three years of college coursework.

  • 3 years – receive your doctoral degree.
  • Assigned an occupational therapy advisor.
  • GRE and a master's degree are NOT required.
     

Apply through OTCAS

Degrees Offered

Occupational Therapy Doctorate (Accelerated)
Occupational Therapy Doctorate (Graduate)

Career Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor projects the employment of occupational therapists is projected to grow 17 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations. With a median annual salary of $86,280, occupational therapy is a high-demand career. After graduating from our program, you will be prepared with the knowledge and skills to establish a higher quality of living for your patients. Many of our students are offered jobs at the completion of their Level II fieldwork, or upon graduation.​

Source: U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration
 

Accreditation

Accreditation

The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.  

Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork as well as an individual 14-week capstone experience within 24 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. The doctoral capstone experience must be started after completion of all coursework and Level II fieldwork as well as completion of preparatory activities defined in 2018 ACOTE OTD Standard D.1.3. 

Program Details

Program Details

*As of 2014, the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy only posts the overall pass rate of a program regardless of the number of attempts for a student to pass the exam. Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online at Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online at https://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.

Meet the Occupational Therapy Faculty
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