Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD)

The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) Program is closed for admissions at this time due to transitioning to an entry level doctorate program (OTD).

The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program is offered on the Emory & Henry College of Health Sciences Campus in Marion. The OTD program is a 36-month program, consisting of nine consecutive semesters, including two 12-week clinical fieldworks and one 14-week experiential experience. 

Program Mission: Emory & Henry College's mottos is "Increase in Excellence" and has an intention to be a learning community with a commitment to freedom and civic virtue. The mission of the Occupational Therapy Program is to graduate competent entry-level occupational therapists that are occupation-centered and posses leadership skills, advocacy, critical thinking and professional reasoning skills that will enable them to serve and meet the occupational therapy needs of communities. Graduates will have necessary skills to work in a variety of setting including rural healthcare settings to meet the needs of those who are underserved in areas of health disparities. 

Vision: The vision of the Occupational Therapy Program is to be innovative and national leader in occupational therapy graduate education and to transform the lives of others in order to promote a positive change in the region, nation and world communities. 

Requirements For Admission/Admission Policy: Applicants who meet the following minimum eligibility requirements for the DPT program at E&H may be invited for a formal interview (based upon competitiveness with other applications) pending:

• Hold a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution0
• Completed a minimum of 40 documented hours of observations with an Occupational Therapist.
• Have a minimum overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 (based on a 4.0 scale) 3.0 for prerequisite courses. 
• A minimum cumulative prerequisite GPA of 3.0 (see required prerequisite course list below).
• Have a grade of 'C' or better in all required prerequisite courses. 
• Completion of CPR for Healthcare Professionals certification, immunizations, and background check prior to enrollment. 
• Three letters of recommendation from professionals with at least one from an Occupational Therapist.
• 300-word essay. 

The prerequisite courses are shown below. Applicants should have successfully completed all of the prerequisites, either as part of their baccalaureate degree or independently, prior to being admitted into the Program. 

*No AP or CLEP credit will be allowed for the prerequisite courses. All prerequisites are subject to evaluation. There may be a few course alternatives but these will need to be approved by the program director. Admission will be competitive and space available basis. The OTD Admissions Committee uses an internal rubric scoring system to score items such as overall GPA, prerequisite GPA, last 60 hours GPA, GRE scores, application essay, references, onsite interview, etc. Based on the admission rubric the Admissions Committee will select applicants for an admission interview. Additional points are scored for Emory & Henry College graduates, current residents of Southwest Virginia (as defined by Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority), and Northeast Tennessee (as defined by the program - Sullivan County, Washington County, Johnson County, Carter County, Unicoi County, Greene County, Hawkins County and Hancock County). A bachelor's degree can be in progress but must be completed prior to enrollment of the program. CPR for professionals, all immunizations must be current, and background check must be completed prior to enrollment in the program. At time of enrollment, each student must sign a Technical Standards/Essential Functions form. 

The Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program at Emory & Henry College participates in the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service, know as OTCAS, for each admissions cycle. Applicants applying to the entry-level occupational therapist education program for a fall start should apply online using the OTCAS application beginning in July of the prior year (https://otcas.liaisoncas.com). Deadline for the application will be April prior to the next fall start. 

Early Decision (Non-Binding) Information: The early decision application deadline is September 1, of each year. Applicants must submit all required documents in OTCAS by the deadline including the OTCAS application, official transcripts, three references, GRE scores and application additional questions with essay response. Supplemental fee must be paid by deadline. 

Applicants are required to have an overall prerequisite GPA of 3.5 higher in order to be considered for early decision. Applicants may be offered early admission, denied admission, or deferred to regular applicant status. Interviews will be conducted in September. Admission decisions on early decision applicants will be made by October of each year. The early decision program is a non-binding option. 

Academic policies/Requirements for Promotion and Graduation: Attending the OTD degree requires the successful completion of all didactic courses, clinical fieldworks and one capstone experience and project as sequenced into nine consecutive semesters. The two full-time clinical fieldworks and one capstone experience are completed at off-campus sites, and students are responsible for all travel and living expenses during the fieldworks and capstone experience.  Satisfactory progress through the Program requires a GPA of B(3.00) each semester. The minimum passing grade for each course is a C (2.00) as long as the semester GPA is maintained at grade of B (3.00). Level two fieldworks and the capstone experience must be completed within a 24-month period of time after the completion of the didactic portion of the program. 

Transfer Credit: The Occupational Therapy Program may accept up to nine (9) credits of program-specific courses that will be considered on a case by case basis. The coursework must have been completed at a regionally accredited institution and also from a program currently accredited by the program's accrediting body and taken within the two years prior to requesting consideration for transfer. The courses will be evaluated by the Admissions Committee of the program, including a faculty member with knowledge/expertise in the content area of the course being considered, to determine equivalency to program courses in the Occupational Therapy Program at Emory & Henry. 

In order to consider transfer of credit to these programs, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

1. An applicant cannot have been dismissed by another program secondary to not meeting academic or professional standards. 
2. An applicant seeking transfer to the OTD program must meet the minimum standard requirements for acceptance into the program. 

Students are assigned an academic advisor within the program to monitor their progress and to recommend resources for students experiencing academic difficulty. Students who fail to maintain the academic requirement and/or ethical policies are subject to probation or dismissal. Students dismissed from the Program may apply for readmission after one year. 

Please refer to the Program's Student Handbook for details on all academic policies.

Accreditation: Graduation from a physical therapy education program accredited by the Commission on accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) is necessary for eligibility to sit for the licensure examination, which is required in all states.

The entry-level occupational therapy master's 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 https://acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order 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. 

The entry-level occupational therapy master's degree program accreditation current status is Accreditation-Inactive due to transitioning to the entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program.

The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has Pre-accreditation status 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 https://acoteonline.org. The program must complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation status before its graduates 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 in order 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. 

Pre-accreditation status does not guarantee Accreditation by ACOTE.