About the OTD PROGRAM:

The Entry-Level Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program at Quinnipiac prepares students with a breadth and depth of knowledge and skills to practice autonomously or collaboratively, within various health care, educational, and social systems. Our curriculum consists of three distinct elements:

•  Academics: didactics integrated with laboratory and immersive clinical experiences 
• Clinicals: two 12-week full-time fieldwork experiences designed to prepare students for entry-level practice 
• Capstone: doctoral capstone seminar series that culminate in a 14-week doctoral capstone experience and scholarly project that represents in-depth knowledge in occupational therapy 

The Entry-Level Professional OTD program is a full-time, intensive program designed to be completed in 3 years. Students admitted to the program are required to take 11 credits of graduate coursework in Clinical Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, and the Philosophy and Science of Occupational Therapy. Students complete 10 semesters (Fall, Spring, Summer) of coursework for a total of 124 credits.

Application Timeline

Students are admitted to the Entry-Level Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program on a rolling basis. As the program begins in the Summer session, applications are accepted until January 15 of the year the applicant plans to matriculate. Interviews are required and offered to the most qualified candidates. Applicants are notified of their acceptance on or before March 1.  All prospective OTD students, must apply through OTCAS.

Admission Requirements

•    Bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation into the OTD program. 

 •    A minimum GPA of 3.0. The most competitive candidates will possess a cumulative GPA of 3.25. 

 •    A minimum grade of B- or better in all the prerequisites, completed within 8 years of application from an accredited institution of higher learning. 

•    A minimum of 40 verifiable observation hours in the past 3 years. These hours may be a combination of traditional/clinical and non-traditional/non-clinical settings and populations. (An observation hours verification form available in the Documents section and on our program website is required to document these hours.)

 •    Three letters of recommendation, with at least one from an academic reference, and at least one from a supervisor in an employee or volunteer capacity 

•    A personal statement outlining reasons for pursuing an entry-level professional OTD. 

•    A supplemental essay describing how Quinnipiac may assist in pursuit of career goals.

 •    Successful in-person interview with the OTD Admissions Committee. 

GRE is not required. However, the student may submit scores if they believe it can enhance the strength of their application.

OTD Prerequisites

At the time of application, prerequisites may be in progress or pending, but they must be completed by May prior to starting the OTD program. Qualified candidates whose prerequisites are in progress may be granted conditional acceptance until all prerequisites are satisfactorily met. All prerequisites must have a grade of B- or better. The OTD prerequisites are as follows:

•    2 semesters of Anatomy and Physiology with Lab (8 credits) 

•    1 semester of Physics with Lab (4 credits) 

•    1-2 semesters of Lifespan Development including Child Development and Adult Development (3-6 credits) 

•    1 semester of Abnormal Psychology (3 credits) 

•    1 semester of Biostatistics or Statistics for Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 credits) 

Accreditation

The Entry-Level Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program at Quinnipiac University has applied for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is 301-652-AOTA and its web address is acoteonline.org.

The program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a preaccreditation review, 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.

For more information on the Quinnipiac University OTD program, please refer to the program webpage.

For additional information about the admissions requirements and application process please call the Office of Graduate Admissions Office at 203-582-8672 or 800-462-1944 or via email at Graduate@qu.edu.