OT Doctoral Program

Graduation Requirements

Master of Occupational Therapy Graduation requirements

To progress in the Master of Occupational Therapy Program, a student must complete all required didactic occupational therapy courses with a grade of “C” or better. A cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale is required for continued enrollment. Before going on Level II Fieldwork/clinical affiliations, students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 (uncorrected).  Students must complete all Level II Fieldwork requirements within 18 months following the completion of occupational therapy content courses. A minimum grade of “C” is required in all Level II Fieldwork placements in order to successfully complete the program.

To fulfill the requirements for a master's degree, the student must complete all didactic and fieldwork experiences as described above and present with an average of not less than 3.0 on all graduate work pursued, with no grade lower than ‘C’, no more than six semester hours of credit with a grade of ‘C’, and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.

ULM’s Master of Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD  20814  . ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org. The next onsite visit scheduled in 2032/2033.

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.

 

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Graduation Requirements

To fulfill the requirements for a doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy, the student must complete all didactic courses, fieldwork, and capstone experiences and present with an average of not less than 3.0 on all graduate work pursued, with no grade lower than ‘C’, no more than six semester hours of credit with a grade of ‘C’, and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.

To advance to Level II Fieldwork/clinical affiliations, students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (uncorrected) in the didactic portion of the curriculum. A minimum grade of “C” is required in all Level II Fieldwork placements to progress to the Doctoral Capstone experience. In order to successfully complete the program, students must complete all Level II Fieldwork and Doctoral Capstone requirements within 24 months following the completion of occupational therapy content courses.

The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation 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.

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.