All students must meet the requirements for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Degree.
Overview
The entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Degree is designed to prepare students to become Occupational Therapy practitioners. Graduates will learn how to help people attain their desired level of participation in life regardless of age, race, ethnicity, culture, or socioeconomic background. They will learn Occupational Therapy practice across the lifespan and across practice settings. They will become scholarly and innovative thinkers, and will articulate clearly through written and verbal communication the value of the profession.
The University of Vermont’s entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy 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 (2682) and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must 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.
Specific Requirements
Requirements for Admission to the entry-level doctor of occupational therapy program
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor or master degree from an accredited university
- Minimum cumulative GPA 3.0/4.0
- Minimum prerequisite GPA 3.2/4.0
- English proficiency exam (Duolingo, IELTS or TOEFL), if applicable
- 3 letters of recommendation (1 academic letter; 2 professional letters, 1 of which is preferably by an occupational therapist)
- Transcripts
- Phone/virtual/face-to-face interview
- An interview for students who pass through the first stage of the admissions process
Prerequisite Course Requirements
All applicants must complete the following prerequisite courses from an accredited institution, with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or greater prior to entry into the program:
General Psychology (one semester/3 credits)
Abnormal Psychology (one semester/3 credits)
Human Development (one semester/3 credits)
Statistics (one semester/3 credits)
Biology (one semester/3 credits)
Human Anatomy with lab (one semester/4 credits)
Human Physiology with lab (one semester/4 credits)
Social Sciences (Anthropology, Humanities, Philosophy, Sociology; 2 semesters/6 credits)
A Medical Terminology course (appearing on transcript). If taken online a certificate of completion must be sent to the UVM Graduate College Admissions office.
Minimum Degree Requirements
The entry-level Doctorate of Occupational Therapy degree requires successful completion of the following 98 graduate credits:
| YEAR 1 | ||
| FALL | ||
| OT 7100 | Foundations for OT Practice | 2 |
| OT 7110 | Functional Anatomy | 4 |
| OT 7120 | Mvt and Occup Performance | 3 |
| OT 7130 | Dev of Humans as Occ Beings | 2 |
| OT 7140 | Psych & MH Influence on Occup | 3 |
| OT 7180 | Analyze Activity & Performance | 2 |
| SPRING | ||
| OT 7250 | Older Adults as Occup Beings | 6 |
| OT 7200 | Therapeutic Interventions | 3 |
| NSCI 6020 | Neuroscience | 3 |
| OT 7240 | Vis&Cog-Percep Infl Occupation | 3 |
| NH 6899 | Fundamentals Critical Inquiry | 3 |
| SUMMER | ||
| Fieldwork - Level I | 2 | |
| OT 7350 | Cultural Immersion | 2 |
| OT 7600 | Cap I: Prof Scholar & Explor | 2 |
| OT 7370 | Research I: Identifying Gaps | 2 |
| YEAR 2 | ||
| FALL | ||
| OT 7450 | Young Adults as Occup Beings | 6 |
| OT 7480 | Designing Creative Ther Interv | 2 |
| OT 7400 | Teaching and Advocacy | 2 |
| OT 7470 | Research II: Implementing | 2 |
| OT 7490 | OT Practice Management | 3 |
| OT 7610 | Cap II: Devel & Support Evide | 1 |
| SPRING | ||
| OT 7550 | Children as Occup Beings | 6 |
| OT 7590 | Becoming Life Long Pract | 3 |
| OT 7560 | Living Life to the Fullest | 3 |
| OT 7570 | Research III: Disseminating | 2 |
| OT 7620 | Capstone III: Proposal Defense | 1 |
| SUMMER | ||
| Fieldwork - Level II | 9 | |
| YEAR 3 | ||
| FALL | ||
| Fieldwork - Level II | 9 | |
| SPRING | ||
| OT 7630 | Capstone IV: Capstone Experien | 7 |
| Total Credits | 98 | |
Following successful completion of all didactic coursework, fieldwork, and the capstone project and experience, students will be eligible to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
Comprehensive Examination
Successful completion of the capstone project and experience.
Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy for the occupational therapy doctorate
Successful completion of the capstone project and experience.