Occupational Therapy Program
Entry Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy
FDU Doctor of Occupational Therapy empowers students to become competent practitioners and compassionate leaders with the skills to effectively propose solutions to rapidly changing health, community, and educational systems.
The Occupational Therapy Doctorate at a Glance
Our full-time program is 8 semesters, including summers, totaling 101 credits. The curriculum includes courses focusing on foundational, practice and reinforcement, and scholarship skills. Courses will occur in classrooms, lab facilities, and in the field during fieldwork level I and II and the culminating capstone experience.
The program begins at the end of May each year. Students will begin and work through the program with a cohort of peers. FDU values the cohort model as an opportunity for students to build lifelong relationships while learning how to communicate and collaborate professionally. Our program values a low student-to-faculty ratio to enhance hands-on learning in the classroom.
Mission
Our mission is to educate premier occupational therapists who are well-versed in the application of theory and occupation-based practice and can collaborate effectively with other professions. FDU OTD students are educated with the goal of becoming critical thinkers, leaders, scholars, and advocates for occupational therapy.
Core Values
- Critical thinking
- Theory-Based Practice
- Interprofessional collaboration
- Inclusion of all people, groups and populations to promote health and well-being through occupation
Why FDU OTD Stands Out
Our curriculum is designed to instill in students the ability to critically analyze clinical situations and be able to problem-solve. On completion of the program students will:
- demonstrate the ability to analyze complex problems.
- develop appropriate solutions to a variety of clinical problems, within a variety of healthcare and community practice settings.
- understand and work effectively within the complex healthcare and community systems where occupational therapy is provided.
- implement practice skills with reflection in order to analyze their own experiences and meet changing professional demands.
- acquire the knowledge and skills to become leaders within the profession.
Accreditation Status
The 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 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.
The program is expected to be reviewed for accreditation during the academic year 2024/2025, prior to the graduation of the first class.