Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

 

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Click here for the Program Requirements

The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program at Edgewood College is an accelerated, hybrid program which leads to an entry-level degree. Students will complete the program in 24 months, for a total of 6 semesters. The didactic portion of the program will be delivered online. Students will be required to complete asynchronous activities, and will participate weekly in synchronous, active learning. Students will attend immersive lab experiences on campus twice a semester during Year 1. During Year 2, the students will complete two Level II Fieldworks and the Doctoral Capstone Experience. Students will attend immersive sessions once a semester in Year 2, culminating in completion and presentation of the Doctoral Capstone Project.

Admission Requirements

Baccalaureate Degree

• Completion of a baccalaureate degree in any discipline from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants are required to achieve a minimum of a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.00 scale. Individuals with an undergraduate GPA lower than a minimum of a 3.00 will be considered if they achieve a 3.20 GPA or above in the last 60 hours of their undergraduate degree.
• Degree must be completed before the student begins the OTD program. Students must submit a final official transcript to the program indicating degree completion.

Prerequisite Courses

• Completion of all prerequisite courses must be taken at a regionally accredited institution. All prerequisites must be completed before the student begins the program. Applicants must achieve the minimum of a 3.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale, and all prerequisite course grades must be a “C” or higher.
• Students must send the program a final official transcript demonstrating that all courses have been completed.
• Anatomy and Physiology courses should be taken within the last 5 years unless the individual provides evidence of ongoing work experience keeping the knowledge current.

OTD Program Prerequisite Courses	General Course Descriptions	Edgewood College Equivalent
Required Course: Anatomy and Physiology I & II with labs (8 credits)	Anatomy and Physiology I with lab (4 credits) Description: The study of the structure and function of the human body – Part I. The course may be 3 credits with a 1-credit lab (if university offers separately). If Anatomy and Physiology are separate courses, then a 3-credit human anatomy course with a 1-credit lab and 3-credit human physiology course is accepted. Anatomy and Physiology II with lab (3-4 credits) Description: The study of the structure and function of the human body – Part II.	BIO 210   – Anatomy and Physiology I (4 credits) BIO 211   – Anatomy and Physiology II (4 credits)
Required Course: Human Development/Lifespan (3 credits)	An integrated study of the processes and major influences throughout the human experience from the beginning of life through aging (infants, children, adolescents, adults, and older adults). May be offered as a developmental psychology course	PSY 345   – Lifespan Development (4 credits)
Required Course: Statistics (3 credits)	The course includes descriptive and inferential statistics with the emphasis on drawing meaningful conclusions from data. Topics may include measures of central tendency and dispersion, the normal distribution, z-tests, t-tests, linear regression, and more.	MATH 121   – Statistics (3 credits)
Required Course: Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)	The course introduces students to a wide range of psychological disorders and conditions of psychopathology, along with contemporary treatment approaches.	PSY 340   – Psychopathology (4 credits)
Required Course: Social Sciences (3 credits)	Any course will be accepted in psychology, sociology, anthropology, public health, ethnicity, gender studies, religious studies, or philosophy.	Any course in the social sciences (3 credits)
Recommended Course: General Physics, Biomechanics, or Kinesiology (3 credits)	Introductory courses of either discipline. If no such course exists at the applicant’s university, a general physics introductory course is satisfactory.	PHYS 130    – Physics of Energy, Force, and Motion (4 credits) or PHYS 220   - Intro Human Biomechanics (3 credits)
Recommended Course: Medical Terminology (1-2 credits)	The course covers basic medical terminology associated with body systems & disease in preparation for fields in the health sciences. Emphasis will be placed on root words, prefixes, and suffixes.	BIO 202   – Medical Terminology (2 credits

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Observation Hours

• Completion of a minimum of 30 hours of observation of occupational therapy exploration activities (in-person, virtual, or by alternative means to be determined by the program). Applicants must provide evidence of the completion of activities.

Application Procedures

• All applications are processed through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application System (OTCAS). Applicants are to complete an essay by following instructions within the system. They are also required to provide three (3) professional references. One should be an academic recommendation. The other two professional references can be from a volunteer or professional supervisor/manager, an occupational therapy practitioner, or an academic reference. The applicant will request references through OTCAS, and all references are to be submitted through OTCAS. Please note: OTCAS requires applicants to obtain official transcripts of all higher education institutions an individual has attended. Students are required to enter final grades from transcripts as part of the application process.
• Completion of an admission interview. Qualified students will be invited to interview after holistic review of their application materials. Admission to the program is on a rolling basis.
• Demonstration of English language proficiency through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. This is required for applicants for whom English is not their first language or those who have completed a degree and prerequisite courses outside of the United States.
• Demonstration of meeting the OTD program’s Technical Standards for admission.
• Applicants to the OTD program must adhere to all general requirements for admission as established by Edgewood College’s Graduate Admission Requirements at Graduate Admissions. 

Additional Requirements

• Completion of an approved Drug Screening and Criminal Background Check. Students accepted into the program may require additional testing closer to beginning fieldwork experiences.
• Completion of an admission interview. Qualified students will be invited to interview after holistic review of their application materials. Admission to the program is on a rolling basis.
• Demonstration of English language proficiency through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. This is required for applicants for whom English is not their first language or those who have completed a degree and prerequisite courses outside of the United States.
• Applicants to the OTD program must adhere to all general requirements for admission as established by Edgewood College’s Graduate Admission Requirements.

Post-Admission Requirements

• Health Requirements
  • Annual physical exam
  • Vaccinations (TB skin test, Tdap – once, current tetanus vaccine, MMR [2 doses or titer], Varicella [2 doses or lab results], Hepatitis B – 3 doses, COVID 19 vaccines and boosters, annual flu vaccination, additional requirements specified by clinical sites)
• CPR certification - All students are required to be certified or recertified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Health Providers by the American Red Cross.
• Completion of an approved Drug Screening and Criminal Background Check. Students accepted into the program may require additional testing closer to beginning fieldwork experiences.

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