Occupational Therapy Doctorate: �鶹�� & Admissions

Making the World Smarter, Safer and Healthier

Mission

Our program mission statement aligns with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Vision 2025: “As an inclusive profession, occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being and quality of life for all people, populations and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living” (AOTA, n.d.). The mission of the YU Occupational Therapy Doctorate program is to educate and train students to become scholar-practitioners who are caring and competent in developing and delivering inclusive, equitable, evidence-driven services through the integration of theory, research and practice-based knowledge, as well as clinical skills.

Our student-centric pedagogy, programmatic themes and curricular threads (i.e., critical thinking, analysis and synthesis, clinical reasoning, self- and professional identity, civic and cultural awareness) will prepare students to be reflective and effective scholar-practitioners. These scholar-practitioners will be lifelong learners and advocates and leaders for the profession, as well as for diverse local and global communities. In state-of-the-art laboratories, alongside faculty, our students apply didactic content and build skills on how to promote health, well-being and resilience through occupational engagement.

Philosophy

The philosophy of the Katz School’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, which is located in New York City, is reflective and responsive to the mission statement and values of �鶹��, the values of the occupational therapy profession and the professional values of the faculty of the Occupational Therapy Doctoral program. The program incorporates beliefs about health and well-being, as well as occupation and community, and its faculty, students and community work together to incorporate science, health and technology in their practice to realize a better future for patients and for society.

Accreditation

�鶹��'s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program has been granted full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E Bethesda, MD 20814.

The program's graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination to qualify as an occupational therapist by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). An individual will be considered an occupational therapist, registered (OTR), following successful completion of the exam. Though most states require licensure in order to practice, the state licenses are usually contingent on successful passage of the NBCOT certification examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination, as well as eligibility to obtain state licensure. For further questions, one may reach ACOTE online at or AOTA at 301-652-6611. The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be reached at .

Admissions

Candidates for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program must have completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and all prerequisite coursework outlined below. The last 60 credits of undergraduate coursework must meet a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Application Requirements

Candidates must complete the and submit the following materials:

Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended within the last 10 years.
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2 letters of recommendation: at least 1 from a licensed occupational therapist; 1 letter may be from a faculty member/advisor. Letters from friends or family members will not be accepted.
Personal statement demonstrating a commitment to contribute to and complete the program
Verification of 40+ volunteer or observation hours from OT setting(s) of choice.
TOEFL or IELTS scores (for candidates whose bachelor's degrees were earned at a non-English-speaking institution)
- (for degrees completed outside of the US and English-speaking Canada)
- Minimum TOEFL score on tests taken within the last two years: 100 (internet-based test)
- Minimum IELTS score on tests taken within the last two years: 7

Prerequisite Coursework

Two courses in the humanities or social sciences (anthropology, philosophy, religion, ethics, cultural studies, group dynamics) (3 credits each)
One course in statistics (3 credits)
One course in human anatomy, plus lab (3 credits)
One course in physiology, plus lab (3 credits)
One course in human development or lifespan (3 credits)
One course in abnormal or behavioral psychology (3 credits)

Applicants must have obtained an overall 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in program prerequisite courses (from accredited universities) within the last 10 years. Applications may be submitted during enrollment in an undergraduate degree program or during completion of prerequisite coursework. The last 60 credits of undergraduate coursework must meet a minimum 3.0 GPA.

COVID-19 Vaccination

Please note that the University requires its students to be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19. Students attending a program with a clinical training component are subject to this policy. Medical and religious exemptions generally are not available for students in a University clinical training program due to the requirements of external clinical sites and other circumstances which would place an undue burden on the University to provide the accommodation. You should bear this in mind when applying to the program. The University will not refund any fees or other payments if you are unable to enroll or otherwise complete the program.

Background Checks

Please note that a felony conviction or previous criminal record could affect eligibility for clinical training placement and, as a result, ability to complete the program requirements. Clinical training sites often require a background check prior to placement. Additionally, a felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the national certification examination, as well impact eligibility to obtain state licensure.

Applicants for the NBCOT exam are required to answer Character Review Questions and submit a background check. For more information on NBCOT’s policies see: .

Tuition, Fees, and Scholarships

Click here to view estimated tuition and fees for the 2024-25 academic year. The Office of Student Finance maintains current tuition, fees, and refund policies and procedures for all graduate programs.

All applicants are automatically considered for scholarships. You do not need to submit any additional information. Awards are determined during the application review process. 

Please if you have questions about financial aid opportunities and financing your graduate degree. We can do a preliminary transcript review and discuss your admissions and financing options with the Katz School. 

Please note: Students may apply external scholarships (e.g., Fulbright, NSF, government support) towards their tuition but may not combine multiple scholarships from �鶹�� or the Katz School.