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Doctor of Occupational Therapy

  • Small Class Sizes: Get more personalized attention with up to 24 students in each cohort.
  • In-Person Learning: Enjoy hands-on experiences in a friendly campus environment.
  • Affordable Tuition: Access a quality education with financial peace of mind.

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Child in Therapy

Occupational therapy involves the holistic use of normal daily occupations to help individuals across the life span to participate to their highest level in meaningful and purposeful activity. The ultimate goal is to support the achievement of life satisfaction through optimal participation and engagement within one's own contexts. Occupational therapists (OT's) are trained to use occupation-based interventions to promote health; enhance, restore or maintain function; and/or prevent further disability. By working cooperatively with other health care professionals and engaging in evidence-based intervention, OT's are able to support clients in achieving the highest possible level of independence.

 

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Applications will be accepted through the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS).  OTCAS applications will be accepted into mid-June each year. After OTCAS closes in June, applications can be submitted directly to the Allen College Admissions Department until July 31.

Completed applicant files received by October 1 will be reviewed for priority selection. After the priority deadline is past, complete applicant files are reviewed on a rolling basis. The selection process requires an interview before final decisions to offer admission. OTD admissions interviews for invited applicants of the 2024-2025 admissions cycle are scheduled for November 1 and 15, 2024."

Allen College Occupational Therapy Program

Program Mission, Philosophy, and Goals

Page under construction.

Female Student
Meet the Program Faculty
  • Experienced faculty with a wide range of clinical specialties
  • Passionate advocates for the occupational therapy profession
  • Open door policy with exceptional faculty-student support
  • Promote a family feel culture within the program
  • Committed to 1:1 meetings with advisees to promote student success
  • Facilitate faculty led student clinic opportunities on campus

 

Dr. Ramey CreeryHeather Locasha
Dr. Denise DermodyDr. Lori Miller
Dr. Susan HoeyDr. Kate Reiter
Dr. Katie Jo Funk 

 

Large OT Group
Fieldwork & Community Outreach Experiences

Competence is achieved when future practitioners apply the OT process.  Fieldwork experiences allow the opportunity to use evidence based interventions to meet the occupational needs of a diverse population. These experiences provide opportunities for OT students to apply theoretical and scientific principles learned from the academic program.  Working with actual client needs within the context of varied practice environments enhances the didactic education and skills. Both fieldwork and service experiences provide diverse opportunities for the learner to develop advocacy, leadership, and managerial skills and the opportunity to develop entry level competencies. 

As learners progress through community assignments, performance expectations will become progressively more challenging. Two types of fieldwork will occur:   

  • Level I Fieldwork Experiences: Occur concurrently with academic coursework.  These experiences are designed to enrich didactic content through supervised experiences and participation in selected aspects of the occupational therapy process. Level I experiences will occur during Semesters 1-5.   
  • Level II Fieldwork experiences: Occur at the conclusion of the didactic phase of the occupational therapy curricula.  These experiences are designed to develop competent, entry-level, generalist practitioners. Level II fieldwork assignments will provide comprehensive experiences for the delivery of occupational therapy services to varied clients and settings. Level II experiences require the learners to focus on the advancing application of purposeful and meaningful occupation and evidence-based practice. Level II experiences will occur in the last 6 months of the program.  

The fieldwork experiences allow for real world reinforcement of didactic learning experiences. Students will have the opportunity to compare the didactic content with client-based experiences from a variety of practice settings.  The learners will apply their critical reasoning skills and adult learning experiences to address new and innovative situations.  Learners will also be expected to seek out additional information and evidence that supports their decision-making processes. These learning experiences will serve to foster the development of a competent, OT health care professional.

OT student with patients
Doctoral Experiential Capstone Project
Page under construction.
OT Admission Requirements

The OT program begins once each year in the fall semester.

To be considered for admission the following criteria must be met:

  • Completion of at least 60 credit hours of undergraduate coursework and have no more than 3 prerequisite courses outstanding at the time of application. (note: 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework must be completed before entry into the program)
  • 3.0 minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) 
  • 3.0 cumulative prerequisite GPA 
  • A grade of C or higher must be earned in all prerequisite coursework 
  • Advanced Placement or CLEP credit will not be accepted 
  • Prerequisite courses are required to be completed within ten years of application 
  • Satisfactory completion of all prerequisite coursework before starting the program
  • Applicants whose first language is not English must prove English Proficiency

Completion of at least 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework, including all prerequisites OR a bachelor's degree, is required before beginning the occupational therapy program. 

OT Application Materials

Applications are accepted using the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application System (OTCAS). 

OTCAS applications will be accepted into mid-June each year. After OTCAS closes in June, applications can be submitted directly to the Allen College Admissions Department until July 31.  

All required application materials must be received prior to admission consideration. Completed applicant files received by October 1 will be reviewed for priority selection. OTCAS applications should be submitted 2-3 weeks ahead of the priority deadline to allow time for verification.

After the priority deadline, complete applicant files are reviewed on a rolling basis. The selection process requires an interview before final decisions to offer admission.

The following materials must be received before admission consideration: 

  • Application 
  • Non-refundable $50 application fee paid directly to Allen College by calling (319) 226-2014
  • Official transcripts from all colleges attended 
  • Three recommendations from academic or professional representatives
  • Personal Statement 
  • Completed Job Shadowing Forms from two different experiences
  • Current personal/professional resume 
  • Applicants whose first language is not English must prove English proficiency
OT General Education Prerequisites

General education including prerequisite courses are taken at another regionally accredited institution before beginning the program at Allen College.

Applicants must complete at least 60 credit hours of undergraduate coursework and have no more than 3 prerequisite courses outstanding at the time of application. A minimum of 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework and all prerequisite courses must be completed before starting the program.

 

OT Curriculum

The Allen College Occupational Therapy program is a combination of classroom, laboratory, fieldwork and capstone education. 

  • Full-time, face to face hands-on program
  • Diverse fieldwork experiences
  • Practice, community and service focused
  • Interprofessional collaborations 
  • Faculty supported scholarly projects
  • Individualized experiential capstone

New OTD curriculum is in development and will be posted soon.

OT Academic Calendar

View Allen College's Occupational Therapy (OT) program academic calendar from 2024 - 2027.

 

 

Program Description 

Your future starts at Allen College! The applicant Allen College Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program offers an entry-level degree through 36 months of classroom, fieldwork and capstone preparation. New cohorts of only 24 students begin each fall. Small cohort sizes and faculty dedication promote hands-on, collaborative learning experiences.

Applicants that become part of the OTD program at Allen College join a family of occupational therapists, alumni and occupational therapy students who are:

  • Successful in completion of the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam (100% pass rate as MS in OT program).
  • Highly employable (100% employment rate, per MS in OT alumni report).
  • Satisfied with their Allen College education following graduation.
  • Part of a community of therapists, alumni, and students who value service to others throughout the program and into practice.
  • Supported by a small cohort size with a high faculty to student ratio (1:12).
  • Engaged in fieldwork and community outreach services throughout every semester, providing practical experience in a variety of practice settings.

 

As graduates of the program these students will emulate the institution's core values of caring, community, integrity, learning, quality and accountability. These values will prepare them to embrace diversity, social responsibility, leadership, partnership and professionalism in all personal and professional endeavors.  Life satisfaction results from successful participation in valued occupations that are appropriate to our current surrounding contexts. The students in the Allen College OT Program will collaborate with clients, families and other support systems to develop plans of care that match client capacities and support development of new skills necessary to meet their current health care needs. Ultimately, graduates of the program will be prepared to practice with a clear understanding of emerging trends in global health and will be able to employ social justice values as they assist their clients in reaching desired health care outcomes.

Program Outcomes (MS in OT)

Graduation Year*Students GraduatedGraduation RateExam Pass Rate
2021-202223100%100%
2022-202319100%100%
2023-202412100%100%
3-year Total54100%100%

    *Academic Year

OT Graduation Requirements

Graduation from the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) requires successful completion of all coursework, along with successful completion of all fieldwork and capstone experiences within 24 months of the last day of in-class coursework. All courses must be completed in the sequential order of the curriculum and no transfer credits are accepted. Once final grades are available the student can request transcripts for presentation to the national certification board and eventually the licensure board. The Allen College OTD academic progression and graduation policies are available in the Allen College Policy Library.

Accreditation

The Allen College 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 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 program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a pre-accreditation 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 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. Additional information about certification is available at www.nbcot.org.

NBCOT program data results

Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork and an individual 14-week capstone experience within 24 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. The doctoral capstone experience must be started after completion of all coursework, Level II fieldwork and preparatory activities defined in 2023 ACOTE OTD Standard D.1.3