Doctor of Occupational Therapy (Entry-Level)

OT student works with adult patient on cookie cutter project

Occupational therapists help people engage in activities that give their lives meaning. As an occupational therapist, you will be a health care provider who asks your clients “what matters to you?” and then designs solutions to help them succeed.

The entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree educates professional occupational therapists by providing them with a strong foundation of knowledge, encouraging active learning and critical reflection, and fostering integrity and compassion. Our program will prepare you to:

  1. Enter the field ready to practice with confidence, creativity and caring.
  2. Continue on a path of scholarly inquiry as you practice the art and science of occupational therapy.
  3. Practice according to ethical principles that benefit clients individually as well as society as a whole.
  4. Provide leadership within the profession of occupational therapy.
  5. Contribute to health care and social policies of the state, the nation and the world.

The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program is accredited 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. Graduates of the program 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.

Students must complete all Level II fieldwork and the doctoral capstone within 29 months of initiating the first fieldwork.

Program requirements

The entry-level OTD degree requires 90 credit hours over 9 semesters in 3 years to complete. The program begins once a year in the summer session, and applications are accepted the preceding year.

See full program requirements in the Graduate Catalog.

Tuition and Annual Cost Estimates

The following information is an estimate of cost for the 2022-23 school year and should only be used as a guideline. Tuition and fees are subject to change.
View OTD tuition and annual cost estimates

Admission requirements

Admission to the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (entry-level)

Program Contact

Karen York - OT Admissions Coordinator
940-898-2801
ot@twu.edu

Admission Deadlines

This program begins once a year in the summer session. Applications are accepted the preceding year.

  • July – TWU application opens https://texaswomans.force.com/; submit all official transcripts to the Office of Admissions Processing.
  • July – Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS) application opens
  • October 1 – Final deadline (CST 11 pm) – OTCAS application must be complete and verified and all documents received. It is strongly recommended that applicants submit early to allow for timely verification. You should get an email from the School of OT when complete and verified saying that the admission committee is reviewing it.

We will be having mandatory interviews in the Fall by emailed invitation only.  Details will be posted at a later time.

Admission Requirements

  • Baccalaureate degree completed before classes start in June; we accept all accredited undergraduate degrees.
  • Minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 calculated on the approximate last 60 credit hours of your bachelor's degree, or minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on 12 or more graduate credit hours.
  • GRE test scores are not required.
  • Prerequisite courses GPA of 3.0 or higher and no grade below C. Advanced Placement credit will not be accepted. Applicants that have all of their prerequisites complete (with the possible exception of medical terminology) with official grades submitted by our October 1st deadline will have priority for the first round of admission offers. If an applicant is completing prerequisite course(s) after October 1st, we will accept the application for review and if all admission requirements are met, an interview invitation will be offered.  We will not offer admission until an official grade report or un/official transcript for remaining prerequisite course(s) are submitted to ot@twu.edu .
  • For prerequisite equivalency approvals, email ot@twu.edu the course title, university attended, and course description.
  • Prerequisite Courses:
    • Elementary Statistics- Frequency distributions; graphical representation, measures of central tendency, and dispersion; normal curve; hypothesis testing confidence intervals. (TCCN MATH 1342)
    • Anatomy and Physiology I & II Lecture / Lab- Principles of the structure and functions of the human body. (TCCN BIOL 2401 & BIOL 2402) You can take separate Anatomy and Physiology courses with labs but you cannot mix an A&P course and then the separate Anatomy or Physiology course
    • Lifespan Developmental Psychology- Development of Personality and learning capacities across the life-span from birth to death; emphasis on interactions of heredity, environment, and maturational processes. (TCCN PSYC 2314)
    • Abnormal Psychology- A study of psychopathology covering the major classification systems including mood disorders and psychotic behavior, defenses, anxiety, methods of psychotherapy, and mental health principles; examination of abnormality in relationship to normal behavior. (TCCN PSYC 2320)
  • Competency in Medical Terminology demonstrated by a passing grade in a medical terminology course (college credit or continuing education certificate). This may be submitted after acceptance, prior to OTD program entry.  This course is not a part of your prerequisite GPA.
  • Complete a minimum of 20 contact hours with one licensed occupational therapist, (not an occupational therapy assistant), within two years of application.  You will enter those hours into OTCAS, separate log is not necessary.
  • A minimum of three evaluator/references.  One reference must be from the licensed occupational therapist that you observed for 20 hours. The other two evaluators should be academic and/or professional references.  Applicants should select evaluators that will show their breadth of experience from different sites or institutions.
  • All students in the TWU OTD Program must comply with background checks, random drug screening, and immunization requirements in order to progress through experiential learning and fieldwork.

TWU Alumni Advantage Admission Requirements (for TWU students only)

Texas Woman’s University students or graduates who qualify may apply for an Alumni Advantage into the OTD program. In addition to the above requirements, the Alumni Advantage Admission requires:

  • Texas Woman’s University baccalaureate degree be completed at the time of enrollment with a Pre-OT track degree plan in Child Development, Family Studies, Health Studies, Kinesiology Exercise Science, or Psychology.
  • A minimum of 30 hours completed at Texas Woman’s University at the time of application.
  • Overall GPA of 3.7 on the last 60 credit hours at the time of application.
  • Prerequisite courses GPA of 3.5 or higher and no grade below B.
  • One of the evaluator references must be from a full-time TWU faculty member in the Pre-OT major under whom the applicant has completed a course of study.

Application Process - Two part process

  1. Complete the TWU Application Process (available July 1, in the How to Apply box below this instruction box). 
  2. You must submit your transcripts from all schools attended to the Office of Admissions Processing at Texas Woman's University.  
  3. Submit TOEFL and TSE/Test A (if applicable).

Complete the OTCAS Application Process

  1. Apply to The TWU School of Occupational Therapy through OTCAS. If you experience technical difficulty completing the OTCAS application, visit the OTCAS help page.
    • Use a permanent email address when applying to OTCAS and check it regularly.
    • Notify your evaluators/references to let them know they will receive a reference request from OTCAS. Applicants are encouraged to follow-up with evaluators to ensure the references are received prior to the deadline.
    • Make certain that the application becomes complete and verified by October 1st.
  2.  When you have completed the two-part admission process, you should get an email from the School of OT saying that it has been sent to the admission committee for further consideration.
  3. If you are an international student, please review the additional requirements. Submit TOEFL and TSE/Test A (if applicable). 

Technology Requirements for the Program 

Page last updated 2:58 PM, May 1, 2023