Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) 

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 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 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 to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Official Admission Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree in any field from institutionally accredited university 
• 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA 
• Pre-requisite course completion with a grade of “C” or higher 
• Letters of Recommendation (3)- OT practitioner, professional, and personal reference preferred 
• OTCAS Personal Statement 
• Resume recommended 
• OT observation hours recommended (30 hours) 
• TOEFL, Duolingo, IELTS scores if applicable 
• Immunizations, background check, liability & health insurance, if accepted 

*The OBU OTD Admissions Team is committed to a holistic review process, carefully considering all aspects of each applicant’s file, including academic achievements, personal experiences, interviews, and other application components. We seek to understand the full scope of each candidate’s potential and how they align with our program. 

Prerequisite Courses 

• Medical Terminology 
• Human Anatomy (or Anatomy & Physiology I) w/Lab 
• Human Physiology (or Anatomy &Physiology II) w/Lab 
• Statistics 
• General Psychology 
• Social Science (i.e., Sociology, Anthropology) 
• Abnormal Psychology 
• Lifespan or Human Development 
• *A grade of ‘C’ or higher must be earned in each course. Anatomy and Physiology must have been taken in the last 7 years unless the student is a practicing Occupational Therapy Assistant. 

Admissions Timeline 

• Program begins with a new cohort in the Spring of each academic year, with the first cohort starting January 2026. 

• Applications for admission will be on a rolling basis and will open one year prior to cohort start date. 

• Applicants must have already completed or be in the final semester of their undergraduate degree program at the time of application. Applications submitted more than one semester before anticipated undergraduate degree completion will be held until the applicant’s final semester of study.
• Applicants must acknowledge that they can meet, with or without reasonable accommodations, the essential standards and functions as outlined here.

• Priority applications will close in June each year. 

• All applications will close December 1st of each year. 

Interview Timeline 

Virtual interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis as applications are received and reviewed. 

Contact Information 

Please contact our Admissions Team with further questions.  

Phone: (405) 247-0061 

Email: occupational.therapy@okbu.edu 

Advanced Placement  

Advanced placement (AP) into the Oklahoma Baptist University Doctor of Occupational Therapy program is not accepted due to the nature of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy curriculum.    

Transfer of Credit  

Transfer credits from other accredited graduate programs will not be considered for the Oklahoma Baptist University Doctor of Occupational Therapy program due to the nature of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy curriculum.   

*Undergraduate students applying for the OTD program may transfer undergraduate credits for undergraduate courses in adherence with Oklahoma Baptist University’s undergraduate admissions policies to obtain the required bachelor’s degree for application.     

Credit for Experiential Learning  

The Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program does not offer credit for experiential learning toward the completion of the doctoral degree requirements. While the program does not allow the application of experiential learning credits toward formal academic coursework, it recognizes that experiential learning plays a significant and valuable role in the overall educational and professional development of our students.  

Clinical Education  

The OBU OTD program requires students to complete clinical education experiences during level I and level II fieldwork. Level I fieldwork experiences will be conducted during the first year or didactic portion while the students are on campus for lab immersions. These experiential learning activities will occur on campus and in clinical settings in the community. During level II fieldwork, students will complete two 12-week full-time fieldwork rotations in authentic practice settings, supervised by practicing occupational therapists.  Students must meet the standards outlined in the Fieldwork Evaluation of Student Performance.     

To enroll in fieldwork, students must complete the following requirements by stated deadlines:  

• Background check  

• Handbook acknowledgement  

• Documentation of liability insurance 

• 2-step TB skin test*  

• HIPAA, FERPA, and OSHA training  

• Documentation of immunizations and titers including MMR, Varicella, Polio,  

• Hepatitis B, Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis (Tdap), and Influenza* 

• 10-panel drug screen* 

• CPR BLS Certification 

• Additional requirements as required by clinical site, such as FBI fingerprinting, orientation, etc.*   

If the requirements are not completed by stated deadlines, the student will not be allowed to enroll in clinical experiences, which may delay program completion. Students are responsible for costs associated with completing the requirements indicated with an asterisk (*). The Director of Clinical education is responsible for verifying completion of requirements and arranging external clinical placements.   

State Licensure   

To practice occupational therapy in a specific state, a state license must be obtained. The OTD program at OBU meets the education requirements for all 50 states in the United States. Each state maintains its own licensure board and posts its requirements for occupational therapy licensure. It is the responsibility of the student to understand and follow the guidelines for licensure in the state(s) in which they intend to practice. 

Graduation Requirements 

Students must fulfill the following requirements to graduate with a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from OBU: 

1. Successfully complete the didactic portion of the curriculum with no more than one grade of a “C” per semester. 
2. Successfully complete the clinical portion of the curriculum within 18months of completion of the didactic component. 
3. Successfully complete and present the doctoral capstone project. 
4. Maintain an average OTD GPA of 3.0. 
5. Fulfill all financial obligations to the university. 
6. Pay graduation fee. 
7. Obtain approval by the Council of Online, Nontraditional, and Graduate Education minus student membership for graduation.