Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Admission

The entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree is an applicant program seeking candidacy status for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)*. The program is 36 months (105 graduate credit hours) of professional coursework and fieldwork presented in a full-time day format, starting in May each year.

Admission requirements include:

  • OTCAS application (www.otcas.org), accepted July 18, 2018 – March 15, 2019 with a priority deadline of November 9, 2018
  • Official transcripts from all institutions
  • A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. No specific major is required. All undergraduate and graduate coursework is included in cumulative grade point average calculations.
  • Completion of the following required prerequisite courses with a 3.0/4.0 GPA. No more that one prerequisite may remain outstanding by deadline of March 15, 2019. In addition, this prerequisite is to be completed prior to matriculation into the program. The outstanding prerequisite cannot be Human Anatomy with lab, Human Physiology, nor Statistics.
    • Introductory Psychology
    • Introductory Sociology or Anthropology
    • Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology
    • Lifespan/Human Growth and Development
    • Human Anatomy (with lab required)
    • Human Physiology (with lab preferred)
    • Physics (with lab preferred)
    • Statistics (must include Inferential)
    • Medical Terminology
    • All prerequisite courses must be a minimum of 3 credit hours with the exception of Medical Terminology, which is a minimum of one credit hour. Coursework must be completed with a grade of ‘C’ or higher. With the exception of Anatomy, online courses are acceptable.
  • Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score report
  • Observation of Occupational Therapy practice. A minimum of 40 hours total is required among three different settings (hospital, school system, home health, clinic, etc.)
  • In-person interview (scheduled for December 8, 2018)
  • International applicants must meet all Jacksonville University International Student Admisison Criteria as outlined in the JU 2018-19 Catalog, including English Proficiency
    • TOEFL score (minimum score 650 for paper, 280 for computer, and 114 if internet-based), or IELTS requirement of 8.0 if applicant’s primary language is not English.

Retaking Prerequisite Courses: Students are approved to retake up to 15 credit hours of prerequisite courses. The higher letter grade will be used to calculate the prerequisite GPA. Cumulative GPA will include all prerequisite courses completed.

*Program & Professional Information: More information regarding JU’s OTD program can be found at www.ju.edu/ot. For information regarding the profession of occupational therapy and the American Occupational Therapy Association, please visit www.aota.org. Further details on accreditation, including contact information, please visit www.acoteonline.org and view the Prospective Applicant Letter

Transfer of Credit – The JU OTD program does not grant course credit/transfer.