Program Outcomes & Requirements

Graduating students must take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) to become a licensed occupational therapist in the United States.

Review pass rates on the NBCOT certification examination by state and program level.

Students are responsible for ensuring that all administrative and academic requirements for graduation have been met. The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Degree is awarded upon completion of all required graduate work (typically the end of the third year/ninth semester in the OTD Program). The total number of credits hours of graduate occupational therapy work (including both academic and clinical fieldwork) is 120 credit hours. In addition, students must meet the following criteria: 

1. Completion of all University of Cincinnati admission, retention, and graduation requirements as outlined in the University of Cincinnati Graduate Handbook:
2. Completion of all OTD required coursework, including
   1. 24 weeks of full-time fieldwork, 
   2.  The doctoral capstone including dissemination and sign-off by the doctoral capstone coordinator and faculty mentor, and 
   3. A research project with presentations at the research symposium and the CAHS Scholarly Showcase  * Note: All coursework counted towards the degree must be completed at the University of Cincinnati. 
3. Completion of a minimum of 24 service hours completed within the first four semesters. 
4. Participation in a minimum of 3 inter-professional educational activities at UC. 
5. Attendance at the OT Student Research Symposium and CAHS Scholarly Showcase each year. 
6.  Maintenance of a minimum of a 3.0 overall GPA with no OTD course below a grade of C (unless that course has been successfully retaken). 
7. Completion of all OTD Program requirements within 5 years. Students extending beyond that period will be required to reapply and, upon admission, retake all OTD coursework and fieldwork.