Occupational Therapy
Department of Occupational Therapy
The innovative work of an occupational therapist enables independence in the daily life and activities of individuals with physical limitations due to illness, injury, disability or aging. Abilene Christian University’s Occupational Therapy programs equip you to transform patients’ lives through a rich understanding of the human body and environments in which it operates.
We expand on our university’s mission to encourage you to embrace your occupation, in its broadest sense, as a gift from God. To that end, we prepare you to think and act critically and missionally to best serve your patients.
We provide admissions decisions quickly on a rolling admissions basis upon OTCAS verification.
Discover OT Graduate Programs at Abilene Christian University:
Doctor of Occupational Therapy
Abilene Christian University’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy program (OTD) not only equips students with industry skills but also provides strategic leadership knowledge to become pioneers in the healthcare professional field.
This 85-hour residential doctoral program may be completed in 29 months. During that time, you’ll participate in two 12-week fieldwork education rotations, a 14-week doctoral capstone experience in a chosen area of specialization for project implementation and be eligible to sit for the national certification exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT.)
Further focus provided by the OTD includes additional mentoring in servant leadership and autonomy of action, training in research techniques that are applicable within and without the clinical setting and concurrent specialized training in the students’ chosen area of clinical practice skills, research, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education or theory development.
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
Earning a Master of Science in occupational therapy at ACU can lead to a rewarding career. In its simplest terms, occupational therapists help people of all ages participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations) in all of their environments — home, work, school, community.
This 69-credit hour resident graduate occupational therapy program is designed to be completed in two years and fully prepares you to sit for national certification as administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.
Fieldwork experiences are required by ACOTE as part of the academic education and training process to become an occupational therapist. These occur in two phases:
- Level 1 is scheduled at the completion of your first semester to generally allow for real world experiences under the direction of a licensed occupational therapist. It is a reflection of the semester teachings and may be completed in a variety of settings.
- Level 2 experiences generally consist of two 12-week assignments at various occupational therapy settings under the direct supervision of an occupational therapist. The fieldwork educator must be currently practicing with at least one year of clinical experience and follow AOTA guidelines to meet particular milestones required of Level 2 fieldwork experiences.
Accreditation
ACU’s entry-level Master of Science in Occupational Therapy 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 301-652-6611, and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.
ACU’s entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at ACU 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 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 Final accreditation decision will be made in August 2023.