Occupational Therapy (OTD)
The 103-credit doctoral program in occupational therapy, designed for students who have earned a bachelor's degree in another field, goes beyond the basic curriculum in a master's degree program. The program provides additional training and expertise in specialized areas, such as clinical practice, research, administration, program and policy development, advocacy, education and/or theory development.
Students successfully completing the program will be eligible to take the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be able to identify him- or herself as an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). All states, including New Jersey, require licensure in order to practice. State licenses are usually based on the successful passing of the NBCOT Certification Exam.
*Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

The occupational therapy doctoral program prepares students for success.
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NBCOT Pass Rate
Upon successful completion of academic preparation and level II fieldwork experiences, students are eligible to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT) exam. Kean has had a 100% pass rate for the inaugural OTD graduates, with 5/5 passing on the first attempt. The current pass rate is 92.5% with 11/12 passing.
Progression, Retention and Graduation
Once qualified applicants enter the doctoral program, the faculty is committed to seeing that students successfully complete the program in a timely manner. In 2018, the inaugural year of the OTD program, we admitted seven students; 5 students or 71% successfully completed the 3-year sequence and graduated. Two of the doctoral students decided to change programs and graduated with a Masters in Occupational Therapy in 2020. In the second cohort 100% of students completed their degrees and graduated on time
Admission Year |
Total Admitted |
Graduation Year |
Total Graduated |
Total Percentage |
2019 2018 |
7 7 |
2022 2021 |
7 5 |
100% 71% |
Accreditation
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.

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