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Kerry McAlpine

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The UAB Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) degree program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

The Department of Occupational Therapy’s first OTD students began coursework in May 2021 and graduated in December 2023 along with UAB’s last class of MSOT students.

Watch: The Transition from MSOT to OTD

Accreditation Status: Accredited

The UAB Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) degree program is accredited 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 is (301) 652-6611 and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

ACOTE® is recognized as the accrediting agency for occupational therapy education by both the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ACOTE® is also an active member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).

Click here to read the full accreditation statement.

Graduation Data

The inaugural cohort of students in UAB’s Entry-Level Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) program graduated in December 2023.

Graduation Rate

Graduation Year

Students Entering

Students Graduating

Graduation Rate

ACOTE Graduation Rate*

2023

60

54

90%

91%

2024

60

 64

 106%

96%

2025

 

 

 

 


*ACOTE Graduation Rate Definition: The number of students who graduate on time (G1) divided by the number of students admitted in the original cohort (G2) minus the number of students who withdrew due to military, health, family issues, death and other reasons not related to academic and clinical performance (G3). Calculation per calendar year is = G1 / (G2 – G3).

Note: Non-completion of the program is due to one of the following reasons:

  • Withdrawing due to medical or family issues
  • Graduation delayed
  • Not meeting academic standards

Certification

Graduates of the program are 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.

To learn more, visit the NBCOT website.

NBCOT Success Rate

The first class to graduate from UAB’s entry-level OTD program began sitting for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination in January 2024. This is the data for OTD graduates on the NBCOT examination within the stipulated reporting window of one year from graduation. Data on the overall pass rate on the NBCOT examination for graduates of the UAB MSOT program, which graduated its last class in December 2023, can be found on the NBCOT website.

Exam Period

% of New Graduates Who Passed Exam

Jan. – Dec. 2024

90%

Jan. – Dec. 2025

 

Jan. – Dec. 2026

 

For official NBCOT data results, visit the NBCOT website.