Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Plan Description

This is a program for those students who wish to pursue careers as occupational therapists. Completing this curriculum would enable students to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification examination which would then enable them to apply for licensure as a registered occupational therapist (OTR) in Nevada or other states. 

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

1. Students applying to the OTD program have an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited academic institution with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The degree may be in any area of study as long as the student has successfully completed the following pre-requisite coursework:
   
       Statistics (1 course)
       Biology (2 courses)
       Anatomy & Physiology (2 courses) with labs
       Psychology (3 courses - Introductory, Developmental & Abnormal)
       Anthropology or Sociology (1 course)
   
   All pre-requisite coursework will need to be completed by the end of the Spring semester prior to admission to the program in the Summer term.

2. Students must have completed a minimum of 40 hours of observation with a licensed occupational therapist in a minimum of two different practice settings.

3. Applicants to the program will be asked to submit a personal essay as part of the application.

4. Students will submit 3 letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a licensed occupational therapist that provided some of the observation hours.

5. In-person interviews will be offered to qualified applicants. 

All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the  Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements. 

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

Total Credits Required: 120

Plan Graduation Requirements

1. Doctoral Experiential Component (14 weeks)
2. Final Capstone Project
3. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College as well as apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements.
4. The student must submit and successfully present their final research project, professional paper, or case report by the posted deadline. The presentation must be advertised and is open to the public.
5. The student must electronically submit a pdf copy of their approved, properly formatted thesis, doctoral project, or dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once approved, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline. Deadlines can be found here.