Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program

Occupational therapists assist people of all ages to develop or regain daily living and work skills through therapeutic activities.

This entry-level occupational therapy doctoral program combines academic studies and clinical experiences to provide you with the scientific and professional education you need as a highly trained occupational therapy practitioner.

You will have clinical experiences every term, beginning with structured observations, continuing with fieldwork rotations, and culminating with the individual doctoral experiences and capstone project. These experiences expose you to diverse patient populations across a variety of settings, both on and off campus.

The entry-level doctoral program in occupational therapy will build on the successes of the entry-level master’s of occupational therapy, which has been ranked among the top 15 percent of master’s programs nationally by U.S. News and World Report. This program employs the practitioner-teacher-investigator model, which integrates coursework, patient care and research. Graduates of the program are consistently above the average national pass rate on the NBCOT exam. (MS data)

To view National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification pass rates for graduates of our program please visit: https://www.nbcot.org/en/educators/home#schoolperformance

Occupational therapy program accreditation summary

• The entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program at Rush University has been approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
• The entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program at Rush University is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at:

During the final three years of the MS program (2014-2016), 107 of 108 matriculated students graduated from the program, resulting in 99% graduation rate. Detailed information about graduation rates is below. (MS data 2014-2016; OTD data 2017-2019)

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