Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Program Description

The entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree prepares graduates to become licensed, entry-level generalist practitioners who bridge research and practice, design and scale innovative solutions, and lead systems-level change within organizations and communities. Grounded in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, the program forms compassionate, skilled, and advocacy-oriented clinicians through a curriculum rooted in doing and with an emphasis on creating sustainable professional habits for practitioner well-being.

The program is an eight-semester, 90-credit sequence delivered across 32 months of full-time study. The first five semesters include coursework in anatomy, neuroscience, and occupational analysis, combined with graduate-level study in evidence-based practice, disease prevention and health promotion, and professional leadership and management, with occupation held as the central, organizing concept across every domain of study. This portion of the curriculum culminates in two full-time Level II Fieldwork placements that prepare students for generalist clinical practice. Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork within 24 months following completion of the didactic portion of the program.

The entry-level OTD adds advanced doctoral preparation in implementation science, human-centered design, and individualized concentration, culminating in a mentored doctoral capstone. In the sixth and seventh semesters, students draw on their fieldwork experience to examine and ultimately redesign the systems that shape occupational participation, through coursework in human-centered design, implementation science, and health and disability policy and advocacy. Individualized concentration electives in emerging areas such as policy and advocacy, digital health and informatics, leadership, or program development provide formal recognition of advanced skills that align with workforce and societal needs. Simultaneously, doctoral capstone preparation seminars guide students through identifying a capstone focus, designing a project plan, and confirming a capstone site agreement.

The eighth and final semester is devoted to the Doctoral Capstone Experience, a 14-week immersive project completed in collaboration with a faculty advisor and a site-based content expert. Students design, implement, and disseminate an individualized, systems-level scholarly project that addresses a barrier to occupational participation for the individuals, organizations, or communities they serve.

The Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree is conferred upon completion of all program requirements. Graduates are then eligible to sit for the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and, upon passing, to apply for state licensure as an occupational therapist.

Open All | Close All

  • 听

    Accreditation

    The entry-level doctor of occupational therapy degree program has applied for accreditation 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 c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is . The program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates 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 to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
  • 听

    Admissions Requirements

    Individuals will apply via OTCAS. The application will include transcripts, references, and a personal statement. The 黑料社区app OT program will use a holistic admission process considering factors such:

    • A bachelor’s degree with an overall cumulative “B” average (3.0 or higher) from an accredited institution
    • GPA
    • Volunteer/work experience
    • Leadership/teamwork experience
    • Diversity experience
    • Prerequisite courses include:
      • Human Anatomy - with lab
      • Human Physiology - with lab
      • Developmental Psychology
      • Statistics
      • Sociology
      • Medical Terminology
    After faculty have completed a thorough review of the above criteria, they will invite applicants for interviews with program faculty to determine a final rank order of the applicants. For non‐native speakers of English, a minimum TOEFL score of 550 is required on the paper‐based examination, and a minimum TOEFL score of 213 is required on the computer‐based examination.
  • 听

    Academic Policies & Requirements

    Students in the Occupational Therapy program must attain a minimum grade of “B-” or higher in all OCT courses. In addition, students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 grade point average. The academic policies in the student handbook provided additional detail on academic conduct, progression, withdrawal and dismissal.

  • 听

    Degree Requirements - Doctor of Occupational Therapy (90 credits)

    • OCT 5130 Applied Human Anatomy (3 credits)
    • OCT 5131 Foundations of Occupational Therapy (3 credits)
    • OCT 5132 Thriving in Practice (1 credit)
    • OCT 5133 Occupation as Core (1 credit)
    • OCT 5134 Functional Movement Analysis & Assessment (2 credits)
    • OCT 5135 Evidence Based Practice I (1 credit)
    • OCT 5210 Applied Neuroscience Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
    • OCT 5211 Occupational Analysis & Adaptation (1 credit)
    • OCT 5212 Occupational Performance in Physical Rehabilitation I (2 credits)
    • OCT 5213 Disease Prevention & Health Promotion (3 credits)
    • OCT 5214 Occupational Performance in Physical Rehabilitation II (3 credits)
    • OCT 5215 Practice Immersion I (3 credits)
    • OCT 5216 Evidence Based Practice II (1 credit)
    • OCT 5320 Evidence Based Practice III (3 credits)
    • OCT 5321 Occupational Performance in Mental Health (2 credits)
    • OCT 5322 Professional Leadership & Management (3 credits)
    • OCT 5323 Practice Immersion II (3 credits)
    • OCT 5324 Occupational Performance in Community (3 credits)
    • OCT 6430 Evidence-Based Practice II (2 credits)
    • OCT 6431 Practice Immersion III  (3 credits)
    • OCT 6432 Occupational Performance with Children & Adolescents (4 credits)
    • OCT 6433 Level II FW A1 (3 credits)
    • OCT 6510 Level II FW A2 (3 credits)
    • OCT 6511 Level II FW B (6 credits)
    • OCT 6620 Human-Centered Innovation I: Understanding Populations (2 credits)
    • OCT 6621 Implementation Science in OT Practice (2 credits)
    • OCT 6622 Doctoral Capstone Preparation I (1 credit)
    • OCT 6623 Advanced Policy & Advocacy (3 credits)
    • OCT 7730 Human-Centered Innovation II: From Co-Creation to Impact (3 credits)
    • OCT 7731: Implementation Science in Action: From Design to Dissemination (3 credits)
    • OCT 7732: Doctoral Capstone Preparation II (1 credit)
    • OCT 7810 Doctoral Capstone Experience (6 credits)
    • Specialization Electives (9 credits) Choose one specialization:
    Advocacy for Systems Change:
      • OCT 6624 Foundations for Systems Change (3 credits)
      • OCT 7733 Systems Analysis for Advocacy (3 credits)
      • OCT 7801 Systems Change in Practice (3 credits)
    Trauma-Informed Care:
      • OCT 6625 Understanding & Responding to Trauma (3 credits)
      • OCT 7734 Assessing & Applying Trauma-Informed Care (3 credits)
      • OCT 7802 Trauma-Informed Care in Practice (3 credits)

    Total credits required: 90 credits

  • 听

    2026-2027 Program Policy Manual

    Student-Faculty Handbook

  • 听

    Program Contact Information

    Amy Lamb, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, NBC-HWC
    Department Chair & Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy
    School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
    College of Health Professions, A236
    McNichols Campus
    Email: lambaj@udmercy.edu

    Melissa Todd, MOT, OTRL, HWC
    Academic Fieldwork Coordinator & Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy
    School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
    College of Health Professions, A236
    McNichols Campus
    Email: toddme@udmercy.edu

Detroit Mercy Catalogs


Graduate Catalog
2026-2027