Doctorate in Occupational Therapy

The Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD) is an entry-level professional doctorate in occupational therapy. Students entering the OTD program must hold a bachelor's degree prior to the start of the program. As decreed by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), occupational therapists may enter the profession at the master's or doctoral level. Although a doctoral degree is not mandatory, it is believed that the profession will eventually move to the single point of entry doctorate degree as many healthcare disciplines have done. This program is forward thinking, preparing students now at the doctoral level.

A baccalaureate degree or its equivalent, as recognized by Temple University, from an accredited post-secondary institution is required.
Official academic transcripts are required from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended.
Two professional/academic letters of recommendation are required.
A statement of goals is required and must be a minimum of one page in length. This personal statement reflects your capacity to engage in rigorous graduate education and practice and should inform on your capacity for mental flexibility, creativity, teamwork, contribution to a learning environment, and service to others. Your statement must include a reflection of your alignment with Temple's Occupational Therapy mission, philosophy, and values. In addition, you must identify an area of interest you might pursue in clinical doctorate studies and describe a current OT faculty member's scholarly areas and capacity to advise in your area of interest. Submit the personal statement as part of the online application, a formatted copy may also be sent via e-mail to otadmissions@temple.edu.
A professional writing sample is required, which may include either a previously published article or an academic paper from previous coursework. If you do not have a professional writing sample, you may write a brief professional paper, one to two pages in length, based on a clinical question provided to you by the O.T.D. program.
A current resume is required.
A copy of your current state OT license must be submitted.
Standardized test scores:
GRE scores are required only if the applicant's cumulative GPA for the master's degree is below 3.0. Scores in the 50th percentile or higher are preferred on the verbal and quantitative sections. Submit GRE scores to Temple University OTCAS using code 1239.
For applicants whose native language is not English, TOEFL or Duolingo scores must be reported. The acceptable minimum is 79 iBT for the TOEFL, 550 on the paper-based (PBT) version
International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The minimum score required on the academic version of the test is 6.5.