Excellence and InnovationDoctor of Occupational Therapy

Three Occupational Therapy students demonstrating tools used during sessions

Why Choose Our Program?

A career in occupational therapy offers a diverse range of opportunities and experiences. Occupational therapists work with people across the lifespan in an array of settings, both in the clinic and beyond. Through the use of meaningful activities, occupational therapists help individuals maximize participation in their daily lives to the best of their abilities. 

  • Jacksonville University: The university has been on the America’s Best Colleges list for over 12 straight years.
  • Experienced Faculty: The faculty possess extensive clinical and research backgrounds and are committed to engaging students in professional activities.
  • The program tuition includes hands-on fieldwork opportunities and various learning supplies.
  • No GRE is required for admission into the OTD program.
  • Valuable partnerships: As part of the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences the OTD program is associated with the largest regional rehabilitation hospital, as well as maintaining strong relationships with local healthcare providers.
  • Location: The state of the art facility and house is located on a beautiful tree-filled campus on the St. John’s River in Jacksonville, Florida. A short drive takes you to a number of beaches and major Florida attractions.
    Tuition and Fees

Apply through OTCAS

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Virtual Information Session

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the program director and advisor to ask questions about our curriculum and admissions process.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

6:00 p.m.

Register Now

Doctor of Occupational TherapyPrepare For Your Future

A career in occupational therapy offers a diverse range of opportunities and experiences. Occupational therapists work with people across the lifespan in an array of settings, both in the clinic and beyond. Through the use of meaningful activities, occupational therapists help individuals maximize participation in their daily lives to the best of their abilities.

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Doctor of Occupational Therapy

...To the dexterity that it takes.. oh yeah.. and like cognitive..

 

Elizabeth Murphy

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Student

Jacksonville University

“Individuals with disabilities can experience a wide array of barriers. As a future occupational therapist, I want to ensure individuals with disabilities have the same opportunities that I do.”

 

Selena Harris

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Student

Jacksonville University

“I consider occupational therapy a field that helps a person do whatever it is, they need or want to do; and those things may have been limited by injury illness or disability and we overcome that. We don't see the person as being ill or disabled, we see them as having some challenges, that we help them overcome and we make sure that the way that we overcome those challenges are centered on that person.”

 

[background voices]

Find a little strength in that…

Dr. Murphy:

“So many experience a stroke or maybe a spinal cord injury or perhaps they just break their hand. So much of what we do as human beings and how we interact with our environment comes from our hands. What happens if they no longer have that ability? What happens if they can't brush their teeth or brush their hair or put on their socks and shoes? That's going to keep them from going out into the community and participating in things that they would otherwise.”

 

Testimonial by Bob Kuhn

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) Patient

“I'm Bob Kuhn from Ocala Florida. Back on June 6, 2018, I went to sleep happy and healthy and woke up a few hours later paralyzed. It was sudden onset Guillain-Barre syndrome or GBS. The only body part I could move was my right eyelid. With GBS the hands are usually the last thing to come back and for me that's certainly the case. I've been working to strengthen my hands my arms and my shoulders; we've also been working on activities of daily living like dressing, grooming, and eating meals. So, I've been working toward more Independence and toward getting my life back.”

 

Megan Bewernitz

Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy

Jacksonville University

“When we treat people, when we work with people, we want them to be successful in their own homes. And a big drop for students is where we're sitting right now the [Nelson] Occupational Therapy House. It's a living laboratory, provides our students with the opportunity to be creative and get to practice in a real-world environment. One of my favorite classes is in the kitchen and teaching adaptive cooking and educating the students about the many, many adaptations that we can use in occupational therapy and educate patients on so they can be successful in doing their own meal prep in their own meal planning.”

 

Serena Harris

“I chose JU because I wanted a well-rounded experience; having small class sizes we could get a lot of one-on-one training a lot of personal mentoring and that was a big deal for me. The unique equipment we have. So, we have a Dynavision, we have a VTE, we have an atomage table and most schools do not have those things. So, being trained on something that we can see in the field that we can use in our studies to make us more prepared in the future was probably one of my top goals. Being as prepared as possible in a very comfortable setting getting to know my peers and my faculty on a personal level and making these lifelong connections.”

 

Megan Bewernitz

“Here at JU, we have lots of opportunities for our students to be part of the community and understand that aspect of service that's so important to be an occupational therapist. We serve as part of our profession.”

Elizabeth Murphy

“I was a first-year occupational therapy student whenever I first helped out with our Go Baby Go event which is an incredible event for kids who have disabilities who want to be able to sit in a little adapted car and do things that their peers would do.  Being able to provide these opportunities for people with disabilities whether they're adults or their kiddos anywhere in between it makes it worth it!”

 

AdmissionsHow to Apply

The 2024 GRE requirement has been waived!

  • Request official transcripts & documentation
  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Our school code is 001495
  • Apply for our program through OTCAS
  • Qualified applicants will be selected for interviews with the OT Admissions committee
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Learn More about our StudentsStudent Profiles

Class of 2024

Class of 2025

 

Our Accreditation

The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is  VISIT ACOTE

Graduates of the program 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 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.

Student Outcomes

Graduation Rates

Graduation   

Year

Students Entering/

Graduating

Graduation Rate
2021 15/15 100%
2022 28/26 93%
2023 21/21 100%
Total 64/62 97%

 

 

The OTD program at Jacksonville University graduated their first class in 2021. Students who have successfully completed the program will be allowed to sit for the NBCOT examination.

Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online.  NBCOT Pass Rates

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