Doctoral Capstone

The Doctoral Capstone happens after students have completed their coursework, comprehensive examination, and fieldwork. The capstone is a 14-week faculty-guided mentored experience where students can focus on an area of OT that interests them. It is designed for the student to gain advanced skills in one of the following areas:

• Administration
• Clinical practice skills
• Research skills
• Program and policy development
• Education
• Advocacy
  (AOTA.org, 2017)

Graduation Requirements

Students in the OTD program follow a fixed curriculum. To progress through the program, students must receive a grade of C or above in all courses, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 while in the program, receive passing grades for all fieldwork and doctoral capstone experiences, pass qualifying exams, and successfully complete a culminating project.

In addition to the above requirements for graduation, students must have no outstanding debt to Student Accounts, demonstrate professional behaviors, and have the approval of the program faculty. After students have successfully completed all of these requirements, students may apply for graduation.

Program 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 successfully completing this exam, the individual will be an occupational therapist, registered (OTR). In addition, most 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. NBCOT (http://www.nbcot.org/)