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Accreditation

Accreditation Information

Our program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), American Occupational Therapy Association. The corresponding Web address is: www.aota.org/Educate/Accredit.aspx. They can also be contacted at: 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449, telephone 301-652-2682.

Our Department received initial accreditation in 2001. Our department has recently (August 20, 2012) received re-accreditation for 10 years.  Our next accreditation cycle is 2022.  As the Department is fully accredited, graduates are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination for the Occupational Therapist, administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), Web site www.nbcot.org. After successful completion of this exam, the graduate becomes an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). Most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the successful completion of the NBCOT Certification Examination.

Students seeking the entrance into health and human service professions should be aware that the presence of a criminal record can result in the refusal of licensing/certification/registration agencies to issue the credential needed to practice in the field of study. Prospective students are urged to contact the pertinent state and/or federal licensing board to inquire whether a criminal record will have an impact on your eligibility to obtain licensure or certification. Students are also advised to seek further information at: National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, 800 S. Frederick Avenue, Suite 200, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877-4150, telephone 301-990-7979.

NBCOT pass rate

Consistent with the Centennial Vision of our Profession (www.aota.org), our Department has developed an enrichment program to facilitate successful professional development for students from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. The total number of graduates who passed the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification examination as first-time test takers (NG) in 2009–2011 are presented in the following table.

Description: The following chart represents the 3 most recent calendar years pass rate for our Department:

Year* Number of Program Graduates Number of first-time test takers Number of first-time test takers who passed the exam Percentage of first-time test takers who passed the exam
2009 20 12* 9 75%
2010 24 26* 21 81%
2011 18 20 16 80%
Total 3-year 62 58 46 79.3%

*The years represent calendar years. Our program graduates the majority of the students in September of every year. Some students may take the exam within the same calendar year (between September and December) and some choose to complete it in the first 6 months of the next calendar year. This explains the discrepancy between the numbers of students who graduated and the numbers of students who sat for the NBCOT exam.

The majority of our graduates who sought employment within the occupational therapy profession began working within 2-6 months after graduation. Many of the graduates had employment offers during their fieldwork affiliations prior to graduation.