Ranked #1 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report

We’re proud that Boston University ranks among the world’s most esteemed educators of the next generation of leaders in occupational therapy. In fact, U.S. News & World Report’s latest graduate school rankings named Boston University’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program  #1 out of 282 programs.

About the program

If you already have a bachelor’s or master’s degree and have decided to become an occupational therapist, congratulations on an excellent career choice. Whether your degree is in the sciences, humanities, or arts, a great deal of what you’ve learned can help you excel in this multifaceted helping profession. You’ll need an understanding of people, critical thinking skills, communication skills, creativity, and the desire to apply your knowledge in real-life situations.

At Boston University, OT academic coursework and fieldwork are integrated into a curriculum that’s occupation-focused, evidence-based, client-centered, and organized from a life-course perspective. You’ll study the concepts, theory, and practice of occupational therapy with professors and practitioners known in national and international communities.

Beginning in your first semester and throughout the three year entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy curriculum, you’ll acquire an exceptional range of clinical experience through Level I Fieldwork and Level II Fieldwork placements chosen from BU’s large network of local and national clinical sites.  You’ll also complete a 14-week doctoral practicum and project focused on your particular professional interests in one of the following areas: advanced clinical practice; program development and evaluation; research; policy and advocacy; or education.

Throughout the program, you’ll have close interaction and personal attention from our faculty. Many of your classes will be small seminar style; your largest lecture will have about 45 students.

Regardless of your undergraduate area of study, our program is designed to fully prepare you to take the NBCOT National Certification Examination. After passing the exam, you’ll be ready to enter clinical practice with confidence.

The Sargent College Advantage

The entry-level OTD program at Boston University welcomes students with a wide variety of educational and work experiences. We offer this diverse student community an outstanding combination of advantages:

  • World-renowned faculty have extensive clinical and research experiences and are passionate about engaging students in these professional activities
  • Focus on community-based practice and emerging practice areas
  • The occupational therapy department is within a small college environment situated within a stimulating, urban research university
  • Weekly fieldwork experiences occur throughout each on-campus semester and provide a broad exposure to clinical settings and client populations
  • Hands-on, practical experiences integrated throughout the curriculum
  • Coursework, fieldwork, and the doctoral practicum and project
  • Hybrid curriculum includes on-campus and on-line courses

We’ve designed our program for students who:

  • Desire to be agents of change for best practice
  • Are flexible, dynamic, and creative problem solvers
  • Can communicate and collaborate effectively with people from diverse communities
  • Are interested in both the biological and behavioral sciences
  • Enjoy the challenge of learning and applying complex knowledge about human occupations
  • Are ready to assume responsibility for their own personal and professional development

Values and Commitment Statement

We believe that the learning community or cultural context created in a program is also an important source of student learning and must be congruent with the missions and values of the program. We believe it is important to recognize students as collaborators and contributors in this community of learning within and outside the classroom.

Therefore, it is important that faculty in our program model ongoing learning that includes openness to new ideas, and engagement in active and respectful dialogue.

We are committed to promoting full engagement in occupations across the life course, and we acknowledge that multiple systemic, environmental, and personal barriers limit meaningful occupational engagement for specific individuals, especially those who identify as members of minoritized groups or communities. We strive to:

  • Prepare emerging clinicians who advocate for access, inclusion, equity, belongingness, pluralism, and social justice and demonstrate cultural critical consciousness.
  • Collaborate with our students to provide inclusive teaching and learning practices.
  • Support our students from underrepresented communities in occupational therapy to identify opportunities and navigate challenges as they seek to become leaders in the profession and agents of change across the health care continuum.
  • Support our students from underrepresented communities in occupational therapy to identify opportunities and navigate challenges as they seek to become leaders in the profession and agents of change across to promote best practice.

NBCOT Pass Rates*

Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found here. Please visit our Accreditation, Certification, and Outcomes page for more information, including our graduation rates.

Accreditation

Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College’s 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 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E Bethesda, MD  20814. AOTA’s phone number is 301-652-2682, and their website is http://acoteonline.org.

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). 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.

Want to learn more?

We invite you to introduce yourself by filling out the Request Information form. You can also contact us by email at sargrad@bu.edu.