Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD)
At A Glance
Bring Hope to Life
Occupational therapy is more than a profession – it’s a calling to help people take charge of their daily lives. At George Fox, you’ll gain invaluable knowledge from faculty mentors who transform your capacity as a healthcare provider and leader. And you’ll turn faith into action by delivering essential care to underserved communities.
Along the way, you’ll do more than provide the tools your patients need to find their way in the world. You’ll provide a wellspring of hope during times of transition and lifelong path to freedom and dignity.
Cultivate Confidence. Instill Independence.
Become a highly skilled practitioner at one of the region’s top health sciences universities and help people master the activities of daily living.
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Professionally & Personally Transformative
Gain expertise in telehealth, assistive technology and adaptive sports in advanced simulation spaces. You’ll emerge as a compassionate leader equipped to serve with clarity, integrity and passion.
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Faith-Based & Service-Oriented
Integrate faith with your professional life. You’ll bring lifegiving care to underserved populations and discover how to nurture every dimension of the people you serve, including their spiritual side.
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Powered by Mentorship
Learn from faculty with decades of clinical and teaching experience. Their mentorship will inform your life’s work, and their professional connections will open doors. It’s all part of our Be Known promise.
Leverage Our Expertise
Step into a learning environment that prizes innovation. You’ll take cutting-edge courses that open your eyes to emerging trends and technologies. You’ll put your knowledge to work in home health labs and simulation areas. And you’ll hone your skills alongside future physical therapists, nurses and physician assistants. The insights you gain will transform your understanding of the medical field and inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
“This is a very collaborative program,” says OT student Laurel Anderson. “You’re able to mingle and interact with all of your classmates as you tackle group work together.”
Care for the Whole Person
The best occupational therapists understand what’s most important to their patients – and in many cases, spirituality plays a critical role in the healing journey. As a Christ-centered university, we embrace a holistic approach to occupational therapy. You’ll learn how to perceive your clients through the lens of their faith, and you’ll set yourself apart as a practitioner who provides comprehensive, person-centered care.
“Knowing a patient’s background and environment is important because those things have a role in what their intervention or treatment process will look like,” says OT student Jordyn Grabenhurst. “They are so much more than their medical diagnosis, and it’s important to treat your patients holistically.”
Be Known and Mentored
Build lifelong relationships with faculty mentors who are dedicated to helping you find your place in the OT profession. They’ll share their expertise in working with different populations, guide you to customized clinical placements, and help you design a capstone project that speaks to your interests. They’ll also connect you with colleagues – and job opportunities – across the nation.
“Every single student has a different background, a different culture, a desire for a professional niche,” says program director Kate Turner. “I think it's important for students to know that as a professor, as a teacher, I am there as a mentor for them. If you're looking for that individualized experience in your education, then there's really no better place than George Fox.”
Change Lives for Good
Outreach is central to the mission of George Fox University, and that translates to amazing service opportunities. Share your strength with children and adolescents battling cancer at Camp Ukandu. Partner with a community organization to put on a free clinic. Provide life-changing care in a rural community. No matter where you serve, you’ll expand your emotional capacity and find fulfillment as a source of joy and hope.
“Service work within the program is very important because it gives students a sense of the types of needs that different populations experience,” says OT professor Trevor St. Clair. “They can see and hear from the people they’re working with, and we help those people live their fullest lives.”
Find Your Community
This is more than an OT program – it’s a community. At George Fox, you’ll have a full range of resources at your fingertips, including a fitness center, coffee shop, full-service cafeteria and plentiful places to study, including the Murdock Library. You’ll discover creekside trails and art galleries just minutes from class. And wherever you go on our 108-acre campus, you’ll connect with people who share your commitment to making the world a better place.
“My classmates and my professors are all very approachable, and they’re really easy to talk to and work with,” says OT student Oksana Tompkins. “I definitely feel a sense of community at George Fox.”
Accreditation
George Fox University's entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status 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 www.acoteonline.org.
The program must have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its 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 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.
Questions?
Trisha Stickler
Admissions Counselor, Occupational Therapy Program
Fieldwork Inquiries & Questions
George Fox University is required to make cost of attendance (COA) information publicly available on this website.