FAQ

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 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.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). 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.

At this time, we do not require the GRE.

We do not require observation hours. However, we encourage you to complete observation hours if you can. The purpose of OT observation hours is to explore the field of OT as a profession and to help ensure that this is the right career for you.”

Yes, a rolling admissions process will be used to extend program offers between September 16, 2025, and June 30, 2026. During this timeframe, applicants who meet the admissions requirements will receive offers in the order they are received until all available positions within the program have been filled.

If the cohort reaches the set capacity of seats, any additional applicants will be placed on a deferred decision list. If seats open, the remaining position(s) in the program will then be offered to those on the list. As new applications are verified and reviewed, the Admissions Counselor will add the applicant(s) to the deferred list. Applications for consideration must be complete and verified in OTCAS before the closing of the admission cycle on June 26, 2026.

Course work is only required to be completed prior to the start of the academic year.

Kettering College now uses Transferology to confirm transferable courses. Login to Transferology (https://www.transferology.com/index.htm)
to see how your courses will transfer, and contact us with any additional questions.

At the present, we DO NOT accept any OTD transfer courses.  All applicants must take ALL OTD courses from us.

If you have received college credit from any international college or university, you’ll need to have an official transcript mailed to Kettering College directly from the institution(s), and will need to have the transcript(s) officially translated by a company that provides credential evaluation, such as WES, ECE, or Josef Silny (www.wes.org, www.ece.org, www.jsilny.com).

Kettering College OTD Exceptional Applicant Policy
All applicants are welcome to use their OTCAS Narrative Statement to discuss how their unique experiences and perspectives have helped them develop skills, overcome challenges, and gain valuable life lessons that can be applied to future endeavors. The examples provided should express how these experiences have motivated them to assume a leadership role or attain a particular goal and how that experience relates to the student’s unique ability to contribute to the profession of occupational therapy and the program’s mission and vision:

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY DOCTORAL PROGRAM MISSION:
The Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program at Kettering College is committed to developing occupational therapists who are culturally responsive, demonstrate superior clinical reasoning skills, and are innovative practitioners prepared to answer God’s call to serve.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY DOCTORAL PROGRAM VISION:
Our vision is to graduate culturally responsive occupational therapy practitioners who are open-minded, have a passion for life-long learning, and are committed to evidence- and occupation-based practices while serving all individuals and communities.