Choose a Rewarding Career in Health Care

Students admitted to the OTD program will have completed a Bachelor’s degree in any field of study from an accredited four-year college or university, demonstrate an understanding of the basic tenets of OT, have experience exploring OT as a career, exhibit positive interpersonal skills and demonstrate a commitment to pursuing excellence as an OT practitioner, leader, advocate, scholar and innovator. 

1. Completed Application
   Submit an OTCAS application. A Dominican University application is not required. Note: New applications will be accepted on OTCAS starting the first week of July through the first week of December.
2. Official Transcript(s) 
   Dominican requires official transcripts of all coursework, including all undergraduate, graduate, community college and study abroad (unless University-sponsored). Submit your transcripts on OTCAS as part of your application.
3. 3.0 GPA 
   Applicants must meet a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their most recent 60 semester units of work and for all prerequisite courses, including graduate and undergraduate coursework.
4. Personal Statement
   Please provide a brief essay describing your professional and personal goals, as well as your reasons for pursuing an OT degree. 
5. Interest in Dominican University
   Write a brief, 200 word essay describing why you chose to apply to Dominican. If you've previously applied to this program, write an additional 150-200 words describing what has changed to ready you for the program since the last time you applied. 
6. Observation/Volunteer Experience
   Applicants to the Occupational Therapy Program are required to complete a minimum  of 40 hours of observation/volunteering in human services, and 20 of those hours must be with licensed occupational therapists. The remaining 20 hours can be fulfilled through observation/volunteering in non-OT human services settings or via Alternative OT learning experiences. 
   • Your supervisor(s) will fill out your volunteer experience form, return it to you, and then you will upload the completed form directly into your OTCAS application. If you do not complete all of your hours at one location, a separate form will be needed for each site. Timesheets or other facility forms will not be accepted.
   • Alternative OT learning experiences hours must be documented on the OT Alternative Experience Reflection Form. Alternative learning experiences are accepted to fulfill no more than 20 hours of documented experiences. 
7. Resume
   Submit a resume with your application. Your resume must include an "Other Relevant Work Experience" section to account for experience related to the OT profession. This should not include the volunteer experience that you submitted on the volunteer form. 
8. Two Letters of Recommendation
   We require a minimum of two letters of recommendation to be submitted through the application. The salutation for the letters should be: "Dear Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee." Please do not ask individuals to contact the committee directly on your behalf as these recommendations will not be considered. 
9. Official GRE Score (optional)
   Scores on the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) are not required, but will be considered in the evaluation of an applicant’s admissibility if submitted. If you do submit scores, please use the Dominican University of California OTCAS (code 4107) when indicating your program as a score recipient. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) will transmit official GRE scores electronically to OTCAS.
10. Prerequisite Courses
    Complete all prerequisite courses listed below. A 3.0 GPA is required. Priority consideration is given to candidates who have completed all prerequisites by the application date. If you are granted admission with pending prerequisite coursework, you must successfully complete all in progress prerequisites and/or degree conferral before the program starts. Dominican does not accept any courses taken the summer before the start of the semester.
    • Human Anatomy with lab (completed within the last 5 years)
    • Human Physiology with lab (completed within the last 5 years)
    • Lifespan Development (or Developmental Psychology).
    • Introduction to Psychology
    • Abnormal Psychology (Psychopathology)
    • Statistics (math or psychology only, not business)
    • Medical Terminology (1 unit or more)
11. Personal Interview
    Applicants who have been selected to continue on in the application process will receive an invitation to interview.
12. International Applicants
    International candidates must meet additional admissions requirements.

The Occupational Therapy Department requires students to have a clear criminal background check prior to program admission and throughout the academic program. A felony conviction may affect students' eligibility to continue in the OT Program and subsequently sit for the NBCOT Certification examination or attain state licensure.

_{Please note: Criminal background checks, or information relating to a student’s criminal background, are not used as part of the admissions process at Dominican University of California (DUOC). Students should be aware that some programs train students to sit for the State of California or national licensure and certification examinations that qualify them to work in the field relating to their program of choice.}

_{The following programs constitute a list of 2021/2022 DUOC programs that train for licensure or certification: Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physicians Assistants, Counseling Psychology, Art Therapy (Marriage & Family Therapy), and Education.} 

_{Students with questions relating to criminal background requirements, who wish to enroll in these programs at DUOC should speak to an Academic Advisor and reference the specific qualifications for degree completion, and license or certification.} 

2024-2025 Tuition and Fees

Scholarships

Scholarships and grants are types of aid that do not have to be repaid and that can help to directly reduce your tuition expenses. 

To view more information on tuition and aid, click here.

Dominican University of California'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 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. 

The program must have a pre accreditation 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. 

Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork as well as an individual 14-week capstone experience within 12 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. The doctoral capstone experience must be started after completion of all coursework and Level II fieldwork as well as completion of preparatory activities defined in 2018 ACOTE OTD Standard D.1.3.

Below you will find some of the courses you would be taking as an Occupational Therapy student:

• Occupational Science
• Human Movement Analysis
• Psychosocial Foundations in Occupational Therapy
• Occupations of Children and Adolescents
• Occupations of Adults and Seniors
• OT Fundamental Skills for Assessment and Intervention
• Assistive Technology in Occupational Therapy
• Occupations of the Population
• Management and Leadership in Occupational Therapy
• Occupations in Mental Health and Wellness
• Research in Occupational Therapy
• Professional Identity
• Doctoral Capstone in Occupational Therapy
• OT Level II Fieldwork

Interested in a different program? Learn more about our updated pathways in which you can earn a BS in Psychology and a Master’s in Occupational Therapy in 5 ½ years.