Occupational Therapy Doctorate

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Program Admissions Requirements

A student applying for admission to the OTD program at West Coast University must:

Submit a completed application for admission through OTCAS and submit transcripts by the deadline.
Meet the program admissions requirements.
Submit a copy of official transcripts through OTCAS.
Participate in a qualitative admissions interview arranged by a University Admissions Advisor.
Complete an enrollment agreement if accepted into the program.

Program specific application requirements and prerequisites:

Have obtained a bachelor’s degree from an accredited post-secondary institution. Overall Last 60 unit requirement a 3.0 minimum GPA preferred
Application can be submitted during enrollment in an undergraduate degree program or during completion of prerequisite course work. Note: In order to be considered for admission all course work must be complete and final documentation must be submitted by the deadline posted on OTCAS.
Medical terminology course required. (1-2 credits)
Applicants must have obtained an overall 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) of program prerequisite courses (from accredited post-secondary institutions) within the last ten years.
West Coast University requires proof of English Proficiency. Applicants for whom English is not their primary language should refer to the University Admissions Requirements section of the catalog.

The University reserves the right to deny admission to applicants if the admissions requirements are not successfully met. The denial of admissions is final and may not be appealed.

Program Pre-Requisites

Required prerequisite courses:
Two (2) courses in the humanities or social sciences (Anthropology; Philosophy; Religion; Ethics; Cultural studies; Group dynamics) (3 semester units)
One (1) Statistics course (3 semester units)
One (1) course in Human Anatomy plus lab (3 semester units)
One (1) course in Physiology plus lab (3 semester units)
One (1) course in Human Development or Lifespan (3 semester units)
One (1) course in Abnormal or Behavioral Psychology (3 semester units)
One (1) course in Advanced Writing (3 semester units)
Student should have:
Basic computer skills in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
Three (3) references: (1-2) occupational therapists; 1 faculty member/advisor; 1 professional
A minimum of 40 volunteer or observation hours obtained from an occupational setting of choice
In order to be considered, all program specific admissions requirements and prerequisites must be met by deadlines posted on OTCAS.

Program Transfer Credit Policy

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate program does not allow transfer credit.

Breakdown of Credits

Course Category	Credits
Graduate Core Credits	119
Elective Credits	1
Total	120

Candidate Seat Deposit

Applicants that are conditionally accepted to the OTD program will be required to submit a $250.00 good faith payment for a Seat Deposit. The Seat Deposit will be credited to your program costs. The University will retain a maximum of $175.00 of this deposit should you cancel your enrollment within seven calendar days (excluding holidays) of enrollment or by the seventh calendar day of the first term, whichever is later. Deposits may be paid by money order or cashier's check made out to West Coast University.

Health Insurance Requirement

Students enrolled in the OTD program will be required to provide evidence of health insurance prior to participation in fieldwork. Participation in fieldwork is required to complete the program.

Program Progression Requirements

Maximum Program Completion Timeframe for Graduate Students

Students are expected to complete their program within the defined maximum program completion time, which may not exceed 200% of the normal time frame. MSOT, OTD, PharmD, DPT, DNP, RN-MSN, MSN, MPA and Graduate Certificate students may not exceed 150% of the normal time frame. The University measures program length based on semester/trimester credit units; therefore, a student is not allowed to attempt more than 200% (150% for programs as listed) of the number of semester/trimester credit units in their degree program of study.

In addition, if at any point a student cannot mathematically complete his/her program within the maximum timeframe, the student will be found to not be making satisfactory progress and will be dismissed. Students dismissed because they must exceed the maximum timeframe in order to complete the program, may appeal the dismissal. If the appeal is approved, the student must return on an academic plan with a specific new maximum timeframe completion rate. Failure to progress at a pace to complete at or prior to the specified date or with the required GPA will result in the student’s dismissal without right of appeal.

The requirements for rate of progress are to ensure that students are progressing at a rate at which they will complete their programs within the maximum allowable time frame. All courses attempted and given a letter grade, including grades not successfully completed such as “D”, “F”, “I”, or “W” will be included as credits attempted and completed in assessing student progress against the maximum allowable time frame. Please see the Grading Scale for grade classifications.

Program Dismissal Policy

An Occupational Therapy student will be dismissed from the program if:

A grade of "D+" or lower is received in any course, or
Two (2) grades of "C" or below are received, or
The minimum cumulative GPA as specified for each trimester is not met:
a. At the completion of the 1st trimester (17 credits), have a cumulative GPA of 2.5
b. At the completion of the 2nd trimester (36 credits), have a cumulative GPA of 2.8
c. At the completion of the 3rd trimester (42 credits), have a cumulative GPA of 3.0
d. Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for the remaining trimesters of the program.
They receive two (2) failing grades during Fieldwork Level II

Program Graduation Requirements

Graduation from the OTD program is predicated on student fulfillment of satisfactory grade point average, professional conduct, and completion of Fieldwork. Graduation requirements include:

- A student must complete all 80 didactic/practical course credits before he/she can enter Fieldwork Level II.
The 24 credit Fieldwork Level II A and B must be completed prior to starting the OTD Culminating Project which must be completed in order to graduate.
- Students are allowed a maximum of 3 attempts to complete Fieldwork Level II.
- Students must complete the program within a maximum timeframe of 150% of the published length of the program.
GPA of 3.0 or better

Additional Program-Specific Policies or Requirements

Fulltime devotion to this program is highly recommended; any employment can interfere with the successful completion of this program