The UAB Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) degree program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
Ranked #20 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report (USNWR), our Entry-Level Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) program is also among the top 12 public university programs in the United States.
Top 20 National Program
We are a top-20 national program distinguished by the scale and collaboration of our environment. Housed within one of the nation’s largest health professions schools and the UAB Academic Health Center, the program offers students an experience that combines academic rigor with interprofessional education, faculty-led specialty clinics, and advanced study pathways in low vision rehabilitation, trauma-informed practice, and rehabilitation science.
In the USNWR rankings we are the:
- #1 Best Occupational Therapy Program in Alabama
- #6 Best Occupational Therapy Program in Southern States
- #20 Best Occupational Therapy Program in the United States
UAB offers unusual academic breadth in occupational therapy, spanning the entry-level OTD, post-professional OTD, PhD in Rehabilitation Science, a Low Vision Rehabilitation Graduate Certificate, and a trauma-focused graduate certificate.
ACOTE
Contact ACOTE
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-652-6611
Accreditation Website
The UAB Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
ACOTE® is recognized as the accrediting agency for occupational therapy education by both the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ACOTE® is also an active member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).
ACOTE® is recognized as the accrediting agency for occupational therapy education by both the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ACOTE® is also an active member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).
Click here to read the full accreditation statement.
ACOTE Accreditation Status: Accredited
Graduation Data
The inaugural cohort of students in UAB’s Entry-Level Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) program graduated in December 2023.
Graduation Rate
| Graduation Year | Students Entering | Students who withdrew, or did not graduate with the entering cohort, for reasons other than academic performance | Students Graduating | *ACOTE Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 60 | 1 | 54 | 91% |
| 2024 | 60 | 0 | 58 | 96% |
| 2025 | 58 | 1 | 49 | 86% |
| Total | 178 | 2 | 161 | 91% |
*The number of students who graduated according to the published program length. If a student does not graduate according to the published program length, the student should not be counted as a graduate for ACOTE graduation rate reporting.
Certification
Graduates of the program are 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.
To learn more, visit the NBCOT website.
NBCOT
Our passing percent data is calculated on the number of New Graduates who passed the NBCOT exam regardless of the number of attempts during the testing year to meet ACOTE’s reporting standard.
Click here to see our NBCOT pass rates.
NBCOT Success Rate
The first class to graduate from UAB’s entry-level OTD program began sitting for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination in January 2024.
This is the data for OTD graduates on the NBCOT examination within the stipulated reporting window of one year from graduation. Our passing percent data is calculated based on the number of new graduates who passed the NBCOT exam regardless of the number of attempts during the testing year to meet ACOTE’s reporting standard.
|
Exam Period |
% of New Graduates Who Passed Exam |
|---|---|
|
Jan. – Dec. 2024 |
91% |
|
Jan. – Dec. 2025 |
94% |
|
Jan. – Dec. 2026 |
NA |
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®) program data results: https://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.