Together, we’ve got this: preparing you to be an occupational therapist
The IU Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program is designed to help you succeed as an occupational therapist (OT). After graduation, you will be ready to take the national certifying exam necessary to become a certified OT and have the competencies and skills to practice in the field.
Graduation and certification performance
All graduates of the IU OTD program are eligible and expected to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification exam.
The class of 2021 was the first cohort to graduate from the entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program at Indiana University. The total number of graduates from the OTD program at Indiana University during the two-year period of 2021–2022 was 68 with an overall graduation and new graduate pass rate of 100 percent.
Indiana University Occupational Therapy Student Outcomes
Year Student Entering/Graduating Graduation Rate New Graduate* NBCOT National Certification Examination Pass Rate
| Year | Student Entering/Graduating | Graduation Rate | NBCOT National Certification Examination Pass Rate |
| 2021 | 35/34 | 97% | 100% |
| 2022 | 35/34 | 97% | |
| Total | 97% | 100% |
*Per NBCOT, a new graduate is a candidate testing within one year of graduation regardless of the number of attempts.
Learn more about NBCOT Exam Data
Learn more about steps to licensure at AOTA
Please visit the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) webpage for more information.
Our mission
The mission of the IUPUI occupational therapy entry-level clinical doctorate program is to prepare future occupational therapy leaders to address the occupational needs of a diverse society and to promote health and well-being by facilitating participation in life roles, everyday activities, and community living.
The IUPUI entry-level OTD program strives to reflect current and emergent occupational therapy practice by placing equal value on rehabilitative, community-based, and role emerging areas of practice. Towards that end the curriculum design embodies AOTA Vision 2025 while also addressing healthcare quality core competencies for health professionals set forth by the Institute of Medicine ([IOM] 2003).
AOTA Vision 2025
As an inclusive profession, occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living.
The IOM core competencies for health professionals include client-centered care, work in interdisciplinary teams, evidence-based practice, and data driven decision making (quality improvement and informatics). Finally, providing trauma informed care is now the expectation, not the exception, in behavioral health systems and primary care settings (National Council for Behavioral Health, 2020). For this reason, the entry-level OTD curriculum prepares students to develop the knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills needed for successful practice as competent, contemporary, trauma informed entry-level therapists.