Texas Woman's University

Programme overview

The entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) at Texas Woman's University is a clinically focused, in-person program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). The curriculum spans 36 months across three years and is delivered on TWU’s Denton, Dallas and Houston campuses; available seats are equal across the three sites. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NBCOT national certification exam and pursue state licensure; note that a felony conviction may affect eligibility to test or to obtain licensure. The program length reported for accreditation purposes is 36 months and the OTD accreditation is currently held through December 31, 2030.

What you'll study

The program requires 90 credit hours completed over nine semesters. Course work and experiences emphasize foundational occupational therapy knowledge, active learning, critical reflection, professional ethics, leadership, and preparation for practice and scholarly inquiry. Specific experiential requirements include 24 weeks of supervised Level II Fieldwork and a 14-week Doctoral Capstone Experience. All coursework, fieldwork and the capstone must be finished within 60 months (five years) from the program start date.

Entry requirements

Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree before classes start in June; TWU accepts any accredited undergraduate major. Key academic criteria include a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 calculated on the approximate last 60 credit hours of the bachelor’s degree or a minimum 3.0 GPA on 12 or more graduate credit hours. Prerequisite coursework must average a prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or higher with no grade below C (C- not accepted); retaken prerequisite courses may use the higher grade for the prerequisite GPA. GRE scores are not required. Applications are submitted via OTCAS and must be complete and verified by October 1st at 11pm CST for priority review. The program accepts prerequisite equivalency requests via email for review. Required prerequisite courses listed by topic include:

• Elementary Statistics — at least 3 credit hours (topics: frequency distributions, graphical representation, measures of central tendency and dispersion, normal curve, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals).
• Anatomy and Physiology I & II with labs — combined minimum of 8 credit hours (courses must be A&P I & II; separate single anatomy or physiology courses cannot be mixed with A&P I/II).
• Lifespan Developmental Psychology — minimum 3 credit hours (development across the lifespan).
• Abnormal Psychology — content covers major psychopathologies and approaches to mental health (course title and content required).

Additional admissions notes from the program: conditional offers may be made for applicants completing fall prerequisites; offers are conditional pending final grades. Applications may be waitlisted if prerequisites are planned for a later term. Official transcripts are required; transfer credit and AP credit are not accepted for the OTD curriculum.

Career prospects

Graduates are prepared to enter clinical practice as occupational therapists and to pursue leadership roles within the profession. After passing the NBCOT certification exam, graduates earn the Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR) credential and may apply for state licensure. The program cites historically strong graduation and certification eligibility outcomes across its three campuses; students should consult NBCOT and TWU outcome reports for detailed pass-rate figures.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

Tuition and annual cost estimates are provided by the university as guidance and change over time; prospective students should review TWU’s OTD tuition and cost estimates and contact financial aid and the OT admissions office for information on scholarships, assistantships, loans, and payment planning. The program posts an estimate for the 2022–23 year but recommends checking current figures before applying.