Accreditation

The department of occupational therapy offers a Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) degree and graduated the first MOT class in 2007. The occupational therapy program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA®) through academic year 2011-2012. AOTA® is located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. AOTA®’s phone number is (301) 652-AOTA.

Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT®). Successful completion of this exam (and the meeting of NBCOT® application requirements) credentials an individual as an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). NBCOT® is located at 12 S. Summit Avenue, Suite 100, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150. NBCOT®’s phone number is (301) 990-7979.

Most states have specific additional credentialing requirements (e.g., licensure, registration) in order to legally practice in that state. All state credentialing bodies require a passing score on the NBCOT® exam.

Outcome data from Xavier University’s occupational therapy program demonstrate graduates have a high passage rate on the national certification exam, passage of which is required to practice as an occupational therapist. Similarly, Xavier’s graduates have a high success rate of obtaining employment in their chosen area of interest. Many local and regional employers request Xavier graduates for position openings.

The total number of graduates who passed the NBCOT® certification exam as first-time new graduate test takers during the calendar years 2007, 2008, and 2009 was 26 out of 29 (89.65%). During the three-year time period the program had 29 graduates. Of note, historically, Xavier University occupational therapy majors were first eligible to take the exam in January of 1997. From 1997-2009 the total number of graduates who passed the certification exam as first-time test takers was 265 out of 271, which is a 97.78% passage rate. During this 14-year period the program had 271 graduates. Of the students who did not pass the exam as first-time test takers, all passed it as repeat test takers; thus, since program inception, the passage rate of all (first-time and repeat) exam-takers is 100.00%.

Note: A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the certification examination or attain state licensure.