Department of Occupational Therapy

Marian University is excited to be adding three occupational therapy (OT) degrees to its strong portfolio of undergraduate and graduate-level healthcare programs. Providing curricula at multiple levels enables you to be part of the Marian community as you work towards your professional goals in OT. Choose from one of three programs to work toward your goal of entering the field of occupational therapy: associate level, master's, or doctorate.

Embedded in the institutional vision of preparing transformational leaders for service to the world, the Marian OT programs will develop you into an innovative practitioner ready to help others improve their ability to do everyday activities.

If you have a desire to pursue a graduate program, check out the PreOT pathway that can be paired with any undergraduate major at Marian University.

The occupational therapy program options currently under development are:

Associate Level Program:

Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)

Graduate Entry-Level Programs:

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)
Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Applications for these programs are scheduled to open in Summer 2026 with the first cohorts matriculating in August 2027.

The U.S. News & World Report Ranks Occupational Therapist #4 in their 2024 list of Best Healthcare Jobs!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Projects 12% job growth between 2022 and 2032!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment for Occupational Therapists will grow 12% from 2022-2032, which is much faster than average for all careers. This calculates to 9,600 new openings for occupational therapists every year for 10 years.

What is Occupational Therapy? Why Choose OT

Accreditation Statements

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) approval is currently pending. For additional information about Marian University's institutional accreditation, contact the Assistant Provost for Accreditation and Administration.

The Marian University occupational therapy programs have applied for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA, and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

The program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be 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, individuals with the MOT and OTD will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR) and Individuals with the OTA will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).

In addition, all states require licensure 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. OTD, MOT, and OTA students must complete fieldwork requirements (see individual program pages) and an individual 14-week capstone experience (OTD students only) within established time limit policy following the completion of the didactic portion of the program.