Accreditation

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) Status

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Program

The USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy’s entry-level Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (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 the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. ACOTE®-accredited programs satisfy the states’ educational requirements in the U.S. and its territories. ACOTE® is also an active member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors.

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®), 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-AOTA, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), www.acoteonline.org

Entry-Level Master of Arts (MA) Program

The USC Chan Division’s entry-level master’s degree in occupational therapy program has been granted a status of Accreditation-Inactive by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). This status indicates that the program is not currently enrolling new students and does not plan to enroll new students in the future. While the program is on Accreditation-Inactive status, the graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy® (NBCOT®).

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy®

Graduates from both the entry-level master’s program and the entry-level OTD 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 to practice; however, state licenses are currently based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT® certification examination or attain state licensure. For official NBCOT® program data results, please visit www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.

USC Graduation and Retention Rates

The tables below displays the number of professional program entrants, graduates and graduation rates for each of the previous four years on record.

Entry-Level OTD Graduates and Graduation Rates

Entering term	No. of entry-level OTD students entering	No. of bachelor’s-to-entry-OTD students entering	Total graduation rate
Fall 2022	135	9	96%
Fall 2023	148	10	Data pending *
Fall 2024	138	10	Data pending †
Fall 2025	131	10	Data pending ‡
Total	552	39	96%

* Graduation year 2026
† Graduation year 2027
‡ Graduation year 2028

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

USC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), one of six regional accrediting organizations recognized by the US Department of Education.

USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 133, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9003

ACOTE accreditation | NBCOT certification

The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is in Accreditation–Inactive status by ACOTE®. View our program’s ACOTE® standards public data. ACOTE® c/o the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org.

Professional program graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. Program results from the NBCOT can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.