Getting Started
Entry-Level Doctorate (OTD)
of Occupational Therapy
Updated February 7, 2025
We are excited to welcome you to the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy! Please carefully review the important information below.
Additionally, be sure to review important information about Housing, Finances, and other topics under Chan Division and USC Essentials (see Overview), to prepare for your arrival at USC.
Orientation
September 2–5, 2025
Housing Panel
Please see this recording of the Housing Panel which was held on Zoom on February 19, 2025.
Post-admission and orientation
Essential administration tasks / resources
Intent to Enroll
Intent to Enroll must be completed to access USC services. Please note that it can take some time for your admission to process through the USC system, so if you are unable to certify now, please be patient and try again in a few days or next week.
USC ID Card
You will need to submit the information, including a photo, for your USC ID Card online and you will be notified when it is available for pick up from the USCard Office. Make sure to specify that you will pick up your card at One Stop Express, HSC so that it will be available for you on the USC Health Sciences Campus.
USC NetID and email
You are required to activate your USC NetID and Email before registering for classes.
Prevention Education Courses
You will be required to complete a Safety course, Sexual Assault Prevention course (Part I and II), and a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion course online. All incoming graduate students must complete required online Prevention Education Modules (PEMs) prior to starting the program. The online modules will be available through Trojan Learn in July 2025. Students who do not complete the training by the deadline will be subject to registration holds.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certification
As an entry-level occupational therapy student at USC, you are required to have and maintain Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certification. The certification required is the Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (commonly called “BLS for Providers”) through the American Heart Association.
MyUSC
This MyUSC Resources Orientation presents many of the resources, services and tools available through the MyUSC portal.
Orientation and academic schedule
Mandatory orientation
A mandatory in-person orientation will take place prior to the start of the program. You are required to attend this orientation, from Tuesday, September 2 through Friday, September 5, 2025.
Start of classes
Your first day of fall classes will be Monday, September 8, 2025. The dates of the first year of the Entry-Level OTD program are as follows:
- Fall 2025: September 8 – December 12, 2025
- Spring 2026: January 12 – April 24, 2026
- Summer 2026: May 18 – August 14, 2026
Academic Calendar for 2025–2029 (subject to change)
Please note that the Entry-Level OTD academic calendar differs from the USC academic calendar. View the USC Academic Calendar for university holidays.
| 2025-2026 | 2026-2027 | 2027-2028 | 2028-2029 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation (1st Years only) | Sep 2 – 5 | Aug 31 – Sep 4 | Aug 30 – Sep 3 | Aug 28 – Sep 1 |
| Fall Semester (14 weeks) | Sep 8 – Dec 12 | Sep 8 – Dec 11 | Sep 7 – Dec 10 | Sep 5 – Dec 8 |
| Final Exams (1 week*) | Dec 15 – 19 | Dec 14 – 18 | Dec 13 – 17 | Dec 11 – 15 |
| Winter Break (3 weeks) | Dec 22 – Jan 9 | Dec 21 – Jan 8 | Dec 20 – Jan 7 | Dec 18 – Jan 5 |
| Spring Semester (14 weeks + Spring Break) | Jan 12 – Apr 24 | Jan 11 – Apr 23 | Jan 10 – Apr 21 | Jan 8 – Apr 20 |
| Finals Exams (1 week*) | Apr 27 – May 1 | Apr 26 – 30 | Apr 24 – 28 | Apr 23 – 27 |
| Semester Break (2 weeks) | May 4 – 15 | May 3 – 14 | May 1 – 12 | Apr 30 – May 11 |
| Summer Semester (13 weeks) | May 18 – Aug 14 | May 17 – Aug 13 | May 15 – Aug 11 | May 14 – Aug 10 |
| Final Exams (1 week*) | Aug 17 – 21 | Aug 16 – 20 | Aug 14 – 18 | Aug 13 – 17 |
| Program End Date (for 3rd Years) | Aug 28, 2026 | Aug 29, 2027 | Aug 25, 2028 | Aug 24, 2029 |
| Semester Break (2 weeks for 1st and 2nd Years) | Aug 24 – Sep 4 | Aug 23 – Sep 3 | Aug 21 – Sep 1 | Aug 20 – 31 |
* Monday = Study Day (finals: Tue–Fri)
Fall 2025 Class Schedule
Classes will be in session 3 days a week. Students will have 2 days a week free to dedicate time to studying, working, or other meaningful activities. Classes will start at 9:00am and end by 4:30pm each day. On one of the 3 days, you will be in class half of the day, and are expected to spend the remainder of the day utilizing student support resources in the Division.
Other resources
Financing your USC Education — Graduate Students
Student Membership in AOTA and OTAC
Student membership in both the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and the Occupational Therapy Association of California (OTAC) is required in the Chan Division. AOTA and OTAC protect the scope of practice for occupational therapy and represent the profession at the national and state levels. Membership in these associations is comparable to holding “career insurance.” It is our sincere hope that student membership will translate into lifelong membership. Therefore, student membership in AOTA and OTAC is essential.
Careful consideration of financial responsibilities is encouraged, as membership in both associations is required during the three-year professional program. Students will also benefit personally and professionally from the publications, member services, and events the associations provide. Various class assignments will require access to the AOTA member website, the OTAC member website, as well as other events, resources, and membership benefits.
Apply for student membership on-line at aota.org and otaconline.org. Students must provide proof of membership in both associations (membership ID numbers) at the beginning of each fall semester (typically by the end of September). Students must maintain AOTA and OTAC memberships throughout enrollment in the professional program. Student membership is currently $78 per year for AOTA and $69 per year for OTAC.
Additional post-admission and orientation for international students
International students admitted to USC will request their I-20 directly through the Trojan International (TI) website. Immigration documents will also be submitted directly to TI.
Access to Trojan International will be given only to applicants who:
- Have been fully admitted to a USC program.
- Have submitted a Statement of Intent certifying they will attend USC. No commitment deposit is required.
- Have activated their USC NetID (can activate 1-3 days after certifying). The NetID is required to log into TI.
For more information on E-Forms and preparing your documents, please visit the USC Office of Admission 1-20 Processing website.
New students who have questions about I-20 and Visa matters, please contact Graduate Admissions directly, and select a category under “Immigration Matters (I-20, Visas, etc.)”.
Immigration Status Verification (ISV)
Upon arrival to the United States (U.S.), all new international F-1/J-1 students and J-1 scholars are required to complete Immigration Status Verification (ISV), formally referred to as Passport Verification (PPV), with the Office of International Services (OIS). ISV is a mandatory online check-in procedure for international students and scholars that verifies their entry to the U.S. as well as their immigration status to ensure the student/scholar is eligible to start an academic program/appointment at USC for their upcoming start date. Once all documentation is submitted, OIS will validate the SEVIS record. Failure to complete ISV in a timely manner will affect your eligibility to legally remain in the U.S.
All international degree students (F-1 and J-1) have an STU50 (for graduate students) hold on their USC account. This hold is lifted once students arrive in the U.S. and complete ISV with OIS.
Academics
Please review the USC Web Registration Instructions for a step by step tutorial and FAQs related to registration. Tuition & fees are assessed at the time of registration with payment due as stated on the billing statement.
If you are applying for student loans, we recommend waiting until early August to register for fall courses to allow time for the loans to be disbursed before your tuition payment is due. If your financial aid package has not already been received by the start of the program, but your FAFSA was submitted, payment deferment procedures will be explained during orientation. If you have any difficulty with the registration process, you may also register with our help during the first few days of the program.
More information about tuition and fees for the 2025–2026 AY is available at the E-OTD Cost of Attendance page.
The course book lists will be available through the USC Schedule of Classes by clicking on the book icon next to each course you are enrolled in, or through Oasis, the online academic student information system.
Please see this Research Guide, provided by USC Libraries, which includes books, articles, and databases relevant to Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.
Highlighted resources provided in the OS/OT Research Guide include:
- A self-paced Library Orientation tutorial.
- A list of databases of particular relevance to Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy.
- Library tutorials on how to search databases.
If you have further questions after completing the self-paced Library Orientation, and exploring the resources in the links above, librarian Karin Saric will be happy to schedule a consultation to meet and discuss. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Health and safety
Health clearance and insurance
Student health clearance
The Health Professions Degree Programs Clearance Packet must be completed by 30 days prior to the start of classes, to allow students to participate in fieldwork. We will provide more information as it becomes available from USC Student Health.
About USC Student Health
Watch Eric Cohen Student Health Center: Care for HSC Students, a 10-minute video from the Eric Cohen Student Health Center, the HSC location of USC Student Health. Summer Zapata PsyD, from Counseling and Mental Health Services (also faculty of the Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of the Keck School of Medicine of USC), Kimberly Tilley MD, co-medical director, and Bobby Cong, Program Administrator, explain services, onboarding, immunizations, and more, for students in the health professions degree programs on the USC Health Sciences Campus.
USC Student Health offers 10-minute Zoom Q&A “appointlets” with student health representatives. These are times set aside so students can ask questions about their personal immunizations, titers, health clearances, etc. There are also appointlets set aside for questions about insurance, from our Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) office. These appointments can be scheduled online at uscstudenthealth.appointlet.com.
Student health insurance
Health insurance is required and provided by the University. If you are enrolled in a plan which you plan to continue, you will need proof of coverage on arrival to waive the University health insurance. Please see studenthealth.usc.edu/waiver-requirements for instructions on how to waive the university health insurance. You will need a scanned image of the front and back of your current health insurance card to complete this process. Please email our Insurance Coordinator here on HSC at the Eric Cohen Student Health Center at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with any questions or concerns. Be sure to include “Insurance” in the subject line and your USC ID # in the email to expediate the communications.
This short presentation describes the Lifestyle Redesign® services provided by the USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice, and how you can request a free consultation.
Make sure you review this presentation of Emergency Procedures and Recommendations at the Center for Health Professions (CHP), which includes essential information. The presentation also includes a link to a video describing the CHP Evacuation Plan.
Other resources
The USC Financial Aid office is always available to address any questions or concerns you may have.
- .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- (323) 442-1016 (business hours are Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm PST)
- Health Sciences Campus students can schedule a Zoom meeting with USC Financial Aid at scheduler.zoom.us/d/bhawkxeu/hsc-financial-aid-appointment
- Appointments are available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11am – 1pm PST, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 – 4pm PST.
- Appointments are set for 30 minutes and must be scheduled three days in advance.
- If you wish to contact them outside of the hours specified, you may call them during business hours.
In addition, the webinar below was hosted in August 2023 to address questions regarding the costs of attendance and financial aid at USC Chan for Fall 2023.
USC welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University’s educational programs. The Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) is responsible for the determination of appropriate accommodations for students who encounter disability-related barriers. Once a student has completed the OSAS process (registration, initial appointment, and submitted documentation) and accommodations are determined to be reasonable and appropriate, a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) will be available to generate for each course. The LOA must be given to each course instructor by the student and followed up with a discussion. This should be done as early in the semester as possible as accommodations are not retroactive. More information can be found at osas.usc.edu. You may contact OSAS at (213) 740-0776 or via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
A GroupMe link was emailed out on December 17, 2024. If you didn’t receive it, please contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
USC Chan will be utilizing ExamSoft® in certain courses for student assessment (e.g., testing/examinations). ExamSoft® is cloud-based exam software with specific system requirements, including use of the application, Examplify. Please review the minimum system requirements needed for laptops (Windows or MacOS) prior to downloading Examplify. Students will not be able to utilize iPads. USC Chan has laptops available for examinations only; please notify your course instructor if needed. There will be a “mock exam” conducted during orientation so that each student can test the software prior to the first graded examination.
The following resources should be reviewed in preparation for the mock exam:
- How to Download, Install, and Register Examplify
The institution ID and the email containing your ExamSoft® credentials will be provided during orientation week. - How to Disable Anti-Virus Software
- How to Take an Exam
Additional Examplify help videos are available to help students familiarize themselves with the software.
The USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy is conducting an admissions service survey. We would like you to rate your admissions experience with Chan so that we can improve our process and service in the future. This survey only relates to this department, not the University Office of Graduate Admissions or the Financial Aid office. The survey is anonymous, so please answer the questions freely.
