FAQ

Yes, we have made a few temporary adjustments to our admissions requirements due to COVID-19:

• We are no longer requiring the GRE for admission.
• We will accept Pass/Fail grades for the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters.

 In order to complete and submit your application in the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS) you will be required to submit the following items into the OTCAS system: official transcripts, official test scores, writing sample, and letters of recommendation. 

The Entry-level OTD program will begin accepting applications for the Class of 2025—to begin coursework in January 2024—on January 15, 2023. The program has two application windows for the Class of 2025:

• January 15, 2023 — June 9, 2023
• TBD — November 1, 2023

The applications and all supporting materials must be submitted by the deadline for your application to be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. The Baylor OTD program will make offers of admission on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to apply early within the application cycle.

The fee for the OTCAS Application depends on the number of schools you apply to as well as your application submission date.

All original transcripts should be sent to OTCAS.  After sending this item to OTCAS you will NOT need to submit it to Baylor as well.

The OTD program requires three letters of recommendation. It's required that one be from a licensed occupational therapist. The other two may be from someone of the applicant's choosing (e.g., professor, occupational therapist, employer/supervisor, advisor, mentor). We will not accept letters from family members, friends, clergy, or politicians. Applicants must arrange for references to be submitted electronically through OTCAS. Each evaluator providing a reference will be contacted using the email address provided in OTCAS by the applicant.

Yes. The Admissions Committee will select and invite the most qualified applicants for an interview. All interviews are conducted using a video-based platform called Kira Talent. Students record and upload their responses to a series of standardized interview questions for review by program faculty and the Admissions Committee. Students must have a computer with webcam and internet service to complete this interview.

Yes. deposits will be collected beginning in august, in accordance with guidelines set forth by the accreditation process.  A $500 non-refundable tuition deposit is required to guarantee your spot in the program. The entirety of this deposit will be applied to your tuition in the first semester of the program.

Blended learning refers to an educational model in which the student learns through a combination of online and onsite delivery platforms. Using this format, our curriculum combines the best aspects of online learning activities and interactions, on-site laboratory sessions, and hands-on Fieldwork I experiences that include simulation and standardized patients.

Our program is the first two-year, hybrid Doctor of Occupational Therapy program in the country, and it’s these two unique aspects that set it apart from other programs. You can find more information below about specific aspects of our hybrid program, or please join us for a live informational webinar where you can learn more. Register here.

Approximately 50% of the program is completed as distance education using a variety of online learning platforms, 20% is conducted as onsite hands-on lab immersion sessions, and 30% is completed as fieldwork education and doctoral capstone experiences. 

Students will be responsible for making their own housing arrangements, but you will have an opportunity to connect with others in your cohort so you can share accommodations or rent an Airbnb to save money on travel costs.

Course faculty use the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) to create and deliver a wide variety of online teaching and learning activities. Each course includes both asynchronous and synchronous learning activities. Asynchronous activities such as recorded lectures, readings, and assignments, provide students with considerable flexibility in creating and managing their weekly schedule. Synchronous live classes are held each week using the Zoom learning platform to create an online virtual classroom. Faculty use a variety of synchronous learning activities during these class periods such as live discussions, faculty demonstrations, case studies, and group projects, to deepen student understanding and develop clinical reasoning skills. 

Students are required to maintain an overall 3.00 GPA to successfully complete the program.

Students receive exposure to a variety of practice settings that demonstrate the breadth, depth and continuum of occupational therapy practice across the lifespan. During the Level I fieldwork experience, students gain experience in traditional and emerging practice areas which include acute care rehabilitation, pain science and much more. Students participate in simulated and faculty-led sessions, intended to develop clinical reasoning and promote the advancement of student organizational skills, therapeutic process, safety awareness and ethical OT practice.  Students work with the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator (AFWC) to determine their placements for the two, Level II Fieldwork sessions.

While we strive to keep students close to their geographical location, we factor in many other considerations when placing students into their fieldwork sites (e.g. professional and personal needs, specialty exposures, site availability). The optimal location to improve a student's clinical skills is always paramount when determining their clinical education placement. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator (AFWC) works with each student to determine optimal clinical placement. 

No. We recognize that some students may desire to maintain some level of employment while enrolled in an OTD program with a flexible blended-learning format. However, our students are full-time students in every sense of the term with course loads ranging from 16-24 credits per academic semester. The academic demands of this accelerated curriculum and the travel requirements for onsite lab immersions and fieldwork education will make employment virtually impossible for the majority of students. In fact, working more than a few hours per week would almost surely negatively affect your academic performance and is strongly discouraged.

Please join us for one of our upcoming informational webinars. Click here to complete the online registration.