Home | Hanover OTD

Two Year Hybrid, Entry-Level OTD

Hanover College’s hybrid accelerated Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program

prepares you to become a leader in the profession in just two years. An entry-level OTD Degree requires a personal commitment to academic growth, professional behaviors, innovation, and service. Hanover OTD creates opportunities for students to learn and grow as highly skilled, general occupational therapists. Here at Hanover College, hybrid feels like home.

Request Information

Learning at Hanover OTD

The learning experience at Hanover OTD weaves together online learning, lab immersions, fieldwork and a capstone experience and project to develop strong and effective practitioners in the occupational therapy field. Students will learn to use evidence-based practice and develop their clinical decision-making skills in an innovative and challenging learning environment. Hanover OTD students will use sound judgment and intellectual curiosity to carry out our commitment to service in your communities.

Learn More

Why Choose Hanover?

Hybrid feels like home at Hanover College. The innovative curriculum and format of the Hanover OTD program develops strong clinical reasoning skills, occupational-focused clinical skills, and professionalism. Students will learn the importance of diversity, culture, and inclusion in their interactions as occupational therapists.

Why Choose OTD?

Occupational therapists collaborate with their clients to determine the daily tasks and activities that are meaningful and necessary to empower the client to maximize their independence, increase their occupational participation, and boost their occupational engagement. OTs meet the unique and distinct needs of people, populations, and communities, and are strong advocates for the profession and their clients.

"When we see the passion, that’s going to be the big thing for us – that passion and commitment to our profession."

Gayla Aguilar

Program Director and Director of Curriculum

Admission Requirements

The OTD program has developed an admissions process that identifies qualified individuals who are prepared to advance their studies in the field of occupational therapy. The program welcomes both traditional and nontraditional applicants who demonstrate the potential for success in occupational therapy and the readiness to engage in the academic rigor of an accelerated hybrid curriculum. To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Bachelor's Degree:

Completion of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution prior to the start of the program. Admission may be granted pending degree completion.

Academic Performance:

Minimum cumulative and prerequisite GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale.
Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of 2.0 or higher.
- Applicants with an overall or prerequisite GPA below 3.0 are still encouraged to apply, as academic records may be evaluated on an individual basis.
- Consideration will be given to applicants who demonstrate a GPA of 3.0 or higher within their most recent 60 semester hours or last 90 quarter hour credits of coursework, as this may indicate strong recent academic performance and readiness for doctoral-level study.
Five prerequisite courses must be completed to establish initial prerequisite GPA for application review.
The highest grade earned in repeated prerequisite coursework will be used in the GPA calculations.
All coursework applied toward GPA calculations must be from a regionally accredited institution.

Interview:

Completion of a virtual interview after students' eligibility to move forward in the admissions process is determined based on their academic performance.

Letters of Recommendation:

Submission of two letters of recommendation that address academic readiness, professional qualities, and potential to succeed in an accelerated hybrid doctoral program.
Recommendations may not come from family members, friends, clergy, or politicians unless they serve or have served as the applicants direct supervisor.

Observation Hours:

Completion of 15 hours of occupational therapy observation, with at least 10 hours completed in person.
Applicants completing all hours in person are encouraged to observe across varied OT practice settings.

Program Essay:

Submission of the Hanover OTD essay, following the character or word count guidelines provided in the application portal.

Additional Requirements for Program Progression:

For all applicants for whom English is not their first language, or those who have completed a degree and prerequisite courses in a foreign country, demonstration of English language proficiency is required through completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Duolingo English Test. Test results must be less than two (2) years old at the time of application. Approved minimum scores are as follows:

TOEFL iBT: minimum total score of 80 with a minimum Speaking score of 20 for exams taken before January 21, 2026.
TOEFL iBT: minimum total score of 4.5 with a minimum Speaking score of 4 for exams taken on or after January 21, 2026.
IELTS: minimum overall band score of 6.5.
Duolingo English Test: minimum overall score of 125.