Occupational Therapy
- 85 Credits
- School of Health and Natural Sciences
- Westchester
Please Note:
The Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) Program has been granted CANDIDACY status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 501E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’S telephone number, c/o AOTA, is (301) 652-AOTA (2682) OR (301) 652-6611, and its web address is acoteonline.org.
Occupational Therapy Overview
Nationally recognized faculty prepare you for a rewarding career in a high-demand field. Help individuals achieve professional and personal growth, and develop skills to lead to more self-sufficient, satisfying lives.
If you want an endlessly rewarding career in Occupational Therapy, Mercy University's Graduate Occupational Therapy (OT) hybrid/weekend program is for you. We offer an 85 credit, three year, full-time, hybrid/weekend program with classes scheduled approximately every other weekend. The program incorporates a variety of learning methods including a mixture of lecture, discussion, small group problem solving, hands-on experiences, problem based learning (PBL) and our innovative "learning by doing" philosophy.
Career Opportunities
Graduates are prepared as generalists, enabling them to work in a variety of practice settings including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and regional schools. The Mercy University Occupational Therapy program prepares graduates to work with people of varying diagnosis including people living with spinal cord injuries, cancer, stroke, autism, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, and many other conditions and illnesses.
Many of our alumni hold leadership roles where they work and have returned to the OT program as PBL facilitators, teaching associates, guest lecturers, and lab assistants.
There are expanding opportunities for occupational therapists in the areas of health promotion and prevention within private practices, industry, social and public or community agencies.
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The Mercy Advantage
- Relationships with clinics in NYC and Westchester.
- Hybrid/ Weekend format.
- State of the art simulation and learning labs.
- Program completion in 9 trimesters inclusive of 24 weeks of full time clinical fieldwork and a 14 week capstone experience
- Competitive tuition
IHELP at Mercy University
Mercy University is here to help our students and communities succeed. The new Interdisciplinary Health Education Learning Program (IHELP) fellowship aims to expand internship opportunities that provide services for children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth who are at risk for behavioral health disorders in high need and high demand areas for graduate Fellows in Mercy's School Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, or Occupational Therapy programs.
Students participating in the IHELP Fellowship have the opportunity to be awarded up to a $10,000 stipend while they are participating in their Level II Fieldwork Placement.
MMH-RTC
The Maternal Mental Health Research Training Center (MMH-RTC) is a federally funded research award with the Human Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) under the Maternal Health Research Network (MH-RN) for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The overarching goal of this grant initiative is to build research capacity at Mercy University, a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) through a joint collaboration between the graduate Occupational Therapy (School of Health and Natural Sciences) and Psychology (School of Social and Behavioral Sciences) programs.
Student Benefits
- Enhanced training in research methodology
- Active engagement in mentored research activities
- Direct collaboration with community agencies and mothers in exploratory research
- Have an impact on maternal mental health outcomes among underrepresented groups
- MMH-RTC Student scholars will earn up to a $10,000 stipend per year
Tour the 3rd floor clinical simulation labs
This space includes a Clinical Skills and Assessment Lab, movement lab and home health labs, frequently used by students and faculty in our nursing occupational therapy, occupational therapy assistant, and physical therapy programs.
These interprofessional experiences help students learn about other professions’ roles and responsibilities, values and ethics, and teamwork and prepare them for their real-world clinical experiences.
Program Accreditation
The Entry level Clinical Doctorate Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program has been granted Candidacy status 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 (2682) or (301) 652-6611, and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the NBCOT exam administered by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually 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 further information on these limitations, you can contact NBCOT at: National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, 1 Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, (301) 990-7979. Applicants are also encouraged to contact the State Board of Occupational Therapy in the state they anticipate practicing to investigate any limitations.
Program Details & Curriculum
Occupational therapy is a health, education and rehabilitation profession that helps people maximize potential and build skills that are important for independent functioning, health, well-being and participation in communities. Occupational therapy practitioners work with people of all ages who may need specialized assistance in learning skills to enable them to lead independent, productive and satisfying lives.
Occupational therapy includes: (1) administering and / or interpreting standardized and non-standardized assessments for the purpose of identifying areas of function and/ or dysfunction; (2) evaluation and treatment of motor, cognitive, sensory, psychosocial impairments contributing to difficulty in daily living; (3) customized treatment programs aimed at improving abilities to carry out daily life activities within the home, community, school, or work; (4) comprehensive evaluation of home and job environments and recommendations on necessary adaptations and environmental modifications to prevent injury or enhance independent functioning; (5) design, training and recommendations in the use of specialized tools, adaptive equipment, assistive technology and orthotics; (6) teaching methods that prevent injury or promote and maintain healthy habits and routines; and (7) the provision of consultative, educational or research services.
Occupational therapists work with people experiencing daily living problems that may result from the effects of normal aging, disability or illnesses such as stroke, spinal cord injuries, cancer, autism, cerebral palsy or developmental problems, congenital conditions, and mental illness. Occupational therapists work in a wide range of practice settings including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing facilities, home health agencies, outpatient rehabilitation programs, psychiatric facilities, private and public schools, community centers and private practices. There are expanding opportunities for occupational therapists in the areas of health promotion and prevention within private practices, industry, social and public or community agencies.
- Professional Courses: 73 Credits
- Clinical Education: 12 Credits
- Doctoral Capstone Experience: 4 credits
Total: 85 Credits
The Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program is a full-time hybrid/weekend program that takes 9 trimesters to complete. The student is required to take eleven-twelve credits per trimester. Classes are completed in 9 trimesters and are followed by twenty-four weeks of full-time clinical fieldwork and a 14-week Doctoral Capstone Experience. The required 24 weeks of fieldwork must be completed within 24 months following the completion of the didactic component of the program unless the Program Faculty Review Committee grants and extension for extenuating circumstances.
The Occupational Therapy Program is committed to meeting its mission as it relates to serving our students, potential students, staff, faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty and the public consumer of occupational therapy. To that end, we are committed to ensuring that exceptional complaints for which there is no established College, School or program policy or procedure are considered and resolved in a timely, fair, consistent and equitable manner. Additional information may be found in the College graduate catalog.
Procedure: Complaints should be addressed to the Program Director through the online form. If the program director is the subject of the complaint, the complaint should be addressed to the Dean, School of Health and Natural Science.
Cost of Attendance for Graduate Clinical Doctorate in OT Program
Items
| 2026 Fall Trimester Year 1 (12 credits) | Total Cost of Program (85 credits) 9/2026-12/2029 |
| Tuition | $14,292.00*
| $107,202.00* |
| Mercy Student Fee | $450.00 | $2,340.00 * |
| OT Program fees | $330.00 | $2,190.00 ** |
| Books & Supplies | $500.00 | $2,995.00 |
| Loan Fees | Varies *** | Varies *** |
| Distance Ed Fees | NA | NA |
| Total | $15,572.00 | $114,727.00 |
*Illustration based on a 3.5% increase annually, however tuition and fees are subject to change. Tuition and fees have not been released for 2026-2027 academic year.
**College and Program fees are subject to change.
***Loan fees are based on the amount borrowed and determined by the loan program the student qualifies for. These fees are paid directly to the lender.
According to FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), cost of attendance is defined as total amount of attending the program, which includes tuition and fees, book, supplies, transportation, loan fees as well as fees associated with distance education
The Occupational Therapy program leads to a professional license administered by each state. Applicants and potential students should review information available on the College's NC-SARA page. We advise you to contact your state licensing board or appropriate licensing entity to determine whether the program meets requirements for Professional Licensure in the state where you are located or the state in which you intend to pursue licensure. Please contact the OT Program Director if you have further questions.
Contact the Occupational Therapy Program
Dr. Jeanine Stancanelli
Program Director, Occupational Therapy
jstancanelli@mercy.edu
(914) 674-7817
Felisha Ali
Administrative Assistant, Occupational Therapy
fali4@mercy.edu
(914)-674-7815
General Inquiries
OTprogram@mercy.edu
Full-Time Faculty
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