KGI’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program Achieves Candidacy Status

Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) President Dr. Sheldon Schuster announced today that the KGI Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program has received Candidacy Status from the American Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

“This is a great milestone to hit before the end of the current year,” Schuster said. “Our OTD program faculty and staff are constantly at work to make sure that we’re setting up the best possible program for our incoming cohorts.”

Candidacy Status is a significant step that an occupational therapy program must go through on the road to achieving full accreditation. This now allows KGI’s OTD program to admit students for the 2022-2023 academic year.

“This is an excellent outcome leading us towards full accreditation for our program,” Founding OTD Program Director Dr. Christy Billock said.

“We’re excited to give our prospective students the great news and start delivering our innovative curriculum in the fall.”

This fall, the inaugural OTD cohort is set to begin within KGI’s latest addition of classrooms and labs designed explicitly for OTD students.

About ACOTE
The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) ensures quality occupational therapy education by developing accreditation standards and verifying implementation to support the preparation of competent occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. The ACOTE is committed to establishing, promoting, and evaluating standards of quality in occupational therapy education. To this end, ACOTE® will lead in the development of effective collaborative partnerships with the communities of interest, both internal and external to the profession of occupational therapy, which is affected by its activities.