School of Occupational Therapy

Inside PNWU’s School of Occupational Therapy

Mission

The PNWU School of Occupational Therapy is committed to delivering graduate programs of distinction and preparing occupational therapists as leaders, scholars, and change agents who deliver occupation-based services that promote the health and wellbeing of rural and medically underserved communities throughout the Northwest and beyond.

Vision

To be a leader in preparing occupational therapy professionals who revolutionize the health of rural and medically underserved communities.

Program Accreditation Information

The entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Preaccreditation Status on December 12, 2024 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 and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must complete an on-site evaluation and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure 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.

Founding the PNWU School of Occupational Therapy

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences’ Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program is in the development phase. Heather Fritz, OTR/L, PhD is the founding director. Information can be found on the program specific pages. Interested parties may contact Dr. Fritz directly at hfritz@pnwu.edu with further questions.

In 2018, PNWU Board of Trustees authorized leadership to proceed with the planning for the occupational therapy programs including advertisement for the founding program director. PNWU also achieved regional accreditation in 2018 from NWCCU. This allowed PNWU to pursue the MSOT program. PNWU submitted a Notice of Intent to Seek Accreditation of a MSOT program to ACOTE in August 2019, following a needs assessment detailing why the MSOT program at PNWU is the right program at the right time.

Need for Occupational Therapy in the Region

PNWU’s five-state region (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska) generally has lower access to occupational therapists than the national average based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Location Quotient.  A Location Quotient (LQ) of less than 1.0 indicates an occupation is less prevalent in the area than the national average while a LQ of greater than 1.0 indicates an occupation has a higher share of employment than the national average. As of May 2021, the LQ for occupational therapists for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana was less than 1.0. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Occupational Therapists, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapists.htm)

In addition to the growing need for qualified occupational therapy practitioners, the need for qualified educators in the profession of occupational therapy is also growing with the proliferation of occupational therapy education programs. ACOTE requires that 50% of faculty teaching in an entry-level occupational therapy doctorate program have a post-professional doctoral degree and that 25% of faculty teaching in an OT master’s program have a post-professional doctorate degree (ACOTE, May 2020). In addition, an estimated 24% of the currently employed OT faculty anticipate retiring by 2027 (AOTA Faculty Survey, 2018).

Growth in the Profession

Occupational therapy is one of the fastest-growing health professions with a projected 17% increase from 2020-2030. Salaries for occupational therapists also remain strong. In 2019, the average salary nationally for occupational therapists was $89,470, and it was 92,650 in Washington state. (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapists.htm)¹

Cost of Attendance

Current Cost	MSOT Program 2024 Fall Semester	MSOT Program 2025 Spring Semester	MSOT Program 2025 Summer Semester	MSOT Program 2024-2025 Academic Year	Total Cost of Program (2-Year Program 2024-2026)
Tuition	15,107	15,107	15,107	45,320	90,640
Student Fees	0	0	0	0	0
Books & Supplies	0	0	155	155	155
Transportation	1,679	1,679	1,679	5,037	10,074
Loan Fees	286	286	286	859	1,718
Distance Ed Fees	0	0	0	0	0
Total					102,587

According to FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), cost of attendance is defined as total amount of attending the program, which includes tuition and fees, books, supplies, transportation, loan fees as well as fees associated with distance education. Students should also figure in Room and Board - Living Expenses. Click here to see the 2024-2025 MSOT Estimated Cost of Attendance/Budget.

MSOT Program Outcomes

	MSOT PROGRAM OUTCOMES
GRADUATION YEAR	STUDENTS ENTERING/GRADUATING	GRADUATION RATE
2025	14 / TBD	TBD
2026	6/TBD	TBD
2027	TBD	TBD
TOTAL	20 / TBD	TBD

The MSOT program is in the development phase. Data regarding program outcomes will be available starting August, 2025. Please check back at that time.

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) program data results

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