At its December meeting, the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) granted VCU's Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program a Status of Accreditation for the maximum 10-year period – with no suggestions and no areas of noncompliance.

The review commended VCU’s innovative capstone structure, which offers research, education and community service tracks that deeply align with our mission. Students have opportunities to engage in faculty-driven scholarship, explore future roles in academia, and collaborate with community partners such as Art for the Journey, Sportable and the Children’s Museum of Richmond through sustainable, high-impact projects.

ACOTE also celebrated the program’s unwavering focus on occupation. Courses such as Occupational Synthesis and Adaptations and Assistive Technologies for Occupational Engagement integrate traditional craft approaches with contemporary tools, including 3-D printing, adaptive design and assistive gaming technologies. These hands-on learning experiences cultivate strong professional reasoning and produce confident graduates recognized by stakeholders.

We are proud of our faculty, students and community partners – and grateful for this affirmation of our program’s excellence.