Program Overview
Degree abbreviation
Ed.D. in Faith-Based Occupational Therapy
Total program length
120 semester credit hours
Maximum approved transfer credit
Up to 40 semester credit hours
Minimum credits completed through the University after maximum transfer
80 semester credit hours
Normal completion time
Three to six academic years, depending on approved transfer credit, enrollment status, academic progress, and completion of the doctoral project
Advanced faith-based occupational therapy and specialization courses
30 credit hours
Leadership, administration, and professional practice
21 credit hours
Research methods and program evaluation
18 credit hours
Professional application and doctoral residency
15 credit hours
Advanced electives or concentration courses
12 credit hours
Comprehensive examination and doctoral candidacy
6 credit hours
Applied doctoral project and defense
18 credit hours
Total
120 semester credit hours
The Doctor of Philosophy in Faith-Based Occupational Therapy, with a specialization in Rehabilitation Services, provides an advanced academic framework for scholars seeking to integrate professional excellence with a stewardship-oriented approach to health and wellness. This rigorous doctoral program explores the intersection of restorative practice and ethical decision-making, emphasizing the role of the practitioner as a catalyst for community resilience and holistic recovery. Students engage in high-level inquiry regarding the socio-cultural, ethical, and organizational factors that influence rehabilitation outcomes across diverse populations. By grounding professional practice in a robust conceptual framework, the program prepares graduates to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of health-related services through scholarly research and evidence-informed practice. The curriculum fosters intellectual depth and promotes a servant-leadership model, enabling students to address complex systemic challenges with integrity and foresight. By bridging the gap between theoretical models of rehabilitation and practical, service-oriented applications, the program ensures that candidates emerge as thought leaders capable of navigating the intersection of public policy, organizational ethics, and individualized care. Through comprehensive research training, students gain the analytical tools necessary to investigate systemic improvements in rehabilitation delivery and community support systems.
The Doctor of Education in Faith-Based Occupational Therapy is an applied professional doctorate emphasizing advanced faith-based occupational therapy knowledge, organizational leadership, ethical stewardship, program development, community-care systems, higher-education instruction, and evidence-informed professional practice.
Students may receive up to 40 semester credit hours of approved graduate or doctoral transfer credit. Accepted transfer credits are applied toward the 120-credit graduation requirement and may reduce the number of courses and the amount of time required to complete the degree. A student receiving the maximum transfer-credit award must complete at least 80 semester credit hours through the University.
The applied doctoral project must address a documented faith-based occupational therapy-support, educational, organizational, or community-care need. The project must include scholarly research, an implementation model, measurable outcomes, ethical safeguards, an evaluation plan, and a successful oral defense.
DOCTORAL TRANSFER-CREDIT POLICY: The Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy programs each require 120 semester credit hours. Students may transfer up to 40 semester credit hours of eligible graduate or doctoral coursework toward either degree. Transfer credit is not automatically awarded. Each request is evaluated individually according to: The academic level of the previous coursework; The relevance of the coursework to the doctoral curriculum; Course content and learning outcomes; Credit-hour equivalency; Grades earned; The age of the coursework; Official institutional documentation; The University's residency and transfer-credit policies. Accepted transfer credit may reduce the number of courses and the amount of time required to complete the degree. Students awarded the maximum 40 transfer credits will have 80 semester credit hours remaining in the 120-credit doctoral program. Comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidacy, doctoral residency, the applied doctoral project, dissertation research, and the final oral defense must ordinarily be completed through the University. These requirements may not be satisfied through transfer credit unless expressly permitted under a published University policy.