Occupational Therapy Assistant - Accreditations
The Minnesota West OTA Program has achieved candidacy status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
This associate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Preaccreditation Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. 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, adjust standard B.4.14. and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Students must complete 16 weeks of Level II fieldwork within 18 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
Please see the following table for a comprehensive, anticipatory list of events in the accreditation process.
Anticipated Date | Status | Event |
April 2022 |
Completed | Submittal of the Minnesota West candidacy application to ACOTE |
September 2022 |
Completed | Candidacy staus granted by ACOTE |
Fall 2022 | Completed | Admissions process opens for OTA program |
October 2022 | Completed | OTA applications are due for May 2023 start date |
December 2022 | Completed | OTA applicants will be notified of application result |
January 2023 | Completed | OTA applications are due for August 2023 start date |
March 2023 | Completed | OTA applicants will be notified of application result |
May 2023 | Completed | First cohort begins OTA coursework |
August 2023 | Completed | Second cohort begins OTA coursework |
Fall 2023 | Completed | Admissions process opens for OTA program |
November 2023 | Completed | Self-study is due to ACOTE |
February 2024 | Completed | OTA applications are due for 2024 start date |
March 2024 | Completed | OTA applicants will be notified of application result |
April/May 2024 | Initial onsite visit by ACOTE | |
August 2024 | Third cohort begins OTA coursework | |
Fall 2024 | ACOTE’s response regarding accreditation Admissions process opens for OTA program |
|
December 2024 | First cohort graduates | |
February 2025 | OTA applications are due for 2025 start date | |
March 2025 | OTA applicants will be notified of application result | |
May 2025 | Second cohort graduates |
Additionally, Minnesota West Community and Technical College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
To view all Minnesota West accreditations including the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) please view our Accreditations page.