The program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). 

Remember, all programs are not the same. Check out the Penn State difference! Penn State Associate in Occupational Therapy graduates are eligible to sit for the NBCOT exam. Successful completion of this exam certifies the occupational therapy assistant as a COTA. State licensure is required by most states and is usually based on the results of the NBCOT certification exam.

American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) 
6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929
301-652-6611

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) 
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814
301-652-6611

National Board for the Certification of Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT) 
One Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 
Phone: 301-990-7979
Fax: 301-869-8492 

Penn State Graduation Requirements

General graduation requirements can be found on the Division of Undergraduate Study's website, as well as policies 82-00 and 83-00 from the University Faculty Senate.

Shenango campus graduation and NBCOT Exam pass rate

OTA Education Standard A.4.2. requires the following information to be available to the public.

  • Graduation rates
  • Direct link to NBCOT program data results

The following information is provided in compliance with Education Standard A.4.2:

OTA Statistics for the Past Three Years
Graduation YearStudents Entering/GraduatingGraduation Rates
2022
8/6
75%
2023
10/9
90%
2024
8/7
88%
3-year totals
26/22
85%

Individual school's program performance data on the NBCOT National Certification Exam website. 

To locate The Pennsylvania State University, Shenango program results, use the drop-down menu as follows:

  1. Pennsylvania
  2. OTA Level Program
  3. Year (i.e. 2014, 2015, etc)

NBCOT Data

Penn State Shenango Associate in Science in Occupational Therapy graduates will be eligible to take the certification examination administered by:

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Inc. 
One Bank Street, Suite 300
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150 
Phone: (301) 990-7979 
Fax: (301)869-8492