Accreditation and Approvals

The entry-level MSOT Program at WCU received accreditation in December 11, 2014 from 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 301-652-2682, and their web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Program 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,  states require licensure to practice; however, state licensure is 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.

The WCU entry-level occupational therapy master's degree (MSOT) program has applied for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or 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 be granted Candidacy Status, have a preaccreditation review, 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 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 student's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.  

Programmatic Accreditation
West Coast University School of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy program  is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 190 South LaSalle Street, Suite 3000, Chicago, IL 60603-4810, 312-644-3575; fax: 866-228-2631; website www.acpe-accredit.org.

Accreditation Disclosure
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredits Doctor of Pharmacy programs offered by Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy in the United States and selected non-US sites. For a Doctor of Pharmacy program offered by a new College or School of Pharmacy, ACPE accreditation generally involves three steps; Precandidate status, Candidate status and Accredited status.
Precandidate status denotes a developmental program that is expected to mature in accord with stated plans and within a defined time period. Precandidate status is awarded to a new program of a College or School of Pharmacy that has not yet enrolled students in the professional program and authorizes the School to admit its first class.
Candidate status is awarded to a Doctor of Pharmacy program that has students enrolled but has not yet had a graduating class.
Accredited status is awarded to a program that has met all ACPE standards for accreditation and has graduated its first class. Graduates of a class designated as having Candidate status have the same rights and privileges of those graduates from a fully accredited program. ACPE conveys its decisions to the various boards of pharmacy and makes recommendations in accord with its decisions. It should be noted, however, that decisions concerning eligibility for licensure by examination or reciprocity reside with the respective state boards of pharmacy in accordance with their state statutes and administrative rules.
The Doctor of Pharmacy program of the West Coast School of Pharmacy was awarded Accredited status during the June 20-24, 2018, meeting of the ACPE Board of Directors based upon an on-site evaluation conducted April 3-5, 2018, and discussion with University and School officials.

PLEASE NOTE THAT LICENSURE TO PRACTICE AS A PHARMACIST IS REQUIRED IN EVERY STATE.  HOWEVER, THE EXAM AND LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS VARY BY STATE.  IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO RESEARCH THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE STATE IN WHICH YOU PLAN TO PRACTICE.

The West Coast University School of Pharmacy has submitted a formal request to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) for an accelerated hybrid program. The request is currently pending ACPE approval, and it is our hope that ACPE will take the necessary actions to enable a Fall 2023 launch of the program. If approved, the accelerated hybrid Doctor of Pharmacy program will be the only available program version being offered at WCU starting with the Fall 2023 trimesters (August 14, 2023).

The Master’s of Speech Language Pathology (M.S.L.P.) education program in speech-language pathology distance education program at West Coast University is a Candidate for Accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. Candidacy is a “preaccreditation” status with the CAA, awarded to developing or emerging programs for a maximum period of 5 years.