How much fieldwork and clinical education accredited programs require
Accreditors set the minimum length of full-time clinical work in OT, OTA, PT, and PTA programs: ACOTE for occupational therapy and CAPTE for physical therapy. Programs may require more. SLP clinical hours come from ASHA’s certification standards.
Quoted from official pages checked November 12, 2026. Confirm current requirements and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
Occupational therapy: ACOTE Level I and Level II fieldwork
From the 2023 ACOTE Standards and Interpretive Guide (PDF, now in effect):
- “The goal of Level I fieldwork is to introduce students to fieldwork, apply knowledge to practice, and develop understanding of the needs of clients.”
- Level II fieldwork aims “to develop competent, entry-level, generalist” practitioners and “must include an in-depth experience in delivering occupational therapy services to clients, focusing on the application of purposeful and meaningful occupation.”
- Standard C.1.12 sets the length: at least 24 weeks of full-time Level II fieldwork for OT doctoral and master’s programs, and at least 16 weeks for OTA programs, with part-time options equivalent in length (paraphrased). The OTA column reads: “Document a required minimum of 16 weeks’ full-time Level II fieldwork.”
Physical therapist (DPT): CAPTE
From the CAPTE PT standards and required elements (PDF): “The clinical education portion includes a minimum of 30 weeks of full-time clinical education experiences, based on a minimum of 32 hours/week.” The entire curriculum “consists of a minimum of 96 weeks” of instruction over at least six semesters or the equivalent (paraphrased).
Physical therapist assistant: CAPTE
From the CAPTE PTA standards and required elements (PDF): the program “Includes a minimum of 520 total clinical hours composed of both integrated* and fulltime* experiences.” It “must include a minimum of 12 weeks of full-time clinical education, based on a minimum of 32 hours/week. Of the required 12 full-time weeks, a minimum of six weeks are consecutive and placed as a terminal clinical experience.”
Speech-language pathology
ASHA’s 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experience for the CCC-SLP are quoted on fieldwork and clinical education.
What this page does not do
It does not rate programs or list placements. Ask each program how it schedules fieldwork, and check accreditation status on accreditation status.