ABSTRACT

Purpose: This study examined the differences in the institutional and curriculum characteristics and research outcomes of occupational therapy programs in Korea according to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) accreditation status to assess educational quality and future development needs.Methods: This study included 55 OT programs. Data from 49 institutions were analyzed. Information was collected on the program type, faculty numbers, qualifications, licensure, clinical fieldwork courses and hours, and research outputs. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and independent t-tests were used to compare the WFOT-accredited and non-accredited institutions.Results: The accreditation rate was significantly higher in 4-year programs (74.1%) than in 3-year programs (40.9%). Accredited institutions provided more clinical fieldwork opportunities and hours (5.8 vs. 3.6 courses; 1,038 vs. 623 hours). Despite similar numbers of full-time faculty members, accredited programs had significantly more faculty members with doctoral degrees and OT licenses. Accredited programs also had more SCI/KCI publications, but the differences were not statistically significant. The regional distribution analysis showed no variation between the capital and non-capital regions. Conclusion: WFOT accreditation is strongly associated with the fulfillment of clinical fieldwork requirements in Korean occupational therapy programs. These findings suggest that academic system integration, clinical training standardization, and balanced support for education and research to align with international standards are required.