Prerequisite requirements

Admission is dependent on satisfactory completion of all prerequisite requirements before June 15 prior to the start of the fall matriculation semester.

Applications with prerequisite course work, degree completion, and requirements in progress at the time of application will be considered as long as:

• the student has presented and adheres to a reasonable, timely plan for completion;
• the number of prerequisites to be completed are no more than two to three courses;
• Three quarters of the experiential and observational hours are completed;
• The student will earn a bachelor’s degree no later than May.

Official transcripts verifying all remaining prerequisite and graduation degree requirements must be received in the department by June 30 prior to matriculation in August.

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate program (OTD) is not available to international graduate students at this time.

Prerequisite course work

For consideration, courses:

• Must be completed by June 15 and transcripts submitted on or before June 30 prior to matriculation.
• Must be earned at a “C” or above. Courses with a “C-“or lower are not accepted.
• In general, Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology courses must have been completed in the last 7 years unless an “A” or a “B” has been earned on an advanced course on the same topic within the last seven years. Additionally, the grade on the original course must have been a “C” or above. Exceptions to these course requirements will be reviewed and approval granted on a case-by-case basis. Applicants with courses earned more than 7 years prior to admission are encouraged to consult with one of the admissions staff.
• Must be from a regionally-accredited institution.
• Must be earned in semester hours/credits or the equivalent thereof for quarter credits. The quarter credit conversion formula is quarter credits multiplied by .6667 equal semester credits.
• Evidence that coursework includes the required topics as described below includes course catalog descriptions, syllabi, and course assignments
• Coursework may not be applied in more than one category

Courses

• Biology (6 semester credits). This requirement may be met by:
  • Completing 6 credits of biology or
  • 3 credits of biology with 3 credits of chemistry.
  • The biology credits must include at least one course with both a lecture and laboratory
  • Biology courses that do not have as its primary emphasis as sciences supporting human biology, e.g., oceanography and botany, are not accepted
• Human Anatomy and Physiology (6 semester credits).
• Statistics (3 semester credits). The statistics course is preferably is in applied or bio-statistics.
• Ethics or Social Justice (3 semester credits). This course must include topics related to current health care and medicine.
  • Criminal justice, philosophy and business ethics courses may be accepted only if evidence exists that topics specifically related to health care and medicine are included
• Abnormal Psychology (3 semester credits).
• Lifespan Human Development (6 semester credits). The Lifespan Human Development requirement is met by either:
  • Taking a one human development, psychology, or sociology course that covers the entire lifespan of human development from birth to death; OR
  • Completing both a child development course and a gerontology/psychology of aging course.
  • If a completed course covers both halves of the entire life span, i.e., birth to adulthood and then from adulthood to the end of life, then a second psychology course (not a general psychology course) must be completed to fulfill this requirement. This second psychology course must cover topics such as health, cognition, social, perception, personality, or gender.
  • The two courses must be above the introductory level.
• Sociology (6 semester credits). The sociology courses must include current topics related to the medical field, community and/or sexuality, aging and other human conditions.
  • Sociology is the study of human society and organized groups of human beings. With that in mind, courses are inclusive of those offered by a sociology department, as long as the emphasis is on society.
  • Archeology and other courses that focus on past history do not meet the requirements of sociology.
  • Courses must be above the introductory level, e.g., Introduction to Sociology 101 will not be accepted.