Summary of Admissions and Application Process

Program faculty will evaluate your application for indicators of readiness for an academically rigorous course of study, and your potential to become a leading occupational therapy practitioner.

Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Academic achievement
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 *
• Extracurricular and interpersonal life experiences
• Experiences, academics and prerequisites that indicate a focus and intention of joining the field of occupational therapy
• Demonstrated concern for individuals from diverse backgrounds and their surrounding community
• Demonstrated use of good judgment, insight, empathy reasoning, ethical behavior and strong personal accountability

* The candidates most likely to be successful will have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. However, because the NAU OTD program embraces a holistic approach to education, applicants whose overall undergraduate GPA is lower than 3.0 may be considered provided there are significant reasons behind the lower GPA and provided that they earned a minimum 3.0 GPA in the prerequisite course work for this curriculum. Other factors include a 3.0 GPA within the last two years of undergraduate study, indications of significant positive trends in the improvement of the GPA, and experiential components/qualifications.

Requirements for Entry into the OTD Program

Academic Experience

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution

Minimum GPA of 3.0*

Prerequisite Coursework

• 6 credits of biology OR 3 credits of biology AND 3 credits of chemistry. The biology credits must include a lab that supports human biology.
• 6 credits of human anatomy and physiology
• 3 credits of statistics, preferably in applied or bio-statistics
• 3 credits of ethics, with topics related to current health care and medicine
• 3 credits of abnormal psychology
• 6 credits above the introductory level of human development, which must encompass the entire lifespan from birth to end-of-life. This can be met with a child development course coupled with a course on aging/gerontology OR a 3-credit course encompassing the entire lifespan AND a 3-credit course on human development, such as health, cognition, social perception, personality or gender.
• 6 credits above the introductory level of sociology or social justice covering problems, development, structure and/or functions of society of the present day.

If you have questions about whether courses fulfill prerequisite course requirements, please complete the self-assessment form. Our admissions committee will review your responses and get back to you via email as soon as possible.

Observation and Volunteer Hours

• 40 hours observing two different occupational therapists each practicing in a different type of setting with different age-groups (minimum of 20 hours in each setting) AND
• 40 hours in at least two different community settings (agencies, programs, camps, etc.) serving vulnerable, disabled or disadvantaged individuals or populations that address health, rehabilitation, disability, quality of life or community issues or sustainability initiatives

COVID-19 Observation and Volunteer Hour Accommodations Accordion Closed

• Applicants may obtain observation hours from one or multiple locations totaling in 40 as long as it meets the requirement description.
• Applicants may obtain volunteer hours from one or multiple locations totaling in 40 as long as it meets the requirement description.
• Observation hours obtained over 40 can be applied to missing volunteer hours.
• Caregiving hours may be applied to volunteer hours if they meet approval. Send these requests to otadmissions@nau.edu for review.
• Alternative hours can be used in place of observation and or volunteer hours (see below for more details).

Many applicants may have trouble finding placement for observation and/or volunteer hours. To accommodate for this, we have created an opportunity to complete these hours from your home using alternative hour products and modules.

Deadline to complete all of your hours is July 31st, 2023.

Please email otadmissions@nau.edu:

• Alternative hours products documentation.
• Total number of hours that you want to submit towards the observation and volunteer hours prerequisites.
• In the email subject line please write “Alternative Hours Submission”.

If you have any questions about any of the information provided please email otadmissions@nau.edu.

Application Process

Complete Two Applications:

NAU Graduate College Application

OTCAS Application

Applicant Checklist

Academic Experience

• Transcripts of all college-level coursework – with transcripts being submitted to OTCAS and The NAU Graduate College

Observation and Experiential Hours

• Information indicating completion of a minimum of 80 hours of observation and experiential hours (see above)

Letters of Recommendation for NAU

• 2 letters of recommendation with one of the recommendations from a licensed Occupational Therapist

Note: successful applications into the program must be timely. Applicants are strongly encouraged to begin entry of data into the OTCAS process when the application process begins in July.

Final Admission for the First Semester

Before Students receive final admission for the first semester, the following prerequisite requirements must be met:

• Evidence that a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution has been awarded
• Successful completion of all prerequisite coursework with a C or better; No Pass/Fail Grades