Pre-Occupational Therapy
Most occupational therapy programs require only two semesters of chemistry. This can be satisfied with CHEM 103/L - 104/L. If you are not certain of which medical field you will ultimately pursue, or to be eligible for all programs, you might consider the two-year chemistry sequence (CHEM 121/121L - CHEM122/122L and CHEM 321/321L - CHEM 322/322L).
Pre-requisites for applying to a typical Occupational therapy program:
- BIOL 211/211L & BIOL 213/213L (non-BIOL majors will need special permission to enroll in these courses)
- BIOL 314/314/L - 315/315/L
- at least six PSYC credits for OT; PSYC 207 (Lifespan Development) and PSYC 315 (Psychology of Abnormal Behavior) are frequently required
- three-credit course in sociology and/ or anthropology
- MATH 125
- PHYS 151/151L - 152/152L or PHYS 201/201L - 202/202L
- BIOL 271 (Medical Terminology)
- PHYS 151/151L (Physics) (not required at all schools)
In addition to the pre-requisite courses, applicants must accumulate a significant number of hours of occupational therapy experiences. Hour requirements may vary from school to school, but at least 40 hours in two different occupational therapy settings (80-100 hours total) is required.
Some programs do not interview applicants and base their decision solely on the application (including essays/personal statements) and letters of reference. Most physical therapy programs require at least one letter from a science professor and an occupational therapist.
You may have to take the GRE - Graduate Record Examination.*
The verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE are scored between 130–170, and the average score falls somewhere around 150-152. Analytical writing section of the GRE is scored between 0 and 6 in half-point increments, and the average hits somewhere around 3.5. A writing score of 4 with a combined verbal and quantitative score of 300 or greater is preferred.
*Scores should be sent directly to your chosen school.
Most students begin applying in mid-late fall of their graduation year.
Most occupational therapy schools use the centralized application service (CAS) - OTCAS*.
The application opens mid-July and closes in February of the following year. The exact open/submission dates vary from year to year. Verification of submitted applications can take up to four weeks. Exact deadlines for schools vary and students need to make sure all materials are into OTCAS ahead of the deadline dates.
*OTCAS applications are deleted at the end of every application cycle. Don't create an account unless you intend to apply within that cycle.