Prerequisites for Application
Bachelor's Degree Applicants must have a bachelor's degree in order to apply to the Program in Occupational Therapy. The degree must meet one of the following criteria: - U.S. bachelor's degree (BA or BS in any field)
- Comparable degree from a recognized international institution
Degrees may be in progress at the time of application, but must be completed no later than the end of Summer Session of the year of admission. Applicants with a degree from an international institution must submit a course-by-course evaluation conducted by ECE International. U.S. Applicants who have studied abroad as part of their coursework at a U.S. university/college do not need to provide an evaluation as long as the international coursework and grades are noted on their U.S. university/college transcript. Grade Point Average (GPA) The Admissions Committee considers an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above as a positive factor for admission. Prerequisite coursework must be completed with a GPA of at least 2.8 and no single grade lower than a C-. Courses must be taken A-F with the exception of the applied arts and orientation to occupational therapy courses. Prerequisite Courses There are ten prerequisite courses required for admission to the Program in Occupational Therapy. All ten courses must be completed no later than the end of Summer session of the year of admission. There are five courses considered "core" to occupational therapy and are marked with an asterisk (*). Four of the five courses marked with an asterisk (*) must be completed at the time of application if your undergraduate GPA is below 3.25. If your GPA is 3.25 or higher, you may apply when you have completed three of the five courses marked with an asterisk (*). Prerequisite courses must be fulfilled with a minimum number of credits. Minimum credit requirements are listed next to each course name below. Quarter credits are acceptable and can be converted by dividing the number of quarter credits by 1.5. For example, a 4 quarter credit course (4 ÷ 1.5 = 2.67 semester credits) will be accepted as 3 semester credits). - Human Anatomy (3 cr.) *
- Human Physiology (3 cr.) *
- Statistics (3 cr.) * --This course must include descriptive and inferential statistics.
- Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.) * -- This course should include content related to human societies and behaviors, social theory and theories of social change, methods of study in sociology, characteristics of social units (for example, race/ethnicity, economics/social organizations, gender, politics, religious systems) and the impact of cultural diversity.
- General Psychology (3 cr.) *
- Abnormal Psychology (3 cr.)
- Human Development across the Life Span (3 cr.) -- You will be required to verify that the course(s) you took covered content from conception to death. You may need to take a series of courses to complete this prerequisite.
- Medical Terminology (1 cr.)
- Orientation to Occupational Therapy (1 cr.) -- If this course is not available at your school, it is offered year round through the College of Continuing Education at University of Minnesota. Finding this course on the College of Continuing Education website > On the CCE home page use the left navigation quick link "Register." On the Register page, choose "Online and Correspondence Courses." On the Online and Correspondence Courses page, use the left navigation link "Courses." On the Courses page, use the search default settings "Course Subjects: All", and "Preferred Format: Any." Scroll down the list to "OT 1003 Orientation to Occupational Therapy."
- Studio/Applied Arts (2 cr.) --This course must include "hands on" manipulation of materials (such as painting, sculpture, weaving, ceramics, woodworking). Applicants may petition to use non-university or non-credit art courses (equivalent of 2 semester credits) by sending the course title, description, location, number of hours spent in class and any hours spent outside of class to the Chair of Admissions. Note: 2 semester credits equals approximately 30 in-class hours and 30 hours of out of class time.
Applicants should complete a prerequisite planning sheet in order to determine which prerequisites have been fulfilled. If we either do not list your school(s), or the Prerequisite Planning Sheet for your school(s) does not list the courses you have taken, please send course description(s) for each course you have taken that you believe fulfills a prerequisite requirement. Include an email outlining the course(s) you are submitting descriptions for and which prerequisite they complete. Send this information to cahpinfo@umn.edu. Computer Competency Applicants admitted to the Program in Occupational Therapy will be expected to be competent in using a computer to type, edit, format, and print documents. Practical Experience Practical Experience is suggested, but not required for application. Although this type of experience is not required, the Admissions Committee does consider an applicant's optional observation, volunteer and/or work experience in occupational therapy and other health-related areas and believes these experiences strengthen the application. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is NOT required. International Applicants The Program in Occupational Therapy is currently not able to accept students on an F1 for F2 visa due to federal regulations regarding online courework. Applicants with other visa types should contact cahpinfo@umn.edu with the type of visa for further information. Language Requirements Applicants whose native language is not English or whose academic study was done exclusively at a non-English speaking institution(s) must prove English proficiency by providing either officital Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or Test of Spoken English (TSE) scores. Preferred language scores are: - > 550 TOEFL paper-based version
- > 100 TOEFL Internet-based version (iBT)
- > 50 TSE test
Prerequisite Planning and Pre-Program Advising Applicants who have remaining prerequisite courses to fulfill should carefully plan the timeline of completion. The Prerequisite Planning Sheets offer detailed information on the courses available at the U of M and area colleges and universities. Many other pre-program questions can be answered by visiting our Frequently Asked Questions page. However, if applicants still need other pre-program advising U of M students should contact his or her undergraduate advising office or advisor and non-U of M applicants can seek assistance from the Program in Occupational Therapy by calling (612) 626-5887 or emailing otprog@umn.edu.
Requirements After Admission Criminal Background Study The State of Minnesota Department of Health requires criminal background studies on all students admitted to the Program in Occupational Therapy. Failure to pass the background study may preclude successful completion of the program. A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification examination or attain state licensure. Information on national certification is available from: National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
800 S. Frederick Avenue, Suite 200
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150
(301) 990-7979
www.nbcot.org Admitted students are provided detailed instructions for how to request a criminal background study soon after beginning the program. Immunizations Admitted students will be asked to provide documentation of immunizations. For complete details visit the U of M's Boynton Health Service web page on immunization requirements.
|
