Admissions Information | Occupational Therapy

Admissions

Admission Deadline has been extended to 3/15/22!

Eligibility for Admission

All students are strongly encouraged to attend an information session. Your eligibility for admission will be determined during an information session.

Prerequisites

Students with a bachelor's degree must have completed the defined 28 credit hours of prerequisite courses.
Students grade point average for the required prerequisites must be above 3.0 for consideration.
Students may retake prerequisites to improve their grade point average, but you cannot take or repeat any OT prerequisite course more than twice to obtain a passing grade.
Conditional admission can be granted for students completing prerequisite courses; however, at least ONE of the science courses must be completed by the time of applying.
All courses must be completed by the summer semester of the year applying.

Required Prerequisite Courses

Introduction to Anthropology or Sociology
Developmental Psychology
Abnormal Psychology
Statistics
Medical Terminology
Introduction to OT
Human Anatomy *
Human Physiology *
Cadaver Lab (30 hours)**

* The Anatomy and Physiology courses must be taken within 5 years of admission to the professional program.

** Cadaver lab is only required for undergraduate combined BS/MOT students. Students applying as graduate MOT students do not need to take it.

GPA Requirements

Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for their last 60 hours of coursework.
A limited number of students with a GPA of 2.9 to 2.99 may qualify for conditional admission.
Conditional admission status is removed when a student achieves a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in the first semester of the professional Occupational Therapy program.

Recommendations Each applicant must submit 2 recommendations.

One recommendation must be from an upper-division teacher (courses above the 2OO level)
The other may be from another instructor or from an employer, work supervisor or community service supervisor.

No recommendations will be accepted from relatives.

Human Service Experience Each applicant must complete 40 hours of human service experience and submit the Human Service Experience Form which describes the applicant's experience and duties. A supervisor who is directly aware of the applicant's duties and duration of experience completes the bottom of the form.

Essay Each applicant must submit a typed essay with his or her application. This 1000- word essay should explain the applicant's reason for pursuing a career in occupational therapy and how the applicant's human service experience has enhanced their interpersonal skills. The essay should provide specific examples that demonstrate the applicant's compassion, sensitivity to others, interpersonal skills and how the human service experience has impacted personal growth.

Interview Eligible applicants will be invited to an interview session with members of the Occupational Therapy Admission Committee. Students whose application does not meet the admission requirements may be invited to meet with the program director to discuss options for strengthening their application.

If there are any questions regarding the application process for the Master of Occupational Therapy program, please feel free to contact the department at (773) 995-2366. Prerequisite Requirements for MOT Students

How to Apply

Undergraduate Combined BS/MOT

Combined BS/MOT Students: Students who are already enrolled as Health Sciences students with a Pre-Occupational therapy major need to apply directly to the Department of Occupational Therapy for admission to the professional phase of the program.

Pre-OT students need to meet with their Pre-OT advisors every semester to make sure they are on track to meet the requirements. Pre-OT students typically apply in Spring of their junior year and enter the combined program in their senior year.

Pre-OT Advisors

Combined BS/MOT Application

Application for Admission

Human Service Form

Recommendation Form

Graduate/MOT

MOT Students: You must complete and submit your application online. All official transcripts should be sent to the graduate school.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I take the Intro to OT class?

The Introduction to Occupational Therapy Course is usually offered at colleges and universities that have an occupational therapy or occupational therapy assistant program. In Illinois, Chicago State University, Governors State University, South Suburban College and Wright College all offer an introduction course. Additionally, there are many occupational therapy programs throughout the country that offer an introduction course and CSU will accept any school’s course. This course must be completed prior to starting the MOT program. CSU offers the course (OT 2010) online in the fall and summer semesters. During the spring semester, OT 2010 is on-campus.

Do I have to complete all prerequisites before I apply to the program?

No, you can apply with four or fewer prerequisites to be completed at the time of applying. Either anatomy or physiology (one course) must be completed when applying in order to evaluate your application. Applicants must explain in their application their plan for completing all prerequisites before starting the MOT program in the fall. Students who are accepted receive a conditional admission pending the successful completion of all prerequisites and the maintaining of the required grade point average.

For Undergraduates applying to the combined BS/MOT program, your prerequistes should be reviewed at the beginning of junior year to make sure you are on track to apply to the program by the end of junior year. You can email bacot@csu.edu with your degree planning sheet and UID to have the OT admissions coordinator review it.

Can I retake classes to improve my grade point average?

You may retake classes to improve your grade point average, but you may only repeat the required prerequisite courses once to improve a grade. You also cannot take or repeat any OT prerequisite course (including sciences) more than twice to obtain a passing grade.

How long is the program?

The program is three years, full-time. It includes 6 long semesters and 2 short summer semesters. Students graduate in May of their third year (if completed full-time). Students who are off track may graduate in summer or the winter.

Are scholarships available?

There are a variety of scholarships available to graduate-level OT students from various sources such as the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, AMBUCS, and Aftercollege to name a few. Also, the CSU OT department periodically has grants that help support students. We currently have the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Grant.

What is the cadaver lab?

The CSU BS combined program requires that students have a minimum of 30 hours of a lab with a human cadaver. The lab should provide detailed practical examinations on human cadaver anatomy. CSU provides this lab as a separate course for students who have completed a full anatomy course. Other schools have separate cadaver labs or they are embedded within the anatomy course. CSU offers the cadaver lab course (Zoology 2610) every semester.

Only students applying as combined students are required to take the Cadaver Lab. Students applying as graduate students to the MOT program do not need to take it.

Does a combined Anatomy and Physiology course meet the prerequisites?

Schools provide the anatomy and physiology courses differently. Some schools such as CSU have separate anatomy and physiology courses and students need both courses and the cadaver lab. Other schools have combined anatomy & physiology courses, where the body is divided between two courses. A student must have both courses Anatomy and Physiology I and II to get credit for a full anatomy and physiology course. Some schools have 30 hours of cadaver lab as part of both courses. CSU will accept these courses as meeting the cadaver lab requirement.

Is the GRE required?

The CSU MOT program does not require the GRE exam for admission.

I do not have an upper-level instructor for a recommendation. Do I really need it?

Yes, one of the recommendations must be from an upper level (200 level or above) instructor. This recommendation provides evidence of an individual who can speak to your academic potential. While very few schools have their anatomy and physiology listed at a 100 level, we will accept a recommendation from an anatomy or physiology instructor.

Where do I send my official transcripts?

The Office of Graduate Admissions is the place to send all official transcripts. The University must receive transcripts from all of the schools where you have ever taken college classes whether or not you took a prerequisite course at that school.

I am an OTA. Do I have to take all of the prerequisites?

We give OTA’s credit for the Introduction to Occupational Therapy and waive the time limit for the anatomy and physiology for currently practicing OTA’s. OTA program coursework cannot be applied to the MOT program. Since OTA degrees are primarily AS or AAS degrees, students can pursue our combined BS in HSC/MOT program. This combined program has 93 credits in specific prerequisites that include the general education requirements as well as the specific OT program requirements. A student with an AS or AA degree will be waived from the university general education requirements but need the OT specific prerequisites and 93 hours of credit before entering the professional sequence.

Can I finish my prerequisites once I am enrolled in the program?

No, you must complete all prerequisites prior to starting professional coursework. The content of the prerequisite courses is used as foundational knowledge within the program and students must be able to apply that information from the very beginning of the program.

I want to go part-time. How long will it take to complete the program?

It takes 10 regular semesters and two summer sessions to complete the program part-time; approximately 4 ½ years. Students can take two courses a semester until the last year. The last year is full-time for Level II fieldwork. All courses are during the day and the number of days on campus varies each semester based on the specific courses. Part-time students start in the fall along with all of the students. A student can go up to full-time after 4 semesters and completion of the entire first-year courses.

If I apply early, can I start classes in the spring semester?

No, the curriculum has a defined sequence for its courses and professional courses are only offered once a year. The department tries to inform students of admission decisions by mid-April/early May.

Can I work while I am in the program?

Yes, many students work while in the program. However, students are encouraged to reduce their work to the lowest number of hours possible in order to concentrate on their studies. Most students try to work less than 15 hours.