Pre-Occupational Therapy
Pre-Occupational Therapy
From hand therapy and treating people with low vision to working with children or older adults, as you become an occupational therapist, you'll show injured or disabled patients how to adapt to their new reality through the change of movements and therapeutic activities.
Navigating the Application Process
Beginning early with the application process allows students to structure an academic plan of study and ensures you are on track. Occupational Therapy schools have relatively similar requirements that we can help prepare you for, including competitive scores and high GPA (overall and prerequisite), preparing for the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations), if needed, providing evidence of care for people through service and shadowing experiences, leadership roles, and more!
We encourage you to contact our pre-health coordinator to support you in your professional development endeavors and help you create your unique timeline to occupational therapy programs.
Some students already have a B.A., B.S., or above and decide to pursue becoming an Occupational Therapist. It is recommended that such students visit the preprofessional office for additional advisement. It is common for these students to take their missing prerequisite science or non-science courses for OT school here at 麻豆传媒 as post-baccalaureate students, work on the other non-course requirements while taking courses, prepare for and take the GRE, and then apply to OT school(s).
Some students may choose to pursue a second major, while others enroll in prerequisite courses as a non-degree-seeking student. In either case, students must go through the University's Undergraduate 麻豆传媒 office to be either admitted (new students) or re-admitted (former students) prior to enrollment.
There are three options available for students wishing to work in the Occupational Therapy field: Advanced degrees in occupational therapy (M.O.T. and O.T.D.) or an Occupational Therapy Assistant (O.T.A.).
Here are some of the local or surrounding area professional schools:
(M.O.T.) (Hattiesburg, MS)
(O.T.D.) (Mobile, AL)
(O.T.D.) (Jackson, MS)
(M.O.T.) (New Orleans, LA )
There are three options available for students wishing to work in the Occupational Therapy field. Advanced degrees in occupational therapy (MOT and OTD) offer students the most flexibility in terms of practice, opportunities, and salary. Students who obtain either an MOT or an OTD from accredited programs are eligible to sit for the licensure exam to become a licensed Occupational Therapist.
The final option is to pursue an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program. These are frequently offered at community colleges and provide students with the opportunity to receive an associate degree and sit for the OTA licensure exam. OTAs are more limited in practice than fully licensed Occupational Therapists. If you do not want an advanced degree, please consult the resource.
- PSY 110 - Introduction to Psychology
- PSY 360** or MAT 115 - Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences or Elementary Statistics
- PSY 275 - Developmental Psychology
- BSC 250/L & 251/L - Anatomy and Physiology I and II
- PHY 111/L - General Physics I or Advanced Kinesiology Course (300 or above)
- Advanced biological or physical science (300+)
- MLS 201 - Medical Terminology (recommended but not required)
Applications for most dental schools are centralized through OTCAS. Under this system, students fill out one application with all pertinent information, upload their transcripts and letters of evaluation, and designate which schools they would like their application to be sent to. Not every OT school has an application process that goes through OTCAS.
It is important to note that OT schools set their own deadlines, separate from the application system deadlines. Students should check with their desired schools for specific deadline information, as well as information about possible secondary applications.
What Should I Major In?
- The 鈥減re-occupational therapy curriculum鈥� is just a list of courses that are required for admission to OT school. It is NOT an academic major, a minor, or an emphasis area. Prerequisite courses can vary between OT schools, so it is important to check with individual schools about their requirements and deadlines.
Occupational Therapy programs do not require a particular major鈥攑ursue a major in which you feel the most comfortable with! Explore related majors:
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