Occupational TherapyFour Year Pre-requisite Plan

 

Occupational Therapy Four Year Plan

 

Requirements for Occupational Therapy programs vary from school to school and can change year to year, students must carefully examine the pre-requisite requirements of the schools they are interested in to be current and accurate when registering for courses at Gustavus. Consult the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. website www.aota.org to view a list of accredited OT Doctoral-Level Programs and OT Master’s Level Programs and the requirements and statistics for the 150+ Occupational Therapy programs.

For many Occupational Therapy programs, the majority of prerequisite courses must be completed by the time of application. For example, if an applicant applied in the summer following their junior year, the set number of pre-requisite course requirements would need to be completed by the end of the junior year. Many programs also require that no pre-requisite course have a grade lower than a C, a minimum GPA requirement and a certain amount of observation/shadowing hours.

*Course sequence will vary by major. 

Consult the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. website to view a list of accredited OT Doctoral-Level Programs and OT Master’s Level Program sand the requirements and admission statistics for the 150+ Occupational Therapy programs.

***The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) timeline and mandate information regarding the entry-level degree requirement for occupational therapy. Learn more: https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Accreditation/acote-doctoral-mandate-2027.aspx

First Year: Fall

FTS 100 (Writing Intensive course- WRITI)

PSY 100 Introductory Psychology (offered both Fall and Spring, flexible)


First Year: Spring

S/A 111 Cultural Anthropology (offered Fall and Spring) OR S/A 112 Introduction to Sociology (offered Fall) OR S/A 113 Social Problems (offered Fall and Spring) (2 courses required for U of MN, preference is S/A 111 and S/A 112)


Second Year: Fall

HES 230/231 Human Anatomy & Physiology I with lab

HES 212 Lifespan Development 

S/A 111 Cultural Anthropology (offered Fall and Spring) OR S/A 112 Introduction to Sociology (offered Fall) OR S/A 113 Social Problems (offered Fall and Spring) (2 courses required for U of MN, preference is S/A 111 and S/A 112)


Second Year: Spring

HES 240/241 Human Anatomy & Physiology II with lab

PSY 241 Abnormal Psychology


Third Year: Fall

HES 214 Medical Terminology

PHY-122 General Physics I (with Calculus) with PHY-121 General Physics I Lab (U of MN requirement)


Third Year: Spring

MCS 142 Introduction to Statistics (or *equivalent, not E/M- 125)

 *All MN OT programs accept HES 220 Research and Stats
 *All MN OT programs accept PSY 224 Statistics and Research Methods I
 

Confirm Statistics course approval if you are applying to the University of M @ cahpinfo@umn.edu.


Pre-requisite Requirements MN Occupational Therapy Programs:

***The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) has mandated that the entry-level degree requirement for the occupational therapist will move to the doctoral level by July 1, 2027.

Only entry-level doctoral occupational therapy degree programs will be eligible to receive or maintain ACOTE accreditation status as of July 1, 2027. Learn more: https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Accreditation/acote-doctoral-mandate-2027.aspx

It will be important to double check standards/requirments for each school as it continues to change due to Covid-19.

  • College of St. Scholastica Observation hours: competitive applicants will have explored a minimum of two clinical settings that address the needs of distinct patient/client populations. While no specific number of hours is required, applicants are expected to have researched the profession sufficiently to demonstrate that they are making a career choice based on a sound understanding of the profession of occupational therapy. Prerequisite GPA of 3.0. The prerequisite GPA is calculated separately using the highest grade received in required prerequisite courses. Introduction to Occupational Therapy course strongly recommended for St. Scholastica (NOT required), online two credit course offered at St. Scholastica approx. cost $850. The University of MN also offers a one credit online option. Additional information contact Graduate Admission Counselor, Courtney Eickman, ceickman@css.edu
  • St. Catherine University 

    A minimum of 50 cumulative hours in two or more settings prior to application.

  • University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota, Rochester Six out of the ten 'core' prerequisite courses must be completed by the time of application. Human Anatomy and Human Physiology MUST be completed or in progress by the application deadline. 

    Applicants must shadow an Occupational Therapist or complete an Introduction to Occupational Therapy course before the application deadline: contact cahpinfo@umn.edu.

Consult the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. website to view a list of accredited OT Doctoral-Level Programs and OT Master’s Level Program sand the requirements and admission statistics for the 150+ Occupational Therapy programs.


Updated 4/16/24 HSB