Occupational Therapy, O.T.D.

Return to: 5150 Department of Occupational Therapy  

Admission Requirements

The professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program accepts students once a year for the summer semester of each academic year. Admission to the OTD program is competitive; not all who apply will be admitted. Completion of the stated selection criteria does not assure  admission to the program. Students who are not accepted into the program may apply for the next application deadline. Complete applications will be reviewed by the OTD Program Admissions Committee. A select number of applicants will be invited for on campus personal interview.

Applicants must understand the following is a list of minimum requirements for application to the program and that acceptance to the program is competitive and is not guaranteed.

Applicants must apply on two places namely, a) OTCAS and, b) GSU graduate admission portal

Applicants should:

1. Complete a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA based on a

4.0 scale for the undergraduate degree. Applicants may apply while completing their degree, but the degree should be completed before the anticipated start of the OTD program.

1. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale for prerequisite courses. All prerequisites must be completed within the  last 5 years- no exceptions.
2. Submit official transcripts to OTCAS. If you are enrolled in another graduate program at Georgia State University, you may complete a Request for Transfer of Records in your current college’s graduate admissions office.
3. Have completed the GRE within 5 years of the desired semester of entry, including the quantitative, verbal and analytical writing components. We recommend that you take the GRE no later than two months prior to the application deadline. The score should be sent directly to Georgia State University from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The correct institution code for Georgia State University is 5251. A department code is not used. GRE scores must also be self-reported into OTCAS. Visit the GRE website at http://www.gre.org/ for information and registration. A minimum score of 150 on the Verbal and 140 on the Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is recommended. A minimum score of 3.5 in the Analytical Writing section is also recommended. While minimum GRE scores are recommended, they are not required.
4. Submit contact information for three references through OTCAS. The references will then be contacted by OTCAS to submit their letter of recommendation. At least one letter should come from an OT, one from an academic instructor, and one from a work  supervisor, academic advisor, or other health care professional (not family or friends).
5. Submit documentation of a minimum of 50 hours of work, volunteer, or shadowing experience in at least two different delivery systems demonstrating exposure to and understanding of the occupational therapist’s role. Applicants should plan to track their own hours, and there is no specific format required to document the hours. The documentation of hours should be signed by the supervising occupational therapist(s).
6. Complete a Personal Statement, no more than 2 pages double spaced. The Personal Statement should succinctly discuss how your academic background and life experiences will contribute to your success in the OTD Program while enhancing our program and the profession of occupational therapy. This letter should only be submitted in OTCAS.
7. Submit a current resume of professional, academic, leadership, and volunteer experiences in OTCAS. As applicable, your resume should highlight any multicultural experience or experience working with diverse groups of individuals (i.e. - study abroad experience, diverse volunteer experience, fluency in multiple languages, etc.).
8.  International students whose native language is not English must also submit an official report of their score on the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) taken within the last 2 years:

- TOEFL with a score of 90 with no less than 20 on each subtest OR

- IELTS with a score of 6.5 with no less than 6 on each band score.

**For additional information on international admissions at GSU, please visit https://isss.gsu.edu/future-students/admissions/

10. Participate in an interview on request from GSU.

 

Required Prerequisites

 

**Please note that the OTD Program does not accept AP (Advanced Placement) or CLEP (College Level Exam Progress) credits as prerequisite courses.

1. Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 with lab (3 credits)
2. Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 with lab (3 credits)
3. Human Growth and Development or Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
4. Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)
5. Statistics (3 credits)
6. Sociology or Anthropology (3 credits)
7. Medical Terminology (2-3 credits)

All prerequisite courses should be taken from a regionally accredited college or university. The GSU OTD Program requires that 5 out of the 7 prerequisite courses be completed at the time of application submission and all of the courses should be completed by the time of the anticipated start to the program in the following summer semester. Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 with lab (3 credits) and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 with lab (3 credits) need to be completed at the time of the application submission.

 

The following steps should be taken to submit an admission application:

 

1. Take the GRE and have your official scores sent to GSU using code 5251. If your first language is not English, you must also take the TOEFL.
2. Create an account with OTCAS.
3. Complete the OTCAS application in its’ entirety and submit fees to OTCAS.
4. Have all official transcripts sent to OTCAS.
5. Please make use of the Check Status option at the top of the dashboard. Confirm here that allofficial transcripts and three references have been received by OTCAS. If this is not done, your application will not move forward. It is your responsibility to monitor the progress of your application components.
6. Your OTCAS application must be complete by the deadline. For this to happen, OTCAS must have a complete OTCAS application, all official transcripts, and application fee(s). From here, OTCAS begins to verify your coursework (the coursework you self-reported against what your official transcripts list). So, please make sure everything matches. ***More information can be found here: https://help.liaisonedu.com/OTCAS_Applicant_Help_Center/Submitting_and_Monitoring_Your_OTCAS_Application/Before_and_After_You_Submit_Your_OTCAS_Application/02_Check_Your_OTCAS_Notifications_and_Status.
7. Complete and submit the GSU Graduate application and $50 fee.

 

Selected applicants are invited to campus for an interview with the faculty, alumni, and students of the Department of Occupational Therapy. The application deadline is generally nine to twelve months prior to the anticipated semester of entry. Application information is available on the College’s website at https://lewis.gsu.edu/ot/ot-academics-and-admissions/.

 

Nondiscriminatory Policy

 

It is the policy of Georgia State University to implement affirmative action and equal opportunity for all employees, students, contractors, consultants and applicants for employment or admission without regard to race, color religion, creed, national origin, sex, age, veteran status or disability.

 

Degree Requirements

Completing all the requirements of OTD program of study, including didactic and clinical work

 

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate from the Department of Occupational Therapy OTD program, the student must:

1. Have a 3.0 Cumulative GPA.
2. Must successfully complete all didactic and fieldwork requirements in a timely manner and all Level II fieldwork and the Capstone experience requirements must be completed within a 24-month period following completion of academic requirements.
3. Have no grades lower than C (2.0).
4. Successfully complete competency exam.
5. Apply for graduation on time following university policy prior to anticipated graduation date. Students who fail to apply for graduation on time will not be allowed to graduate regardless of having completed their coursework.

 Timely application for graduation is the students’ responsibility. The students will apply for Spring graduation of the following year and report to the department the date they completed their graduation application