Occupational Therapy, O.T.D.

Return to: 5150 Department of Occupational Therapy  

Prerequisites

Applicants must meet the following minimum admissions criteria:

Program Degree Requirements

The professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OT/D) program accepts students once a year for the fall semester of each academic year. Admission to the OT/D program is competitive; not all that apply will be admitted. Applicants whose credentials are the most complete and who present the highest qualifications are accepted for admission. 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 OT/D Program Admissions Committee. A select number of applicants will be invited for a 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.

1. A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA average based on a 4.0 scale for the undergraduate degree.
2. Have a minimum cumulative GPA average of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale for prerequisite courses. All prerequisites must be within the last 5 years.
3. GRE within the last 5 years including the quantitative, verbal and analytical writing components. 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 preferred. Georgia State University’s code for the GRE is 5251.
4. Three letters of recommendation are required. At least one from an OT, one from an academic instructor, and one from a work supervisor, academic advisor, or other health care professional (not family). Please submit contact information for each recommendation in OTCAS.
5. Documentation of a minimum of 50 hours of work or volunteer experience in occupational therapy in at least 2 different delivery systems demonstrating exposure to and understanding of the occupational therapist’s role.
6. Personal Statement, no more than 2 pages, succinctly discussing how your academic background and life experiences will contribute to your success in the OT program while enhancing our program and the profession of occupational therapy. This is to be submitted only in OTCAS.
7. A current resume of professional and volunteer experiences.
8. International students whose native language in 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:
   1. TOEFL with a score of 90 with no less than 20 on each subtest OR
   2. IELTS with a score of 6.5 with no less than 6 on each band score
9. Interview on request from department.

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

Prerequisite Courses taken from a regionally accredited college or university required to be completed at the time of application:

• Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 with lab (3 credits)*
• Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 with lab (3 credits)*
• Human Growth and Development or Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
• Abnormal Psychology ( 3 credits)
• Statistics (3 credits)
• Sociology or Anthropology (3 credits)
• Medical Terminology (2-3 credits)

The following courses are not required to be completed at the time of application but must be completed before the start of program

• Gross Human Anatomy with lab** [ 5000 level or higher][4 credits or higher]
• Medical Conditions** [5000 level or higher] [3 credits or higher]**

Gross Human Anatomy with lab and Medical Conditions will only be offered to accepted students by the Occupational Therapy Department of Georgia State in the summer semester prior to the start of the OT program.

The following materials are required for admission:

1. An OTCAS Application and all associated OTCAS supplemental materials, including transcripts, and fees.
2. Georgia State University Application for Graduate Study.
3. A $50 application fee.
4. Official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
5. Official scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), for applicants whose native language is not English. See section on “International Admissions” in this chapter for more information.

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 occupationaltherapy.gsu.edu/about/ and under admission tab.

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.

Academic Standing and Retention

Each student admitted to OT/M program must maintain Good Academic Standing. Good academic standing is defined as having a Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
Calculation of Cumulative GPA will be as follows:
Only courses taken at Georgia State University in the OT/M curriculum are used to compute a student’s Cumulative GPA.
Courses graded with Pass/Fail will not be used in computing GPA.