The College of Health and Human Services graduate professional degree in Occupational Therapy (Master of Occupational Therapy-M.O.T.) prepares students to assume general practice positions in occupational therapy in a variety of health, education, and social service delivery systems. This is an entry-level graduate degree. This curriculum is designed for the student who has a bachelor’s degree (any major), required prerequisite course work, and a strong commitment to pursuing a rigorous program of study in Occupational Therapy.
Accreditation
The Occupational Therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Blvd., Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is 301.652.AOTA. Web address is www.acoteonline.org.
Graduates of the program are able to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). All states, including Illinois, require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Caution: a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination and/or attain state licensure.
Special Admissions Requirements
In addition to meeting university admission criteria, applicants must:
- Students must have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.75 excluding your freshman and sophomore year.
- A personal statement paper - no longer than 2 pages and should articulate why you are choosing occupational therapy as a career.
- completed prerequisite coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.0. A grade of “C” or better is highly recommended in the following prerequisite coursework:
- Human Anatomy and Human Physiology with Lab (8 credit hours)
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 credit hours) to include:
- Abnormal Psychology (3 credit hours)
- Developmental Psychology or other related lifespan course (3 credit hours)
- Other: General Psychology, Sociology, or Anthropology course (3 credit hours)
- Orientation of Occupational Therapy (2 credit hours)
- Medical Terminology (1 credit hour)
- GRE Score of 300 (150 each for the verbal and quntitative sections); writing score of 3.5 or above preferred;
- Three letters of recommendation. One must be from a healthcare professional, one from an academic person, and one from a mentor, employer, advisor, or volunteer experience supervisor.
- Interview by invitation based on review of application.
- A $750 seat deposit upon acceptance into the MOT Program.
Admission to Candidacy
Following acceptance and progression in the MOT program, a student must apply for candidacy. Application must be made when a student has completed at least 61 credit-hours and maintained a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher for all courses in the MOT program.
Master’s Final Project
The Occupational Therapy Level II Fieldwork A and B (OCCT - 8950 Fieldwork Level II A (8) and OCCT - 8960 Fieldwork Level IIB (8) ) are graduate practica that provide students with the opportunity to evaluate the relevance of theoretical and academic perspectives in the profession and meet entry-level competence and, therefore, meet the requirement of the master’s final project.
