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 have successfully completed the following prerequisites in addition to, or in conjunction with a baccalaureate degree:
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 hours total) to include General Psychology (3 hours) and Abnormal Psychology (3 hours). The following courses are strongly recommended: developmental psychology, or other related sociology or anthropology courses.
- Natural Sciences; (16 credit-hours total) to include 4 credits of general physics I with lab, 8 credits of anatomy and physiology with lab; 4 credits of general chemistry with lab.
- Other course work: (6 hours total)
- Medical Terminology (1 hour)
- Orientation to Occupational Therapy (2 hours)
- Survey of Research or Statistics course (3 hours)
Applicants must have a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.00. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is a prerequisite requirement for the MOT program. An essay and three letters of recommendation are required in the application process.
Application to the MOT program is through an occupational therapy centralized application service: OTCAS (www.otcas.org) Admission is by application and is competitive. Review the program website (www.govst.edu/mot) for current information regarding application procedures and timelines.
Recommended Preparation
Students planning to pursue application to the M.O.T. program should complete a baccalaureate degree in any field of study and complete the above-stated prerequisite courses.
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 75 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-8910 and OCCT-8920 ) 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.
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