Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
The purpose of the degree will be to provide entry-level occupational therapy education for individuals who (after completion of the program and fieldwork) will be eligible to sit for certification as an occupational therapist by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). This program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
The Department of Occupational Therapy is transitioning to an entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree program. The OTD program will replace the MS in OT degree program. It is anticipated the first application cycle for the OTD will be Fall 2017. For updates regarding the transition, please go to: https://shrs.iupui.edu/admissions/apply/otd/.
Length of program
24 months (74 graduate credit hours) of professional course work and field work presented in a full-time day format, starting in June each year.
Prerequisites
- Human Anatomy with lab* (1 semester)
- Human Physiology with lab* (1 semester)
- Statistics (must include inferential)* (1 semester)
- Medical Terminology (minimum 1 credit hour)
- Abnormal Psychology (1 semester)
- Life Span/Human Development Psychology^ (1 semester)
- Introductory Psychology (1 semester)
- Introductory Sociology or Introductory Anthropology (1 semester)
*Courses must be completed not more than 7 years prior to application deadline.
^Course must include entire lifespan of human development from conception to death (infant to old age); multiple courses may be required.
ALL prerequisite courses must be a minimum of 3 credit hours (with the exception of Medical Terminology, which is a minimum of 1 credit hour). Course work must be complete with a grade of “C” or higher.
All science courses must be at a level for science majors and include a lab. Online courses are accepted except for science courses with labs.
Credit Retake Hours
Students are approved to retake up to 15 hours of prerequisite courses, and the higher grade will be used to calculate the prerequisite GPA. Cumulative GPA will include each course completed according to the institutional repeat policy where the course(s) were repeated.
Advanced Placement (AP) Credit/Dual Credit
High School Advance Placement (AP) credit appearing on official college transcripts is accepted if score is 3 or higher. If the AP credit is for a prerequisite course, the course is omitted from the prerequisite GPA. For dual credit courses, the course title must appear on an official college transcript with letter grade.
Admission Requirements
This program is designed for students who do not have a degree in occupational therapy, but have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, and are seeking an entry-level graduate program in occupational therapy. Application cycle is mid-July to October 1 annually.
Applicants must meet the following criteria by the application deadline:
- Complete a baccalaureate degree prior to the start of the graduate program. The program will not have a preference as to the background or type of bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution as long as the prerequisite courses are completed.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, and a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.2/4.0. (All prerequisites must be completed with a minimum grade of C). GPAs will be calculated by OTCAS. All undergraduate and graduate course work is included in cumulative grade point average calculations.
- Completed all prerequisites, or have only one (1) outstanding by the application deadline. The outstanding prerequisite cannot be Anatomy, Physiology, or Statistics. The outstanding prerequisite course must be completed before start of the program in June with a grade of ‘C’ or higher while maintaining at least the required 3.2 admission cumulative GPA. Final transcripts accounting for any outstanding prerequisite coursework must be received prior to matriculation into the program.
- Completed a minimum of 12 hours of observation and/or volunteer work in at least three (3) different types of occupational therapy settings with a licensed occupational therapist or a licensed occupational therapy assistant. Types of occupational therapy settings can include: skilled nursing facility, rehabilitation center, hospital, school, and mental health facility. An Observation form validating this observation is required. Observation forms are to be submitted by email to shrsinfo@iupui.edu. Observation hours are also entered in the OTCAS application.
- Submitted OTCAS application in “Complete” status by application deadline. This means all application materials submitted to OTCAS have been received and documented by OTCAS. Applicants must submit materials to OTCAS several weeks in advance of this date in order to be considered ‘complete’ by the application deadline. Applications which are not in ‘complete’ status or which are submitted after the application deadline will not be reviewed.
- Submitted an IUPUI Graduate/Professional Application by the application deadline.
International applicants, or applicants with foreign transcripts, must meet additional requirements as determined by the IUPUI Office of International Affairs, http://iapply.iupui.edu/. For applicants whose native language is not English, submission of a TOEFL score which meets or exceeds the minimum score required by NBCOT, is also required.
Required Application Materials
1. IUPUI Online Graduate Application for Admission and $60 non-refundable application fee. This must be completed by application deadline. For “Intended Program and Plan,” select the following:
- What type of degree do you intend to pursue? Master’s
- Academic Program: Health and Rehabilitation Graduate
- Academic Plan: Occupational Therapy M.S.
- Are you applying to a dual degree program: No
- Term: Summer
- Recommendations: skip this section
- Personal Statement: skip this section
2. OTCAS application—must be in “Complete” status by application deadline. “Complete” status means all application materials submitted to OTCAS have been received and documented by OTCAS. Applicants must submit materials to OTCAS several weeks in advance of this date in order to be considered “Complete” by the application deadline. Applications which are not in “Complete” status by application deadline or which are submitted after the application deadline will not be reviewed.
3. Required Observational Hours. Record all observation hours (a minimum of 12 hours of observation and/or volunteer work in at least three (3) different types of occupational therapy settings with a licensed occupational therapist or a licensed occupational therapy assistant) on the observation form validating this observation is required. Observation forms are to be submitted by email to shrsinfo@iupui.edu. Observation hours are to be entered in OTCAS, also.
4. Prerequisite Course Completion Form: upload and submit with the IUPUI Graduate Application.
Admission to the professional Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program is competitive and selective; therefore, completion of the prerequisites and submission of an application does not guarantee admission to the program.
All application materials must be submitted by the application deadline to be considered. Students who have submitted an application by the application deadline and who have met all admission requirements will be ranked based on overall cumulative grade point average and prerequisite grade point average. The top 72 applicants, as determined by the academic criteria, will be invited to an on-campus interview. Should any interview spot become available, applicants from the completed/qualified list will be contacted for remaining interview spots. Interviews are held the first Saturday in December, or the second Saturday if severe weather occurs on the first Saturday. The interview is required for both in- and out-of-state invited applicants.
The final admission ranking is determined based on overall cumulative grade point average, prerequisite grade point average, and interview score. Thirty-six (36) applicants are admitted each year. A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required at the time the student accepts admission into the program. The deposit will be credited to the student’s first semester tuition if the student matriculates into the program.
Tuition
For the 2016-2017 academic year, the tuition rate per credit hour is $523.11 for Indiana residents and $966.60 for nonresidents. Additional information about additional costs of attending, financial aid, and scholarships can be found at https://shrs.iupui.edu/tuition-scholarships/tuition.html.
aspx.
