Pre-Occupational Therapy Program
Required Courses -
Course Descriptions -
Sample Program of
Study
Occupational therapists provide purposeful activities to help those who have
been disabled by physical illness or injury, birth defects, emotional disorder,
aging, drug abuse, or other problems to learn to cope with everyday living.
Therapists treat patients in hospitals, school systems, and rehabilitation centers.
Learn more about occupational therapy at the American Occupational Therapy
Association web site http://www.aota.org. Within the Health Science major, Pre-Occupational Therapy is one option of
study that students may declare. Doing so will prepare them with most of the
necessary pre-requisites for admission to schools granting the master’s in occupational
therapy degree, the minimum entry-level degree now required for licensure and practice.
Should a student take the Pre-Occupational Therapy option, he or she will still
graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science. Courses required for admission
to a graduate program in occupational therapy (OT) typically include biology,
chemistry, English composition, physics, psychology, mathematics, and statistics.
Click on the “required courses” link above for a complete list of course requirements
in the Pre-Occupational Therapy option of the Health Science major. It is extremely important to note that there are no uniform pre-requisites for
OT programs. Students are advised to check the individual requirements of the
schools to which they plan to apply to ensure that all pre-requisites can be
obtained in a timely manner. Additional requirements might include coursework in
zoology, microbiology or neurobiology, psychology, fine arts, or computer science. Most schools require a student to have volunteer or paid experience in OT
settings under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist. The number of hours
required may vary from 20 - 300. Again, it is important to check with individual
schools to determine their detailed requirements. Admission to OT programs is competitive. Applicants are screened on the basis
of grade point average, GRE scores (if required), observational and actual work
experiences in the field, letters of recommendation, and physical and mental stamina.
Many programs also require a personal interview. Each OT program requires a separate application. Be sure to check with
individual schools for application forms and directions. For a list of occupational
therapy programs and schools in the U.S. see The World Federation of Occupational
Therapists web site at http://www.wfot.org.au. Occupational Therapy programs in Wisconsin include:
Office: SCI D127 · Phone: (715) 346-3766 · Fax: (715) 346-2640 · Email: hlthsci@uwsp.edu