Program Admission

The OTD application will be available October 1- February 15 of year planning to be admitted to the fall class (students may apply during the last spring semester of their undergraduate degree). To apply, students must:

• Complete a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution by May 20 of application year.  
• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in both OTD prerequisite requirements and undergraduate coursework.
• Complete the required prerequisite courses* or equivalent courses (check with the OT program for equivalents) with a grade of C or better by May 20th of the application year: 
  • BIOL 121: Anatomy and Physiology 1
  • BIOL 122: Anatomy and Physiology 2
  • PSY 201: Introduction to Psychology
  • PSY 261: Lifespan Developmental Psychology
  • PSY 322: Abnormal Psychology
  • EXSC 383: Kinesiology or EXSC 392: Biomechanics
  • HP 302: Biostatistics or PSY 353: Research Methods and Statistics II, or STAT 241: Principles of Statistics
• Submit two letters of recommendations: one professional letter from a previous employer or from a practicing occupational therapist and one academic letter from a professor or advisor in the applicant’s undergraduate degree.

Weighting consists of 60% OTD prerequisite GPA, 40% undergraduate degree GPA, and appraisal of recommendation letters.

Applicants must show capability of fulfilling clinical practice requirements, eligibility for occupational therapy prac­titioner credentialing, and evidence of satisfactory health sta­tus. Note: A felony conviction (this includes documentation of driving under the influence—DUI) may negatively impact a prospective student’s eligibility to sit for the NBCOT certifica­tion examination or attain state practice credentials; contact the program for further information. 

*Students are responsible for the coursework covered in the required OTD prerequisite courses. It is highly recommended that students keep their textbooks from these classes for future courses and NBCOT exam preparation.

Prerequisite coursework is evaluated on an individual basis by either following USI Course Transfer Policy, via articulation agreements with nearby universities, or by reviewing the syllabi of courses that students wish to count as our prerequisites. The required prerequisite courses must have been completed within the last 7 years unless the applicant is a practicing healthcare professional. Those individuals will have courses addressed individually. 

Credit for previous OT coursework is examined on an individual basis. The student requesting transfer credit for OT coursework must provide the OT Program Director documentation indicating the student attended a program that was an ACOTE accredited program in good standing at the time of the student’s enrollment. The student must also provide information relating to the course including a course syllabus and any other material requested. The OT Program Director and faculty member responsible for teaching the content will analyze the course description, course objectives, and learning outcomes to determine which ACOTE Standards have been met.

For those students who will be applying to the USI Occupational Therapy program, a grade of “Passing” will NOT be accepted on any OT program prerequisite courses taken in Spring 2020. Since a passing grade is considered a D at the university level, switching to a Pass/No pass grade option would not allow the Program to ensure that the student had earned a grade of C or above as stated in application requirements.

Therefore, if a student chooses the Pass/No pass option for courses that are not already set to this grading system, the student will be required to retake the course(s) for a letter grade in order to meet the program prerequisite requirements for application. 

The USI OT Program requires technology both in the classroom and for online learning. System requirements are found here: https://www.usi.edu/online-learning/student-services 

There are special application procedures for those who are not citizens of the United States or who have completed previous schooling outside of the United States. International student applicants interested in the OTD program should visit Graduate Studies for information on applying to the university.

International students must attain a TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based), 79 (internet-based) or a score of 6.5 on the IELTS. Scores must be less than two years old.