Occupational Therapy

Department Chairperson: Lindsay M. Jones

Phone: (773) 995-2366

Location: DH 3008

Department Overview

The Department is comprised of two undergraduate programs: Pre-Occupational Therapy and Pre-Physical Therapy.

Occupational therapy is the art and science of directing an individual’s participation in everyday activities to restore, reinforce, and enhance occupational participation; facilitate learning of skills and functions essential for adaptation and performance ; diminish or correct pathology; and promote and maintain health and well-being. Its fundamental concern is the capacity, throughout the life span, to perform with satisfaction to self and others those tasks and roles essential to holistic living and to the mastery of self and the environment.

Physical therapy is profession which develops and utilizes selected knowledge and skills in planning, organizing, and directing programs for the care of individuals whose ability to function is impaired or threatened by disease or injury. Physical Therapy deals primarily with those individuals whose potential or actual impairment is related to the neuro-musculoskeletal, pulmonary, and cardiovascular systems. It focuses on methods of evaluating the functions of those systems and on the selection of appropriate therapeutic procedures to maintain, improve, or restore these functions. Physical Therapy serves a wide population in a variety of settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, public health agencies, school districts, private practice, and the armed forces.

Vision Statement

To build and sustain intentional collaborative partnerships that co-create a culturally evolving community of occupational therapy practitioners who are change agents within communities affected by social determinants of health. We strive to continually collaborate locally and internationally to transform our communities and our profession. We will work within a thriving College and University to support restorative justice as we work to eliminate health disparities and promote occupational justice.

Accreditation

The aster’s in Occupational Therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy

Association (AOTA), located at ACOTE c/o Accreditation Department American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814-6519 (301) 652-6611) and the Website URL is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for occupational therapists administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual becomes an Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR) and will be eligible to apply for licensure to practice in Illinois and other states that require licensure. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT examination or attain a state license. A process for early determination of eligibility is available from NBCOT (One Bank Street Suite 300 Gaithersburg, MD 20878, Telephone 301/990-7979). The website is www.nbcot.org

Pre-OT and Pre-PT Admission Requirements

Meet the general admission requirements of the university.
Declare Health Sciences: Pre-Occupational Therapy or Pre-Physical therapy as a major.

Admission to the Professional Phase of the Occupational Therapy Program

Admission to the MOT degree program is based on the completion of a set of requirements that are reviewed and evaluated by the university and the department admission committee. The application process includes the following:

A completed Occupational Therapy Department application submitted through the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS):
1. For combined BHS/MOT program - Declare Health Sciences: Pre-Occupational Therapy as a major.
2. For MOT and combined BHS/MOT students - Submit Application for admission through - OTCAS
3. All students are strongly encouraged to review admission eligibility with an advisor before applying.
If-necessary - Successful completion of required university placement examinations and courses in English, mathematics, and reading.
Students applying to the Graduate School must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a grade point average of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale) in the final 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate and/or graduate courses.
A limited number of applicants with a GPA of 2.90-2.99 may be granted conditional admission. Conditional admission status is removed when the student achieves a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
Completion of prerequisite courses (anthropology or sociology, statistics, developmental psychology, abnormal psychology, medical terminology, human anatomy, human physiology, and introduction to occupational therapy) with a grade of C or better before beginning professional course work. The anatomy and physiology courses must be taken within 10 years of admission to the program. A minimum of 3.0 in the above prerequisite courses is required for consideration of the application.
Prerequisite courses required for admission may be repeated only once to improve a grade.
Proof of a minimum of 40 hours of human service experience that demonstrates human service skills. Experience should be documented in OTCAS under Observation Hours. . This experience is not limited to the field of occupational therapy. This experience can include but is not limited to work, personal, and/or community service experience.
A typed essay addressing why you selected occupational therapy as a career and how this degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals. This essay should be submitted through OTCAS.
Three professional and/or academic recommendations through the OTCAS portal. A typed essay addressing why you selected occupational therapy as a career and how this degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals.
Interview with the members of the Occupational Therapy admission committee. Applicants who are not accepted into the program can meet with an advisor to discuss options to strengthen their academic profile and prepare for re-application.

Application Deadline: February 1 (Deadline may be extended to May 1 if slots are available)

Students may enroll into the entry-level MOT program full time or on an extended track in the fall semester. Pre-OT students may enroll full-time into the combined BHS/MOT program in the summer semester. Class size is limited, and admission is competitive. Depending on the number of qualified applicants, a waiting list may be created. Applicants placed on the waiting list will be notified of their status and of their rank on this list. If slots become available, applicants on the waiting list will be offered admission in rank order. Applications are accepted and reviewed throughout the year, and students can obtain early acceptance.

Advanced Standing

Students with a BHS Pre-Occupational Therapy degree from CSU are eligible for advanced standing in the MOT program. Advanced-standing students may be given up to 32 hours of credit for foundational occupational therapy courses. In all professional courses, students must earn a grade of C or better. Students can only have two grades of C within the professional graduate program and courses may be repeated once to remove a grade of “C”. Students must meet the GPA requirement of 3.0 or better for the last 60 hours of credit for admission into the graduate program in order to receive advanced standing.

Students with advanced standing will need to complete 35 credit hours of graduate occupational therapy courses in order to complete the MOT program. Details on the MOT program are found in the graduate catalog and occupational therapy student handbook.

Transfer Credit

No transfer credit will be given for professional coursework in the MOT curriculum.

Programs

Bachelor of Science