Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

The following six courses are required prior to enrolling in the MSOT program. Applicants may still be completing coursework at the time of application to the program but should present a feasible plan for completing the prerequisites (e.g., current enrollment or proven access to the course) prior to enrollment. 

Prerequisite courses may be taken at community colleges or accredited online institutions as long as they are equivalent to bachelor's level courses*. Additionally, Advanced Placement (AP) courses taken in high school also qualify for prerequisite credit if the course appears on the undergraduate transcript and was completed no more than five years prior to this application. Program faculty reserves the right to request course syllabi to confirm course content. 

Applicants must have coursework in these specific areas at some point in their educational background. If the prerequisite course was taken more than 5 years prior to applying to the program, applicants may either retake the course for a refresher OR submit a waiver request to the program explaining how they’ve maintained current knowledge and skills in the content area.** 

*Transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for application. Official transcripts will be requested at time of enrollment. Please submit all relevant transcripts, but note that courses taken after graduation from your undergraduate institution do not change your cumulative undergraduate GPA. Courses taken after graduation are still relevant if they satisfy prerequisite credits. 

**Transfer of Credits from Another Occupational Therapy Graduate Program

The App State program is designed as a whole curriculum (learning activities build upon prior experiences throughout the program) and is intended to be completed in full with a cohort of other students. If an applicant has completed partial coursework in another MSOT or OTD program, those credits may satisfy prerequisite requirements for the App State MSOT program, but will likely not change the applicant’s status as a first-semester student upon enrollment. Program faculty reserves the right to review transfer of graduate OT credits on a case-by-case basis according to the Graduate School's policy regarding transferring coursework.

Prerequisites 

Two semesters of coursework in Anatomy & Physiology (with labs)

• The combination of courses may be: 1) two separate human anatomy and human physiology courses or 2) a two-course sequence of combined A&P content. Two courses in human physiology do not meet the requirement.

• Focus must be on human anatomy and physiology, not on general vertebrate anatomy and physiology

Human Development

• The preferred prerequisite is lifespan human development; if this is not available, child development is acceptable, although additional coursework in adult or older adult development is also welcome

Statistics

• The course must contain both descriptive and inferential statistics. A course in research design or statistical methods applied to a specific discipline is acceptable if the coursework includes specific statistical concepts.

Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology

• Note: This course may have different names at different institutions but should generally cover descriptions and characteristics of mental and developmental disorders and their presentation across all age groups.

A course focused on social sciences or public health

• A wide array of courses may fit this prerequisite; the key characteristic is that the course focuses on social or cultural institutions, systems, or practices that transcend the level of the individual by addressing issues or phenomena associated with groups, populations, organizations, cultures, etc. Examples: cultural anthropology, public health, medical sociology, the US educational system,etc