Admission Requirements: Occupational Therapy, M.S.
Thanks for your interest in the Occupational Therapy, M.S. program.
Please note that applications for the 2022–2023 cycle will be accepted up until March 31, 2022.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university.
- Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
- Academic record that includes a balance of coursework in the humanities, social sciences, math, and life sciences, as well as competence in written and spoken English. Basic computer skills (preparation of documents, spreadsheets, graphs, databases, research and presentations) are required.
- Satisfactorily complete the following prerequisite courses at an accredited college with a grade of B- or higher in all math or science courses, and a minimum grade of a C+ in all other prerequisite courses. All science courses must be for science majors. Course descriptions are required for each of the prerequisites.
- One course in General Biology with Lab (four credits)
- One course in General Chemistry with Lab (four credits)
- One course in Human Physiology with Lab or Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab (four credits)
- One course in Human Anatomy with Lab or Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab (four credits)
- One course in General/Introductory Psychology (three credits)
- One course in Developmental or Child Psychology (three credits)
- One course in Abnormal Psychology (three credits)
- One course in Statistics (three credits)
- One course in either Anthropology or Sociology (three credits)
- One recommended course in Scientific Writing (three credits)
- If you have a bachelor’s degree and have not completed all prerequisite courses for admission, you may be provisionally accepted to the M.S. program. After completion of these prerequisite courses and satisfaction of all other academic and professional standards, you may be admitted into the professional phase of the M.S. program.
- Meet the Technical Standards for the occupational therapy program.
NOTE: The New York Tech OT program does not award or grant Advanced Standing under any circumstances. All courses in the curriculum must be completed within the program.
Application Materials
- Proof of 100 hours of volunteer work under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist. is typically required.
- Important: In response to the COVID-19 crisis, please note the following New York Tech Occupational Therapy Program has revised admissions requirements for 2021–2022 only: For incoming graduate students, students will be required to submit a OTCAS application in the 2021–2022 application cycle with a minimum of 50 volunteer/observation hours, in lieu of the requirement of 100 hours of volunteer experience under the direct supervision of a licensed occupational therapist.
- An essay/personal statement detailing the desire to pursue occupational therapy as a career.
- Three professional letters of recommendation on letterhead. One recommendation must be from a licensed occupational therapist. Recommendations must be dated within the past six months. Signed recommendation letters should be submitted through OTCAS.
- Course Descriptions for all prerequisite courses only that are required by New York Institute of Technology. They can be copy/pasted onto a Word document and uploaded to the OTCAS with your name and CAS ID #.
- A personal interview (for those applicants who qualify).
- Copies of undergraduate transcripts for all post-secondary schools attended. Only two prerequisites can be pending (e.g., in progress) at the time of application. Acceptance (if granted) will be conditional to receiving the required grade in the admission criteria. All final official transcripts must be received prior to the start of your first semester.
- Copy of college diploma or proof of degree.
Note: Applicants to the School of Health Professions should be aware that certain legal issues and/or convictions may preclude a student from being accepted by clerkships, internships, and/or fieldwork, and impact the student’s ability to complete the required program courses and qualify for graduation, certification, and/or licensure.
Additional International Student Requirements
Deadlines
Regular Admission: March 31
Priority Deadline: October 1
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants who submit completed applications early will gain admission review. All applications must be submitted by January 31, 2021. Submitted applications must be VERIFIED by OTCAS on or before March 31, 2022 in order to be considered.
Verified applications indicate your application has been submitted with all required documents (such as transcripts or letters of recommendation) and that all documents have been reviewed and approved by OTCAS. Please note that verification can take a few weeks. We recommend submitting your application at least 3 weeks before the final deadline to allow time for this.
Apply
Submit your application through the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). A completed application must be received by the program from OTCAS between August 1 and October 31. The deadline for 2022 applications has been extended to March 31. Specific instructions related to the application process can be found on the OTCAS website. Please bear in mind that it can take 2–3 weeks for an application to be verified.
Contact
Occupational Therapy Department
New York Institute of Technology
Riland Center, Room 333
Northern Boulevard, PO Box 8000
Old Westbury, NY 11568
otprogram@nyit.edu