Frequently Asked Questions

The entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

The first cohort began classes in January of 2020.

We will accept 30 students per cohort, admitting one cohort per year.

Applications will be open through OTCAS, the centralized OT application system, beginning each January. The program has a rolling admissions process; applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the class of 30 is filled and the alternate list is complete.

At the time of application, prospective student must have a minimum of 9 credits of prerequisite hours complete. Additionally, there should be no more than 2 outstanding prerequisites for fall semester prior to start of program.

AP and CLEP credit will not be accepted for any science prerequisite course. There is no advanced placement, transfer of credit or experiential learning credit within the UMHB MSOT Program.

You will need to submit any additional official transcripts to the UMHB Graduate Admissions office as soon as they are available to ensure all program prerequisites are adequately completed.

No, the GRE is not required.

The required GPA is 3.0 for the last 60 hours of coursework and 3.0 for prerequisite coursework.

Yes, interviews are required for those who make it to the second phase of application consideration.

The program will be 6 consecutive semesters (including summers) of coursework, followed by 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork.

The UMHB MSOT program is less concentrated than some other programs, meaning that we have chosen to require fewer courses and credit hours per semester. This will enable our students to get the most from interprofessional, community-based and service learning opportunities. It will also allow our student to have a healthy work-life balance.

No, we do not have a bridge program at this time. All applicants go through the same process and have the same prerequisite requirements.

There is no specific degree requirement, as long as all prerequisite requirements are met.