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University Health Professions Office

Occupational Therapy

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Overview

An undergraduate education provides students with the opportunity to grow personally and intellectually; allowing them the time and resources to discover a breadth of new ideas and topics as well as to build and to explore in depth their own interests and passions.  Therefore, students should seek a broad education during their undergraduate years. There is no required major for entrance to occupational therapy (OT) programs.  The following courses represent what may be taken at UTSA to fulfill the core and program prerequisites for entry to the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA).  Please note that all requirements are subject to approval by UTHSCSA and are subject to change.  Further, because there is some variation in requirements for other occupational therapy programs, students are advised to consult individual programs for their specific and most current information.

Prerequisites

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UTSA Prerequisites for Other Required Courses

Psychology

PSY 1013

 

 

Program Prerequisites-Must receive C or better

Anatomy
(3 hrs lecture; 1 hr lab)

NOTES:  Most institutions offer combined Anatomy and Physiology courses while UTSA offers them as separate courses. Therefore, the courses should be completed at the same institution.

 

BIO 2083

 

BIO 1404 or BIO 1233 (BIO 1233 not recommended for pre-OT students)

BIO 2091 Lab

 

BIO 1404 or BIO 1233 (BIO 1233not recommended for pre-OT students))

Physiology
(3 hrs lecture; 1 hr lab)

NOTES:  Please see above.

BIO 2103 was formerly AHS 2103;
BIO 2111 was formerly AHS 2111; BIO 3153 was formerly AHS 3463.

¹BIO 3413, ²BIO 2103 or ³3153

 

¹BIO 2313, CS 1173, MAT 1193, and STA 1403; ²BIO 1404 or 1233; ((BIO 1233not recommended for pre-OT students)³BIO 1404 and 1122

¹BIO 3422 Lab or ²BIO 2111 Lab

 

¹Completion of or concurrent enrollment in BIO 3413; ²BIO 1404 or BIO 1233 (BIO 1233not recommended for pre-OT students)) with concurrent enrollment in BIO 2103 recommended

Physics or Kinesiology
(3 hrs lecture)

¹PHY 1603, ²KIN 3323, ³KIN 4243, or 4KIN 4403

 

¹MAT 1023 (not recommended for pre-OT students) or MAT 1073; ²KIN 3313, BIO 2083, or BIO 3123; ³KIN 3303 and KIN 3313; 4KIN 3313

Statistics
(3 hrs lecture)

¹STA 1053, STA 1043, or ²PSY 2073

 

¹Satisfactory score on placement exam (for STA 1053 and STA 1043); ²MAT 1023, MAT 1033, or MAT 1073 and one PSY course
 

Psychology
(6 hrs lecture)

PSY 2503

 

PSY 1013

PSY 2513

 

PSY 1013

Sociology or Anthropology
(3 hrs lecture)

SOC 1013 (preferred) or
any SOC or ANT course

 

Varies by course

Technical Writing
(3 hrs lecture)

ENG 2413

 

WRC 1013 and WRC 1023

Medical Terminology
(1 hr lecture)

Not offered at UTSA
Can be taken at community college, online, or in continuing education department with certificate of completion.

 

 


Application Process

Application Process:  The application period for the MOT program at UTHSCSA is from August 15 through November 1 for the following summer.  A bachelor’s degree must be completed by the end of the fall semester prior to the following summer of admissions. Students must have a GPA of at least 3.0 to be eligible to apply. Further information on the application process is available at: http://studentservices.uthscsa.edu/prospects_ah_programs_ot.aspx and http://shpwelcome.uthscsa.edu.  We recommend that students also learn about the application processes for other OT programs by consulting them individually for specific information.  Programs across the nation can be located on the website for the American Occupational Therapy Association (http://www.aota.org/).   

Student Organization

Student organizations can provide important opportunities for networking, education and service. For additional information please contact the Pre-Occupational Therapy Society.

Community Service/Volunteering/Shadowing

An integral part of preparation for programs in occupational therapy entails involvement in community service projects and volunteer work in a hospital or clinical setting.  These activities serve to familiarize prospective occupational therapists with the realities of everyday clinical practice as well as to underscore the role of occupational therapists and healthcare in relation to broader community level concerns and issues.  A list of volunteer opportunities is available on the UHPO website (www.utsa.edu/healthprofessions).  We do not, however, have a list available for shadowing experiences.  Students must exercise personal initiative and develop relationships that would allow them to have this direct contact with an occupational therapist in everyday clinical practice.   

For the MOT Program at UTHSCSA, the documentation of at least 40 hours of volunteer and/or observation of a registered occupational therapist is required.  A documentation form must be completed and can be downloaded at http://studentservices.uthscsa.edu/prospects_ah_programs_ot.aspx.  If applying to other programs, students should learn about whether or not specific forms are needed for documentation as well.