Apply to the School of Occupational Therapy

Master of Science in Occupational Therapy

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree is for college graduates who wish to become occupational therapists but do not have work experience in the field of occupational therapy. The program is two and a half academic years in length, with three phases: pre-professional, professional, and fieldwork experience.

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Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Like the MSOT, the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) is intended for college graduates who wish to become occupational therapists but do not have work experience in the field of occupational therapy. The program runs a full three academic years and features four phases: pre-professional, professional, fieldwork experience, and capstone experience. The Capstone is a 14-week experience where students apply the knowledge and skills gained in prior phases. Following the Capstone, students are then eligible to take the written national certification examination.

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School of Occupational Therapy Application Instructions

How to Apply

What We Look For

Application Checklist

Apply online via Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Services (OTCAS).
Submit official transcripts from every college attended via OTCAS.
Supplemental Essay submitted via OTCAS
1 Letter of Recommendation from a licensed Occupational Therapist (OTR/L) submitted via OTCAS
- We recognize that due to COVID-19 restrictions it may be difficult for many applicants to complete an observation in an OT setting or obtain a recommendation from an occupational therapist. If you have been unable to obtain a recommendation from an occupational therapist, you may substitute references from an employer or a professor from whom you have taken a college course. Your recommender must be able to speak to the following:
  - Your ability to be successful in a graduate program.
  - Your ability to work as a healthcare provider.
  - Your work ethic.
- Occupational Therapy Observation
  - You must demonstrate experience with the practice of occupational therapy in your supplemental essay.
  - Documentation of observation hours is not required.
  - If due to COVID-19 restrictions you are unable to complete an OT observation in a clinical setting, select at least two of the alternative activities below to enhance your knowledge of OT and clearly describe in your essay how they have deepened your understanding of the profession (you will need to have completed this prior to writing your supplemental essay).
    - Interview an Occupational Therapist (cannot be an OT faculty member).
    - Explore resources about OT.
    - Interview a client or family member/caregiver of a client who has had occupational therapy services.
- Standardized Testing
  - In light of the challenges many have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, we offer students the opportunity to eithe rsubmit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test, or submit a response to the GRE Alternate Essay prompt in lieu of test scores.
    - Students taking the GRE must submit official scores to OTCAS via using the GRE code #4461
    - Scores cannot be more than 5 years old; the oldest GRE test date that will be accept for this cycle is August 1, 2017.
    - If you plan to submit the Alternate Essay, you can review the prompt on the Documents tab of the application, and upload your response in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format.
- Supplemental Application Fee
  - We require you to submit a $50 supplemental application fee, which is in addition to any fees charged by OTCAS. This can be submitted electronically through the Puget Sound admission portal, which you will gain access to after you submit your application, or by check or cash via US mail.
- Prerequisite course descriptions from all non-Washington institutions submitted via OTCAS.
- Application Checklist Summary

Required Undergraduate Preparation

General prerequisites:

Completed baccalaureate degree prior to starting occupational therapy classes (exception- if you are enrolling as a University of Puget Sound 3-2 or 3-3 student). Any undergraduate major may lead to the successful study of occupational therapy; you may major in any field that maximizes your talents and interests as there is no preferred major. In fact, the department seeks a diversity of educational backgrounds among its students. A liberal arts education is a vital component in the preparation of today's health care practitioner.
Overall GPA of all baccalaureate work of 3.0 or better. If applicant has multiple degrees the GPA of the more recent degree completed is used as qualifier. Completed graduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or better will qualify an applicant with a low undergraduate GPA. The admissions committee will also consider the GPA from your last two years of undergraduate study, if that is higher than your overall undergraduate GPA.
Exposure to the practice of occupational therapy (either volunteer or paid) under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist is optimal. The faculty of the School of Occupational Therapy recognize that during the pandemic it has been much more difficult to arrange such observations or work in an OT setting. For this year's applicants, knowledge of the field obtained from reading written resources or watching videos of occupational therapists in action, or observations of occupational therapists during Telehealth sessions is acceptable. There is no minimum number of hours of observation. The applicant must demonstrate knowledge about the profession in the supplemental essay.
All prerequisite courses must be taken for a grade, and you must earn at least a grade of 2.0 in each course. However, in order to be competitive a grade of 3.0 or above is highly recommended. For applicants for the class entering the program in 2023 we have continued the pandemic waiver of this requirement. You may submit prerequisite course grades of “Credit” or “Pass.” If more than two of your prerequisite grades are this type, we may ask you for more information about those courses.

Specific prerequisite courses:

One course in introductory Statistics (Puget Sound MATH 160)
One course in Medical Terminology (GLAM 120)
Two sequential Human Anatomy and Physiology courses (EXSC 221 & 222), preferably with labs
A total of three (3) courses in Human Behavioral Science/Human Development, distributed as follows:
- Human Development through the life span (PSYC 220 & 221): Developmental Psychology: Prenatal through Childhood or equivalent and Developmental Psychology: Adolescence through End of Life or equivalent.
  Note: It is sometimes possible to meet the Human Development prerequisite within a single course in which case an applicant must have completed 2 courses in category (b) listed below.
- Human Behavioral Science courses (one or more courses as needed to complete the three-course Human Behavioral Science/Human Development requirement): Psychology, Anthropology or Sociology at the 200 level or above addressing at least one of the following content areas:
  - Normal and abnormal behavior of individuals and/or groups;
  - The analysis of behavior of individuals and/or groups and their interactions; or
  - Culture and mental health.

Questions about distribution of the three Human Behavioral Science/Human Development courses, if taken at another school, should be directed to the Office of the Registrar, accompanied by a course description including the name of the school and an unofficial transcript if the coursework has been completed.

Specific prerequisite courses must be completed before enrollment in the Occupational Therapy Program.

Prerequisite courses must have been completed within the last 10 years. Applicants may petition for an exemption to the 10 year recency requirement if they have kept their knowledge current, for example through work experience.

It is possible for a University of Puget Sound student to interlock the final year of an undergraduate program with the first year of the MSOT or OTD program. Students at Puget Sound who are planning a 3-2 program or 3-3 program should work closely with an undergraduate adviser in their major as well as a graduate adviser in the Occupational Therapy Program. During their first year of study in the Occupational Therapy Program, such students retain their status as undergraduates for financial aid, housing, and other purposes. At the time of bestowal of the bachelor’s degree they acquire graduate standing in the Occupational Therapy Program. The Puget Sound Occupational Therapy 3-2 or 3-3 Program is only for those who have been full-time, Puget Sound undergraduate students since at least the beginning of their sophomore year. (In practice, a student needs 3 years attendance at the University of Puget Sound, (freshman, sophomore, junior years) in order to fulfill the requirements for the 3-2 or 3-3 Program.

Please note that in most years more applications are received for the incoming class than there are spaces available, and that admission to the University of Puget Sound does not guarantee admission to the Occupational Therapy Program. Applicants who have been or will be granted an undergraduate degree from Puget Sound, however, and who are competitive within the applicant pool, are offered admission prior to transfer students.

Dates & Deadlines

Tuition & Fees

All graduate students are charged tuition at a per unit rate. Because the number of units required for each program may vary, the graduate program you are enrolled in will determine your tuition for the academic year.

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Accreditation

The MSOT Occupational Therapy Program is accredited through the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). The MSOT program was initially awarded a Certificate of Accreditation in 2012. In compliance with the 2018 Accreditation Standards for Master’s-Degree-Level Educational Program for Occupational Therapy, the program’s next on-site evaluation is to be scheduled within the academic year 2031/2032.

Puget Sound's entry-level OTD was awarded a Certificate of Accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) in December 2022. The OTD program's next onsite evaluation is to be scheduled for the academic year 2029/2030. Puget Sound OTD graduates are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination for the Occupational Therapist.

For information regarding accreditation, contact the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) at 301.652.AOTA (301.652.2682), www.acoteonline.org, or ACOTE, c/o Accreditation Department, 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. All basic professional programs must comply with the Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapist, 2018.

Apply to the School of Occupational Therapy

In this section

Contact Information

School of Occupational Therapy

Request Information

How to Apply

What We Look For

Application Checklist

Required Undergraduate Preparation

Dates & Deadlines

Tuition & Fees

Apply to the School of Occupational Therapy

In this section

Contact Information

School of Occupational Therapy

Request Information

How to Apply

What We Look For

Application Checklist

Required Undergraduate Preparation

Dates & Deadlines

Tuition & Fees

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