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Occupational Therapy

MOT Master of Occupational Therapy & OTD Doctor of Occupational Therapy

“Occupational therapy enables people of all ages to participate in daily living. Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants focus on the things you want and need to do in your daily life. Occupational therapy intervention uses everyday life activities (occupations) to promote health, well-being, and your ability to participate in the important activities in your life. This includes any meaningful activity that a person wants to accomplish, including taking care of yourself and your family, working, volunteering, going to school, among many others. Occupational therapy can help you participate in life activities (occupations) and provide recommendations for: Activities of daily living (such as bathing, dressing, and eating), Adaptive equipment (such as shower chairs, or equipment to make daily tasks easier), Caregiver and family training, Planning and making the most of daily routines, Returning to work, school, and leisure activities, Techniques to aid in memory, concentration, and executive functioning (e.g., planning and prioritizing, functional cognition) and Falls prevention and home safety and accessibility” (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2023)

The entry-level OTD program provides an opportunity to move directly into the profession at the doctoral level. After completing your bachelor’s degree, Master of Occupational Therapy Graduate Degree programs take about two years to complete. Doctor of Occupational Therapy Programs take two-and-a-half to three years to complete. After completing a MOT or OTD program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the NBCOT national board examination to become a licensed occupational therapist.

  • Required Prerequisites
    • General prerequisites must be completed before entering the OTD program and can be completed at any accredited college or university. Anatomy, Physiology, Statistics, and Abnormal Psychology should be less than 5 years old from the application date. All other prerequisites should be less than 7 years old from the application date.
    • pdf (ufl.edu)
    • UF Department of Occupational Therapy OTD General Prerequisite Coursework
      • Biology with lab (4 credits required) (Core Biology and lab are preferred.)
      • Human Physiology with lab (4-8 credits required)**
      • Human (Systemic) Anatomy and lab (4-8 credits)**
      • Abnormal Psychology (3 credits required)
      • Introduction to Statistics (3 credits required)
      • Sociology or Anthropology (3 credits required)
      • Oral Communications (2-3 credits) (i.e. public speaking, therapeutic communication or interpersonal communication)
      • Medical Terminology (1-2 credits)

Notes:

** A 2 course Anatomy and Physiology with Lab sequence will meet the requirement for a 4 credit lecture lab physiology course. Applicants must successfully complete both courses to meet the requirement. Completion of the 2 course sequence will also count as a 4 credit Anatomy course.

Check schools of interest for any additional prerequisite courses that are required.

  • Eligibility
    • You may apply to the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program if:
      • You have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, OR
      • you will graduate with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university prior to admission to the OTD program (if accepted).
    • Strong applicants will demonstrate a mix of service, leadership, and academic experiences. Examples include: work or volunteer experiences with persons with disabilities or in healthcare settings, academic accomplishments, experiences that increase their potential to connect with and support diverse communities, leadership roles in service or work organizations, and/or participation in research activities.
  • Recommended Electives
    • Chemistry: at least 1 semester (e.g. General Chemistry I: CHM2045 + CHM2045L)
    • Physics: at least 1 semester (e.g. PHY2053 + PHY2053L)
    • Additional science electives if needed for academic enhancement purposes.
    • Check schools of interest for any additional recommended courses.
  • GPA Information
    • A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) for upper division (junior and senior level) undergraduate college coursework. (UF OTD Program requirement)
    • A minimum GPA of 3.2 (based on a 4.0 scale) for all prerequisite courses. No grade lower than a C. (UF OTD Program)
    • Applying to OT Programs: An overall and prerequisite GPA of 3.5 or above is preferred.
    • NOTE: The GRE is not required for admissions. (UF OTD Program)
    • Note: Applicants should be aware that a felony conviction might affect their ability to sit for the certification exam or attain state licensure. For more information, contact the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), and the state licensure board in the state you wish to practice.

The resources listed below are just a handful of those that are available to you. Please do some exploration on your own to see what additional options are available.

  • Professional Organizations
  • Centralized Application Service (CAS) Websites: The Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant Centralized Application Service (OTCAS & OTACAS) allows prospective students to use one application to apply to multiple participating OT and OTA programs through a single application process.
  • Recent Presentations
  • Professional School Directory
  • Standardized Test Resources & Information
    • While UF does not require the GRE for OTD Applicants, other accredited programs may require this exam.
    • ETS GRE Information Page
    • The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections are scored from 130 to 170 with a mean score of 150 each (300 total). For the Analytical. Writing section, the two essays are averaged and rounded on a 0-6 score scale. Scores are available 10-15 days after your test date in your ETS account. Four free score recipients are included with your test fee.
    • The overall testing time for the GRE General Test is about 3 hours and 45 minutes. There are six sections with a 10-minute break following the third section.
    • The sections of the GRE include:
      • Analytical Writing (One section with two separately timed tasks)
      • Verbal Reasoning (Two sections)
      • Quantitative Reasoning (Two sections)
      • Unscored section (does not count towards score)
    • Some schools may accept additional exam scores in place of the GRE.
      • It is important to do your research on your schools of interest to see what exams they may or may not accept in place of the
    • Transcript Entry
      • Transcripts for all schools attended, including high school dual enrollment, must be sent to OTCAS: OTCAS Transcript Processing Center, PO Box 9120, Watertown, MA 02471
    • Evaluations (Letters of Recommendation)
      • The department will access your recommendations through OTCAS. Applicants must submit three (3) recommendations. One (1) of the recommendations must be from a professional level OT who is currently practicing. The other two (2) should be from professionals, such as a present or former faculty member, academic advisor, or employer. Names and addresses do not need to be entered on the University Office of Admissions online application, but must be provided to the appropriate section of the OTCAS application.
      • OTCAS Evaluation (Letters of Recommendation) Instructions
    • Personal Statement
      • Applicants must submit a personal statement that addresses why they selected OT as a career and how an Occupational Therapy degree relates to their immediate and long-term professional goals. They must describe how their personal, educational, and professional background will help achieve their goals. The department will access your personal statement through OTCAS. The personal statement is an important part of your application for admission and provides you with an opportunity to clearly and effectively express your ideas.
      • OTCAS Personal Statement Instructions
    • Resume
      • Include all academic, service, leadership, employment, and/or research activities on your resume. Upload to OTCAS.
    • Observation Hours
      • All applicants are required to complete a total of 30 hours of observational hours in at least two (2) diverse OT settings. Diverse settings are settings that service clientele that are significantly different: inpatient, outpatient, long term care, school-based, elders, pediatrics, orthopedics, rehabilitation, etc. Upload documentation verifying your observation hours to OTCAS. You may submit the UF OTD Observation Hours Form (click the link above), a form from another program, or a signed letter from a supervisor documenting your hours.
      • OTCAS Observation Hours Instructions
      • Observation Hours Form
  • Fee Assistance
  • Applicant Guides

UF Department of Occupational Therapy Statistics:

  • 1st public university in Florida to offer OTD program, and nationally to offer BHS-OTD & CDRT programs
  • 100% pass rate for graduates on the NBCOT exam over multiple consecutive years
  • Ranked 4th among public AAU universities for its graduate program.
  • Ranked #10 of all universities in the U.S.
  • 10 faculty members who are on the AOTA Roster of Fellows or inducted into the AOTF’s Academy of Research