Master of Occupational Therapy Admission Requirements

North Central College considers students for admission into the Master of Occupational Therapy program who possess academic, leadership and ethical qualities necessary to become occupational therapists.

North Central College School of Graduate and Professional Studies uses a rolling admission process. Completed applications are reviewed throughout the admission cycle. Interviews are conducted and admission decisions are made until the class is filled. To be competitive, students are advised to complete their application as early as possible.

Application Process and Admission Requirements

1. OTCAS Application 
   All applicants must apply online via the online application service OTCAS https://otcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login. Review all OTCAS and North Central College specific instructions prior to completing the application process. For admission consideration, applicants are required to submit the following documented evidence to OTCAS:
   1. An earned four-year bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to matriculation. Evidence of earning a minimum of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale during the last sixty (60) hours of undergraduate study.
      1. Prerequisite coursework must be completed within five years of the submission of your application and have a grade of C or above. Prerequisites may be in progress at the time of application, but must be completed prior to the start of the program if you are accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged to enter updated courses during the OTCAS academic update time frame. Prerequisites include the following courses:

         Courses	Semester Hours
         Human Anatomy with laboratory*	3
         Human Physiology with laboratory*	3
         Sociology or Anthropology	3
         Developmental Psychology	3
         Abnormal Psychology	3
         Statistics	3
         *or two combined courses in Anatomy and Physiology with laboratories

   2. Test scores from the Graduate Records Exam (GRE).
   3. Three letters of reference:
      1. One letter from an occupational therapist.
      2. Second letter from a professor who has taught the applicant or an academic advisor.
      3. Third letter from a supervisor or someone who can speak to the applicants work ethic.  
   4. Professional résumé.
   5. Personal statement as prompted in the OTCAS application.
   6. A minimum of 30 hours of documented observational/volunteer experience:
      1. Twenty hours must be in an occupational therapy setting.
      2. Ten hours must be in a community service setting.
2. Application Review and Interview Decisions
   Completed applications are reviewed throughout the admission cycle. Interviews are conducted and admission decisions are made until the class is filled. Applications will not be reviewed until all required application materials have been submitted to and verified by OTCAS. Unverified applications will not be reviewed. Applicants must meet all the admission requirements listed to be considered for an interview. Applicants will be notified if they are invited to an interview session. An interview does not guarantee admission into the program.
3. Interview by Invitation Process
   Interviews typically begin in January and end in June. Qualified candidates will be notified by email if they are selected. Applicants will be notified of an admission decision.

Additional information regarding deadlines of the Application Process and Admission requirements can be found at: https://www.northcentralcollege.edu/graduate-professional-studies/master-occupational-therapy#11205

After receiving admission to the program, students must satisfy Matriculation Requirements as listed at: https://www.northcentralcollege.edu/graduate-professional-studies/master-occupational-therapy#13868

International Applicants

International Applicants Applicants who are not United States citizens and/or who graduated from a college or university in a country other than the United States must also submit the following to be considered for admission (in addition to the requirements listed above):

An official course-by-course evaluation of foreign transcripts by WES (World Education Service) or ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators).

Official results of the TOEFL or IELTS. The minimum TOEFL score is 80 or IELTS band score of 6.5 or higher.

Transfer Credit

North Central College does not award transfer credit toward the fulfillment of graduate-level coursework required to complete the Master of Occupational Therapy degree. Academic credit will not be given for an applicant’s work, experiential learning or volunteer experience.