Pre-Occupational Therapy
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, 鈥渙ccupational therapists help people across the lifespan participate in things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities.鈥� To gain employment as an occupational therapist, a Master鈥檚 Degree in OT is required. The Pre-Occupational Therapy program at Maryville University is designed to prepare you at the undergraduate level for application to these master鈥檚 degree programs.
What is Pre-Occupational Therapy?
Pre-OT is not a major but a program of study designed to provide the academic foundation for additional schooling. Master鈥檚 degree programs in OT do not require a particular undergraduate major. Instead, they require a bachelor鈥檚 degree and have a list of specific courses in psychology, science, and math that must be completed prior to application.
So what should I major in?
Although you can major in virtually any field as long as you take the required classes for application, we believe that psychology is uniquely suited to prepare you for the academic demands of a graduate program in Occupational Therapy. A number of psychology courses are required by different graduate OT programs throughout the region, including Introduction to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Child Psychology, Life-Span Development, and Statistics. As your career goal is to work directly with people, what better major is there than psychology, which is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Why Maryville University?
We have outstanding faculty in both the psychology and natural science programs that will challenge you to achieve your full potential. Upon graduation, you will have a strong academic background to support your application to graduate programs.
Summary of prerequisites to apply to Master鈥檚 OT programs:
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please
January 2025
College of Arts and Sciences
650 Maryville University Drive,
ST LOUIS,
Missouri,
63141, United States
To be considered for admission, applicants should have: A high school diploma with a minimum of 22 units of credits; A high school grade point average of at least 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale). Applicants who do not meet the criteria listed above will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may be asked to submit a personal statement before an admission decision is made. The following are acceptable means of providing proof of English proficiency: TOEFL: 69 overall with no sub score lower than 15, or IELTS: 6.0 with no sub score lower than 5, or DET: 95, or PTE Academic: 47 or ELS Centre: Level 112 completed with a 2.5 grade or better. Application deadline: June 1st for the Fall semester and by November 1st for the Spring semester.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
Maryville University is a renowned private institution in St. Louis, Missouri that offers a well-rounded education designed for student success.
