Pre-Occupational Therapy

Arts and Sciences Degree/A.A.

This program satisfies the course requirements for admission to the professional portion of the curriculum in occupational therapy offered by the School of Medicine at West Virginia University. Registration in the first two years does not automatically assure the student a place in the junior class. A student will be accepted on a competitive basis and selection will be based on scholastic standing and on those personal characteristics that are desirable in occupational therapists. Applicants must have a minimum of 63 to 65 hours of college credit with a GPA of 3.0 cumulatively and in prerequisite coursework.

A minimum of 60 hours of volunteer or work experience with people with disabilities is required. A minimum of 45 of those hours must be with licensed occupational therapist (OTR/L) and/or a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA). Two letters of recommendation are also required, one from an occupational therapist or COTA who supervised the volunteer/work experiences and the other from a professor who has recently taught the applicant. Completion of all prerequisite courses by the end of the semester of application (usually, second semester of sophomore year) is normally required. Strong consideration will be given to residency and a commitment to stay in West Virginia to practice after graduation.

Recommended Two-Year Sequence

FIRST YEAR

First Semester

 

Hrs.

ENGL

101

Composition and Rhetoric

3

BIOL

101

General Biology

3

BIOL

103

General Biology Laboratory

1

MATH

126

College Algebra

3

PSYC

101

Introduction to Psychology

3

WVUe

191*

First-Year Seminar

(1)

Total

 

 

13

 

Second Semester

 

Hrs.

ENGL

102

Composition and Rhetoric

3

BIOL

102

General Biology

3

BIOL

104

General Biology Laboratory

1

PSYC

241

Introduction to Human Develop.

3

GEC Electives

 

6

ORIN

270

Introduction to Health Careers (optional)

1

Total

 

 

16-17

 

SECOND YEAR

First Semester

 

Hrs.

COMM

100

Principles of Human Communication

1

COMM

102

Human Communication in Interpersonal Context

2

PHYS

101

Introductory Physics

4

CHEM

115

Fundamentals of Chemistry

4

GEC Elective

 

3

STAT

211

Elementary Statistical Inference

3

Total

 

 

17

 

Second Semester

 

Hrs.

PSYC

281

Abnormal Psychology

3

SOCA

101

Introduction to Sociology or

 

SOCA

105

Introduction to Anthropology

3

GEC Electives

 

6

Elective

 

 

3

Total

 

 

15

Total Hours: 61

*Required of first-time, first-semester students; not required for graduation