To become a licensed occupational therapist, a person must earn a master's degree or higher from an accredited occupational therapy program and pass their home state’s licensure examination.  Since no specific undergraduate major is required by most occupational therapy programs, a student interested in occupational therapy should choose a major that is relevant to the field (e.g., biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology) and about which s/he is passionate; a student who majors in a topic in which s/he is genuinely interested is more likely to achieve the academic success that will enable her/him to get into an occupational therapy program. Some occupational therapy programs do not require completion of the bachelor’s degree, but instead require completion of only 90 hours of pre-requisite undergraduate coursework (e.g., the Medical College of Georgia).  The courses required for admission to an occupational therapy program vary greatly from school to school.  Thus, early in her/his undergraduate career, a student should research the admission requirements for the occupational therapy programs to which s/he intends to apply, and s/he should schedule her/his undergraduate classes based on the requirements of the programs in which s/he is interested.  Each student is ultimately responsible for knowing and fulfilling the admission requirements of the programs to which s/he intends to apply.  As a general guide, however, most occupational therapy programs require that students be computer-literate and have taken some combination of the following classes:

Many occupational therapy programs require each applicant to have a minimum overall G.P.A. of 2.8, though some programs require a minimum overall G.P.A. higher than 2.8.  In addition, most programs also evaluate each applicant's G.P.A. in math and science and/or prerequisite courses.  Note that having the minimum required G.P.A. does not guarantee entry to a program; the higher a student's G.P.A. is, the more competitive the student will be when applying to an occupational therapy program.

In addition to the academic preparations a student should make before applying to occupational therapy programs, s/he should keep in mind that some type of experience with occupational therapy is advisable. This experience should include shadowing occupational therapists in various settings.  Such experience will, of course, serve as evidence to occupational therapy programs that a student is truly interested in and knowledgeable about the profession, but it will also help the student determine if s/he is making the right choice by enrolling in an occupational therapy program.  Note that some occupational therapy programs require applicants to have completed a minimum number of documented hours observing ocupational therapists before applying for admission.

Pre-occupational therapy students may wish to join Mercer's pre-health club, MerPMed.  For more information, students should visit the club's website, located at http://www2.mercer.edu/AAS/Pre-professional Information/MerPMed.htm, or send an e-mail to merpmed@yahoo.com.

For more information about the occupational therapy programs offered in Georgia, see the following schools' websites: Brenau University (http://www.brenau.edu/SHS/OT/); the Medical College of Georgia (http://www.mcg.edu/sah/ot/); and Columbus State University/ Medical College of Georgia (http://www.mcg.edu/sah/ot/).  For more information about educational programs and careers in occupational therapy, see the following websites: the American Occupational Therapy Association (http://www.aota.org); the website of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (http://www.nbcot.org/); and the website of the Georgia Board of Occupational Therapy (http://sos.georgia.gov/plb/ot/).  For more information about the salaries and employment outlook for occupational therapists, see http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos078.htm.

More Information

For more information about preparing for and applying to occupational therapy programs, contact the pre-professional advisor in the Office of Academic and Advising Services (478-301-2250).

CB 5-12-09