Occupational Therapy (M.S.) - Professional

The following page contains information on the following topics relevant to application and admission into the Professional MS Program:

• Admissions Requirements

• Application Process

• Early Admission Policy

• Deferral of Acceptance Policy

Admission Requirements

The GPA requirement to apply to the Professional Master's Degree Program for Occupational Therapy  program is as follows:

• A bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.00 for full admission or a 2.75 GPA for conditional admission and:

  In order to meet the basic minimum requirements for full admission to the Graduate School an applicant must have 1) earned a baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.00 (on a 4-point scale) in either the cumulative units of the degree or the last 60 credits of the degree or 2) earned a master’s degree or doctorate from a regionally accredited college or university.

  In cases where the above minimum standards are not met, the last 60 credits may include courses taken beyond the baccalaureate degree that are 300-level or higher. Courses used for admissions purposes may not be applied toward the graduate degree.

  Since some individual programs may have additional requirements and enrollment restrictions, meeting the above minimum requirements may not ensure admission to a specific program. Please refer to the program listing for specific requirements.

  - Graduate Catalog 2011-2012 page. 9 

Prerequisite Requirements:  The following nine prerequisites must be completed prior to entering the MS program. In order to apply, five of the nine prerequisites must be completed at the time of application. You may take the remaining four prerequisites in the Spring and Summer semesters (two per semester) prior to beginning the program. If you submit your application with less than five prerequisites completed, your application will not be accepted.

 It is highly recommended if you are an out-of-state applicant you submit a prerequisite evaluation complete with course descriptions, to the Admissions Coordinator. Please refer the box to the right for details.

• Applicants must complete the following two admission prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of B-:

  1. English Composition *

  2. Human Anatomy and Physiology I with lab (taken within the last five years)

• Applicants must complete the following seven admission prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of C:

3. Human Anatomy and Physiology II with lab (taken within the last five years)

4. Introductory Sociology

5. Introductory Psychology

6. Abnormal Psychology

7. Basic Statistics

8. Physics (must cover mechanics and include a lab)

9. Human Development (must cover the entire lifespan from conception to death)

Please note that Medical Terminology is required to be completed before entering the program(must be taken at a community college or four year institution)

             *  CLEP cannot be used for English Composition

Application Procedure and Guidelines - Deadline to Apply:  February 1

In previous years we have used a supplemental application. If you have downloaded this application, please disregard any application instructions included within the supplemental application and refer to the process below as how to apply:

 To apply to the Professional Master's Degree Program for Occupational Therapy :

1) Apply to Towson University's School of Graduate Studies through University Admissions. This can be completed online here not later than February 1st.

• You should not fill out the application checklist

• You do not need to submit a written statement or any materials with this application.

• The only aspects of this application that needs to be completed are the applicant information and the application fee.

2) Once you have completed the online application to Towson University, you must apply through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). All transcripts and application materials must be submitted to OTCAS, anything that is sent to Towson University will not be accepted.  All applications must be completed and all materials must be received at OTCAS by February 1. 

The GRE is not required by the MS program of Towson University and will not go towards the evaluation of your application. OTCAS will ask you for your GRE scores but you do not have to fill out that information.

Recommendations (submitted in OTCAS)

• Three recommendations from the following references:

  1. Human Service Activity Supervisor

  2. Professional - refers to anyone you have worked for or with in a professional capacity

  3. Professional or Faculty

  References from family, friends, or spiritual mentors will not be accepted.   
              
  Reference letters do not have to be included, only the forms are required.

Human Service Activity

Complete and verify at least 30 hours of human service activity.   This work or volunteer experience must have involved direct interaction with people with disabilities and/or illness and/or other disadvantages. Examples include work/volunteer experience in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, senior centers, drug rehabilitation programs, programs for the homeless, camps and/or attendant care for a child, an adolescent or an adult with special needs. The following experiences do not satisfy this requirement: babysitting children who do not have disabilities and administrative/ clerical work. All 30 hours of human service activity must have been completed within two years of the screening deadline. The 30 hours must have been completed in no more than three different settings, and the applicant must have been in each setting for at least 10 hours.

IMPORTANT: To indicate this experience on the OTCAS application, please fill out the section entitled "Application > Occupational Therapy Observation Hours."  Even though this section is entitled "Occupational Therapy Observation Hours" please refer to the above requirements for the experience. To reiterate the requirement; It does not have to be with an occupational therapist however it does have to be a direct interaction.. Please ignore the sections where it is asking for the Occupational Therapist license number and the state of licensure. All other sections must be filled out.

Essay Requirements:

Within the OTCAS system you will see instructions pertaining to the essay requirements in a section entitled "Application > Personal Statement". 

For more information regarding admission prerequisite courses and other aspects of the application process, contact: CHP Admissions Coordinator Towson University 8000 York Road Towson, MD 21252-0001, or call 410-704-2653.

Early Admission Option for Professional Master’s Degree Program

Students are eligible for early admission to the Professional Master’s Degree Program if they have:

• a 3.60 GPA (based on the last 60 credits of undergraduate & post-baccalaureate course work)

• meet the prerequisite requirements with a minimum GPA of 3.4 or better in your top five prerequisites (grade requirements for the prescreening courses must meet regular admission criteria).

• Complete all other aspects of the application.

The application deadline for Early Admission is January 1.

Please note that Early Admissions is rolling and has limited space availability

Early admission is offered on a limited basis and guarantees the student a place in the next upcoming class. Students interested in this option must contact the College of Health Profession's Admissions Coordinator.

Early Admissions for the fall 2013 Professional Master's Degree Program is currently full

Applicants will be reviewed for regular admissions, the deadline to apply is February 1, 2013

Deferral of Acceptance Policy

If you are accepted into the Professional MS program and you are unable to attend, you have the option of deferring your acceptance for one year.  This option will be listed on the "Intent Form" that accepted applicants receive when decision letters are sent out at the end of each application cycle. If you do not indicate a deferral on this form then you will not be able to defer your acceptance at a later date and must re-apply to the program.