Domestic Program Requirements Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MS)

Transcription

1 Domestic Program Requirements Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MS) I. General Admission Information The Occupational Therapy program considers for admission those applicants who possess the academic and professional promise necessary for development as competent, caring members of the health care community. To select these candidates a competitive admission framework has been established. Within this competitive admission framework, multiple criteria are used to select the most qualified candidates from an applicant pool that exceeds the number of seats available. Interested individuals are advised to complete their application as early as possible to ensure timely consideration. Application Deadline: February 1 st 1. Admission Requirements Individuals applying for admission to the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program must: Have a Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university by May 31st (or before) of the year you are applying. A degree in any area of study will be accepted. Complete all prerequisites within 5 years of the February 1 st application deadline. If prerequisites are not completed then the application is considered incomplete and is no t reviewed. Take the Revised Graduate Record Examination (GRE) within 5 years of the application deadline. If any component verbal, quantitative & analytical writing is missing, the application is considered incomplete and is not reviewed. Apply for admission to the Graduate School of UTPA before applying to the Occupational Therapy program at This must be current. Apply to the OT program through the Centralized Application Service for Occupational Therapy Schools (OTCAS) online at All required materials must be completed and submitted online by the February 1 st application deadline. Indication of volunteer hours and/or work experiences submitted through OTCAS. Provide three references (recommendations) submitted through OTCAS. The applicant must provide a Personal Statement submitted through OTCAS. Complete FERPA Consent Form and submit to the Occupational Therapy Department

2 2. No Admission Statement An applicant not meeting the minimum graduate admission requirements for the University or the admission criteria for the graduate degree will not be admitted. Admission to the graduate program is not guaranteed. Applicants not admitted may follow the appeal process through the department chair or program director, the dean, then the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies whose decision is final. Refer to the Graduate Catalog for more detailed information and options. II. UTPA Graduate School Application Applicants must apply to the Graduate School of UTPA online at by the February 1 st application deadline. In order to be admitted to the MS in Occupational Therapy program, the student must first meet all requirements for admission to the Graduate School of UTPA. 1. Online Application The application to UTPA s graduate programs can be completed online at 2. Application Fee The University application fee of $50 can be paid online by credit card or electronic check (in the online application). All application fees are non-refundable. 3. Official Transcripts* Official college transcripts are to be sent to the Graduate Studies office directly from all the institutions attended. If the applicant attended UTPA at any time, those official transcripts will be handled by the Graduate Studies office; however, the applicant is responsible for requesting official transcripts to be sent directly from all other institution(s). *Transcripts must be sealed and sent directly from the institution to be considered official. Transcripts will be considered unofficial if they are hand delivered by the applicant or third party regardless if sealed by the institution. Failure to submit a complete/correct application and official transcripts from all institutions attended will result in one of the following: rejection of application, withdrawal of admission offer or disciplinary action including expulsion if the student is enrolled. All submitted documents become the property of UTPA and will not be returned. Admission documents will remain on file for one year if the applicant does not attend the University. Documents will be retained for seven years for students enrolled in a master s level program and for ten years for students enrolled in a doctoral program. Please review the Student File Retention Schedule for more details. IMPORTANT: Please request that your official transcripts be mailed directly to the address listed below. It is important that you include the office name and room number to ensure proper delivery. The University of Texas-Pan American Office of Graduate Studies Marialice Shary Shivers Bldg W. University Drive Edinburg, Texas 78539

3 4. Students whose native language is not English or who studied at a university outside the U.S., review Section IX for more requirements. III. Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy Application The UTPA Occupational Therapy program uses the Centralized Application Service for Occupational Therapy Schools (OTCAS) for students applying to the Program. All applicants to the Occupational Therapy program are required to submit their application to OTCAS ( ) with all required materials by the February 1 st application deadline. Please refer to the OTCAS website for instructions on submission of the OTCAS application materials. Materials to be submitted to OTCAS include: official transcripts, GRE scores, letters of reference, and personal statement. 1. Official Transcripts Official transcripts of all college and university work must be submitted directly to the UTPA Office of Graduate Admissions and to OTCAS at OTCAS Verification Department, P.O. Box 9120, Watertown, MA Prerequisite Courses Applicant must show evidence of satisfactory completion of the following courses. Prerequisite courses completed more than five (5) years prior to the February 1 st application deadline will not be considered. Anatomy & Physiology I (lecture & lab) Anatomy & Physiology II (lecture & lab) Basic Statistics Psychology of Lifespan Abnormal Psychology Anthropology or Sociology Medical Terminology Biomechanics General Physics I (Lecture & Lab) Technical Writing 4 credit hours 4 credit hours 1, 2, or 4 credit hours If there are questions about a prerequisite(s), fax or the course description(s), catalog description(s)of course (s), or syllabus(i) to the OT Department (Fax: 956/ or at occtherapy@utpa.edu/). Be sure to provide your contact information. Waiver(s): A waiver and/or substitution of any required prerequisite course may be petitioned to the Chair of the Admissions Committee. You may do this by providing a written request for a waiver along with supporting documents, your contact information, a copy of the course catalog or syllabus and transcripts to the OT department (Fax: 956/ or occtherapy@utpa.edu). A grade of "D" or "F" will not be accepted for any prerequisite courses.

4 Students may re-take prerequisite courses. The grades for the courses will be averaged together if they are taken within the 5 year time frame. If more than 5 years has elapsed then grades outside the 5 year time frame will not be averaged. 3. Revised Graduate Record Examination (GRE) The MS in Occupational Therapy program requires all parts of the Revised Graduate Record Examination (GRE) - verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing - for all applicants. The Revised GRE must be taken within 5 years of the application deadline. The minimum required score is: verbal 150, quantitative 140, and writing 2.0. The applicant s score is factored into the overall evaluation of the application. If a component is missing a score, the application will not be reviewed and will be considered incomplete. Official GRE scores are sent to the University of Texas-Pan American Graduate School but are self-reported on OTCAS. The Office of Continuing education offers an online GRE Prep course to prospective grad students at 4. Letters of Reference Reference letters are to be submitted electronically through the online OTCAS application system ( Please refer to the OTCAS website for instructions on submission of the OTCAS application materials. 5. Volunteer and/or Work Experiences There is no set number of volunteer hours or work experiences that you need to complete in order to be considered for admission into the program. Nor are you required to complete hours in occupational therapy through work or observation. However, it is vital that you have been exposed to volunteer and/or work experiences. These are factored into the overall evaluation of the application. Your volunteer and/or work experiences are submitted through the OTCAS application. 6. Personal Statement The Personal Essay should address (a) why you selected OT as a career and (b) how an Occupational Therapy degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals. Describe how your personal, educational, and professional background will help you achieve your goals. The personal essay is an important part of your application for admission and provides an opportunity for you to clearly and effectively express your ideas. Do NOT personalize your essay for a particular degree institution. You can NOT make any edits to your Personal Essay after you have e-submitted your completed application to OTCAS. Do not send a copy of the personal statement to the UTPA Occupational Therapy Department. You are encouraged to compose your essay in a text-only word processor (e.g., Notepad), review your essay for errors, then cut and paste the final version into the text box above. Click the Save button and then return to the Personal Essay to review the formatting of your text. You are limited to approximately 1 page (4500 characters, including spaces). Some formatting characters used in programs like Word (angled quotes, accents, special characters) will not display properly. Take care to review your final text and to make the necessary corrections to the format.

5 7. Personal Interview Applicants may be required to participate in a personal interview with the MS in Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee. If required, the Chair of the Admissions Committee will notify the applicant via phone or letter for an interview. 8. FERPA Consent Form The admissions committee is composed of OT faculty and OTs from the community. Please sign the consent form allowing the OTs from the community to evaluate your application. If you do not wish to release your information please indicate this on the consent form. This will not affect the evaluation of your application. Form may be downloaded from the MS in Occupational Therapy web site at web site: Signed form may be faxed to , ed to occtherapy@utpa.edu or mailed to the Occupational Therapy Department. 9. Centralized Application Service for Occupational Therapy Schools (OTCAS) ( GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS Review all OTCAS instructions and program-specific admission requirements before you begin your application. The OTCAS program deadline indicates the date you must submit your web application to OTCAS. This is NOT the deadline by which your verified application must arrive at your designated programs. OTCAS is not responsible for any materials lost in the mail or for delays caused by the registrar's office. Express or certified mail does not guarantee expedient processing, nor does sending transcripts express or certified guarantee receipt by OTCAS. Allow up to 4 weeks for OTCAS to process and verify your application once your application, official transcripts, and fee are received. Your designated OT programs may require supplemental materials before your application is considered. Carefully review the instructions on this web site to prepare for the OTCAS application process. Applicant Responsibilities Enter accurate and comprehensive data into the OTCAS application Compose a personal essay without assistance from others Arrange for OTCAS to receive official transcripts from every regionally accredited U.S. and Canadian college and university attended using the OTCAS Transcript Request form Pay the correct OTCAS application fee Arrange for application materials to be sent to OTCAS as required Print a copy of the completed application before e-submitting it to OTCAS Check application status frequently by logging onto the OTCAS web application Frequently check and login to the application for important messages from OTCAS Personally respond immediately to all communication from OTCAS and programs Contact designated OT programs directly about admission decisions & admission requirements

6 Contact OTCAS customer support staff about any OTCAS issues or questions, such as GPAs or missing documents Log off the OTCAS web application after each session to protect against unauthorized access to the application Maintain record of the OTCAS identification number OTCAS Customer Service Information. Customer Service is available Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST. Phone (617) , OTCAS Applicant Portal Link. For the 2013 admission deadline, the applicant portal will open July 6, 2012 at portal.otcas.org OTCAS Address. All official transcripts MUST be sent to OTCAS at the address below: OTCAS Verification Department P.O. Box 9120 Watertown, MA Paper letters of Recommendation. If an applicant chooses to submit the paper Letter of Recommendation, OTCAS will accept the OTCAS Paper Request Form Only. All Paper Letter of Recommendation MUST be sent to OTCAS at the address below: OTCAS Verification Department P.O. Box 9120 Watertown, MA IV. Application Process To be considered for admission to the MS in Occupational Therapy program, applicants must submit the following: UTPA Graduate School Completed Application The MS in Occupational Therapy Graduate School application must be current. A 2013 application may not be submitted for You must reapply. MS in Occupational Therapy Completed Application. Applicants are required to submit their application to OTCAS. Applicants are responsible for tracking the receipt of their application materials and ensuring submission of all required & verified documents. Only applicants who submit completed applications with all required materials will be considered for potential entrance into the program. Start the application process early. A complete application contains: MS in Occupational Therapy application through OTCAS ( ) You must arrange for OTCAS to receive your application and all required materials. The OTCAS program deadline is NOT the date by which your verified application must arrive at your designated programs.

7 Official transcripts Three online references (recommendations) All prerequisites completed within 5 years prior to the February 1st application deadline Revised Graduate Record Examination Scores for all parts completed within 5 years of the application deadline Indication of volunteer hours and/or work experiences Personal Statement FERPA Consent Form TOEFL of 550 (international students only) Bachelor s degree must be conferred by May 31st before the program begins. It is the student s responsibility to make sure that all documents are received by the application deadline. 1. Selection and Notification Process The Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee meets as soon as possible after the deadline to review each application. If required, the Chair of the Admissions Committee notifies the applicant via phone or letter for an interview. Once selections have been made, the UTPA Graduate School will send notification to all applicants indicating whether or not they have been accepted. No information regarding the status of an application is given over the phone. Once a selection is made, the status of your application will be available online at In keeping with the UTPA policy, the Department of Occupational Therapy Admissions Committee does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, or previous major of college attended. 2. BE ADVISED Applicants who acknowledge a felony conviction should be aware that the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) might bar persons with a felony record from taking the certification examination. The Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (TBOTE) may deny persons with a felony record a state license to practice. For information regarding their requirements for certification following graduation, please contact: National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (TBOTE), The College of Health Sciences and Human Services requires a criminal background check before admission to the program. Some personal information may need to be disclosed during the educational experience. For example, information may be required by a clinical education site or licensing board. Prior notification will be given to the students.

8 3. Required Practicum and Fieldwork Experiences A minimum of one 10 week practicum (Level I) and the equivalent of 24 weeks of fieldwork (Level II) experience are required of all Master's students In Occupational Therapy. These field-based practical experiences provide students with the opportunity to work in an approved setting. All students admitted to the OT program should expect to take at least one fieldwork experience outside the Rio Grande Valley. The practicum (Level I) is generally taken after the 2nd semester in the program and the fieldwork (Level II) experiences after successful completion of all academic coursework and requirements. Students have 24 months after completion of academic coursework to complete Level II fieldwork requirements as declared by ACOTE. Students must complete and pass the equivalent of a minimum of 24 weeks full time Level II fieldwork to graduate but may take more. These practical experiences permit students to gain exposure working with persons with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals. V. Deadline Admission deadline is February 1 st * Applicants must submit all application documents and meet all other requirements by the published deadline date for the semester to which they are applying in order to be considered for admission. Note: Priority deadlines have been established that allow ample time for the application review to be completed before the first day of registration. VI. Offers of Admission to the Graduate School Official admission offers will be made only by the Office of Graduate Studies and are valid only for the semester requested on the application. Through the Online Application Web site, you will be able to view the status of your application. Students who are accepted but do not attend the semester requested on the application must submit an application for readmission to enroll for a later semester. An additional application fee will be charged if the student reapplies more than one year from the semester originally requested. Re-Apply VII. Program Contact Information Program Website: Campus Office: SWOT Building occtherapy@utpa.edu Phone: (956)

9 VIII. ACOTE This program is accredited by: The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) 4720 Montgomery Lane, PO Box Bethesda, MD Tel.: (301) (AOTA) Fax: (301) (TDD): (800) Web site: IX. English Proficiency Exam/Evaluation of Educational Records 1. Students whose native language is not English or who studied at a university outside the U.S.: A. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) The institution code to forward your scores to the University of Texas-Pan American is Scores must be sent directly from Educational Testing Services (ETS) to UTPA. Student copies will not be accepted. Scores are valid for two years. If the test date was more than two years ago, the applicant must retake the examination and request that an official report from ETS be sent to UTPA. UTPA does not accept institutional (or residual) TOEFL exams taken at another institution. The minimum acceptable total score is 500 for paper/pencil tests or 173 for computerbased tests or 61 for internet-based tests (Note: some programs require a higher score, please check the program requirements page for more information). For more information please visit TOEFL ibt Score Comparison Tables (pdf). The test bulletin of information and registration forms are usually available at American embassies and consulates, offices of the United States. Information Agency, or online at B. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Scores must be sent directly from the testing agency to the Graduate School. Students scoring below a 5.5 on the IELTS will not be eligible for admission. For information visit: IELTS. C. Exceptions to the TOEFL or IELTS Lifetime residents of Australia, Canada (other than Quebec), New Zealand, United Kingdom, or the United States (other than Puerto Rico). Students who have recently and successfully completed at least 30 hours of university level academic studies in one of the countries listed. 2. Evaluation of Educational Records for universities outside U.S. Applicants must have their transcript(s) evaluated by Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA). Click here for the FCSA application. Additional information is available at or (512)

10 Students may send copies of their transcript(s) directly to FCSA. The student must bring the original copy of the transcript to the Office of Graduate Studies and a copy will be made to be placed in the student s file. This can be done at any point after the application is submitted or during the student s first semester, but must be done before the student registers for the second semester. Students not complying with this requirement will not be able to register for future semesters. Failure to submit a complete/correct application and official transcripts from all institutions attended will result in one of the following: rejection of application, withdrawal of admission offer or disciplinary action including expulsion if the student is enrolled. All submitted documents become the property of UTPA and will not be returned. Admission documents will remain on file for one year if the applicant does not attend the University. Documents will be retained for seven years for students enrolled in a master s level program and for ten years for students enrolled in a doctoral program. Please review the Student FileRetention Schedule for more details. Should you have any questions about this, please contact FCSA at: FCSA 1910 Justin Lane Austin, TX Phone (512) Fax (512) info@foreigncredentials.org Website: